James
“a bondservant of the
Lord Jesus Christ”
James – which one?
• There are 3 James mentioned in Scripture:
– James the brother of John
(Sons of Zebedee) Matt 10:2, Mark 3:17
– James the son of Alpheus Matt 10:3
– James the brother of Jesus Matt 13:54-56
Personal Profile
(Matt 13:53-58)
• Father: Joseph of Nazareth
• Mother: Mary (Mother of Jesus)
• Brothers: Jesus, Joses, Simon, Judas
(also named Jude) Mark 6:3, Gal 1:19
• Auntie: Un-named auntie John 19:25
• Cousins: Possibly
Personal Profile
(Matt 13:53-58)
• Lived: Nazareth Matt 13:53-57, Mark 6:1-4
• Occupation: ?carpentry (cf. Mark 6:3)
• Not named as an apostle
– (But his brother was)
•
Some Interesting Facts
• Saw Jesus after His resurrection 1 Cor 15:7
• Called “pillars” by Paul, along with Cephas
and John Gal 2:9a
• Had a great desire towards the poor Gal 2:10
• Referred to as “James the Less” Mark 15:40
– We know this is James the brother of Jesus
from the comparable verse at Matt 27:56
• Did not always believe in Jesus John 7:5
Some Interesting Facts
• Went to Jerusalem to see Peter and
stayed with him 15 days.
– It seems no other apostles visited Peter in
Jerusalem except James Gal 1:19
• Was part of the early Church Acts 1:14
• Encourages new believers Acts 15:19,24
• Addressed the Jerusalem Council Acts 15:13-21
• Made a suggestion to the Church council
that was acted upon Acts 15:22-23
Converted Believer
• The brothers were religious. They went up to the Feast of
Tabernacles. John 7:2,10
• He had an understanding and knowledge of the Old Testament Acts
15:15-17
– Knew how to apply Scripture, especially with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit Acts 15:15-17
• However, James was not always a Christian
– Did not always believe in Jesus John 7:5
– We know James later became a Messianic Jew or Born Again Christian
as he wrote the book of James, and described himself as a bondservant
of Jesus Christ James 1:1
– James and his brothers misunderstood the reason why Jesus had come
and what He was about John 7:4
– Have you?
Desire for the Poor
“Pillars”
Jerusalem Council
Apostles
Matt 10:2-4 Mark 3:14-19 Luke 6:13-16 Acts 1:13
Simon Peter Simon Peter Simon Peter Peter
Andrew Andrew Andrew Andrew
James – son of Zebedee James – son of Zebedee James – son of Zebedee James
John John John John
Philip Philip Philip Philip
Bartholomew Bartholomew Bartholomew Bartholomew
Matthew (the tax collector) Matthew (the tax collector) Matthew (the tax collector) Matthew
Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas
James – son of Alpheus James – son of Alpheus James – son of Alpheus James – son of
Alpheus
Simon (the Canaanite) Simon (the Canaanite) Simon (the Zealot) Simon (the Zealot)
Lebbaeus (surname Thaddeus** Judas – son*** of James Judas – son of James
Thaddaeus)*
Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot Dead
* omitted in NU texts
** My bible foot notes state “Thaddaeus is Judas the son of James”
*** These words are in oblique text in the scriptures, indicating they are not found in the original text and have been
added for our clarification. Sometimes it reads sons of, other times it reads brother of (Jude 1:1)