James 1:1 JAMES, A SERVANT OF GOD In the greetings that are given in the Jewish way by identifying the writer first, James speaks of himself as a servant of God. He makes no reference to his family relationship to Jesus. In the book of Galatians, he is identified as "the Lord's brother," and we know that after the private meeting he had with the Lord Jesus Christ after His resurrection, James was a different man. For whatever reasons, James soon became a leader among the believers who were in the church at Jerusalem, even though he and other members of his family did not believe in Jesus during His earthly ministry. He may have heard about the scenes at the cross from his mother, but the encounter with Jesus after His resurrection changed everything. Jude who was a brother of James and a half-brother of Jesus, became a believer in Him as well. At the beginning of his brief letter giving warnings of apostasy, he writes: "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James..." Neither man spoke of their earthly relationship with the Lord Jesus in a way that set them apart from other faithful servants of the Lord.
The two times James mentions Jesus, it is with reverence and devotion. In his case, familiarity did not breed contempt. He took his place alongside of his Jewish brethren as one concerned about them because of the persecution of Christians that was increasing in many places. He knew many who had been saved on the day of Pentecost, were from various countries, "scattered abroad," and they had also been scattered because of the persecution under Saul of Tarsus. This letter was written to those who had professed faith in Christ and had returned to their homes in different parts of the world, and also to those Jews who were confronted with the Gospel but were still uncertain about what it meant to be a Christian.
James was well aware of the Jewish law and the effect it had on those who followed Judaism. He knew the true implications of what it meant to follow the law and he also knew the true implications to follow the teaching and ministry of Jesus. When the time of conflict came between these two groups of Jews, James was able at the council of brethren that met at Jerusalem, to discern how best to bring these two groups to the common ground of consensus. In both the letter in Acts 15:23 and here, James uses his unique word of "greeting" which none of the other New Testament writers used in this way.
It is a wonderful example of the grace of God when we read about the different ways the Spirit of God brings individuals to put their faith in Christ. Paul was different than James. Each of us has our own personal experience of putting faith in Christ. Each of us also has a particular work to do for our Lord for which we are responsible. James was concerned about the "twelve tribes." The place and purpose in which we are found is where the Lord of the harvest has deemed that we are best suited to serve Him. It may be in our own family sphere. It may be in a community or in a particular ethnic group. Some stay in a certain geographical area in which they have a singular interest. We can appreciate each other and pray that God will bless the efforts and labors others put forth even while we are fulfilling our own calling