“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.” (James 1:1)
A Letter to Early Believers
The apostle opens this letter with a greeting, identifying himself as the author and the original audience to whom he addressed these words. He writes to “the twelve tribes dispersed abroad.” As one of the earliest NT books, believers were primarily Jewish Christians. The gospel first spread from Jerusalem, but in time reached Jewish communities dispersed throughout the Roman Empire. Eventually, the message reached Gentile hearers as well. The original readers had come out of a background in Judaism, and needed to understand what it meant to follow Christ rather than Moses. While this was his original audience, the message of the book is just as relevant to believers from all backgrounds, Jew or Gentile, including believers today.
Who was James?
There are several men in the NT who bear the same name. It was very common for Jewish parents to name their sons after the founding father of their nation, as James corresponds to the Hebrew “Jacob.” Which James? Though not specified, the most likely answer is James the brother of Jesus. We remember the virgin birth of Christ, but sometimes we forget that Mary and Joseph had other children after Jesus was born. One of them, named James, while initially reluctant to believe during the earthly ministry of Christ (John 7:5) became a stout follower of the Way and a leader in the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18).
If this is the case, it is interesting how he introduces himself. He does not assign himself some kind of self-aggrandizing title such as “James the brother of the Lord,” or “James, the guy who has known Jesus his whole life.” Instead, he refers to himself as “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” This demonstrates a heart of humility. He understood that true leaders, according to Scripture, are willing to serve. James wasn’t grasping at authority, but was willing to pour out his life for the sake of others. He wasn’t placing himself on a pedestal, but exalting the Savior. He wasn’t seeking attention, but acknowledging God is the only one worthy of praise.
A Lesson for Today
We ought to adopt this same attitude making it our own ambition to lives as bond-servants of Christ. To be a servant means that you do not own your life. You do not get to chart your own path. You are not the center of the universe. Life is not about meeting your own selfish desires or ambitions, or expectations. The goal isn’t to have people think highly of you. You don’t call the shots or give the orders. There is someone else that you live to please. That person is the Savior. We surrender ourselves entirely to him, seeking to please him. He calls the shots and gives the orders. When he says “go,” we follow wherever he leads us. We look to him to provide meaning and purpose for our lives, realizing that true fulfillment is found only by living in fellowship with him.
This is not the way of the world. We are reminded of the constant bickering of the disciples, during the earthly ministry of Christ, who were always grasping for the favored seat and claiming to be the greatest. But Jesus showed them a different way. Don’t act like the Gentiles, he told them. “But whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave, just as the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:25-28). They learned this lesson well, and exemplified it in their lives.
A Good Opening
This is a great way to begin a letter. From the opening lines, before he even gets into the instruction that will follow, he already models a servant’s heart and a humble spirit. James had come a long ways since the first time we read about him and his siblings in the gospels. He had become a man of faith and a leader among those earliest believers in the death and resurrection of Jesus. His goal in writing this letter was to call others to become faithful servants of the Lord. So let us refer to ourselves, not in terms of our own status or sense of importance, but as bond-servants of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have been reading through the letter of James in my devotions, and will be sharing some thoughts each week from my study. For an excellent overview of the book, I encourage you to listen to the episode “J is for James” in Craig MacDonald’s ABC Alphabet Soup Podcast: