Preliminares

 James 1:1, “James, a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings.”

To avoid descending into a Bible version of who’s on third, we must first determine how many men named James are in the New Testament and which of these authored the epistle we will be studying. Relax, I’m not assigning you homework; I already did it for you. Although some insist there are three men named James within the pages of Scripture, there are actually four. Four men named James are found within the pages of the New Testament, one of these being the half-brother of Jesus and, coincidentally, the individual responsible for penning the epistle.

Evidently, James was a popular name in Jesus’ day, equivalent to Jack, Jim, or Mike in our modern age. You can’t throw a rock without hitting a Mike. However, every Mike is a unique individual with a unique story, family, history, and identity.

It’s hard enough identifying the right person with the advent of last names. Imagine having to do so based on the father’s name or his occupation and nothing else. Usually, if there is more than one individual with the same name, we are told whose son they were, so we might differentiate between them. It matters because even within the context of this discussion, there are two men named Judas, one who hung himself and was already dead while the other had gathered in the upper room with the disciples of Christ.

If not for the Bible’s insistence that it was a different Judas, disingenuous souls would have quickly jumped on it and pointed out a perceived inconsistency. Any little thing will do because they have to get their shots in where they can.

It may sound jaded, but I believe most people aren’t looking for the truth; they’re looking for an excuse not to accept the truth. They will overlook conflicting claims, contradictions, and inconsistencies as long as their position is validated. If their position is in danger of being exposed as a lie, they’ll ignore incontrovertible facts and evidence, pretending as though it were not clear and overwhelming.

Since I’d never ask you to just take my word for it, we will quickly go through the four men named James in the New Testament to get our bearings and begin this journey on the right foot. Because too many insist on making it up as they go along these days, in fact, entire denominations do so without shame or remorse, it’s always best to go to the Word and let it have the final say.

Yes, it would be easier to hop on the ‘trust me, bro’ bandwagon, but easy is easy; it isn’t right. Just take our word for it; it’s true, we promise. Biblical precedence, you say? What’s your problem with gold dust? Why are you so divisive? Why can’t you just accept it and move on? Why do you have to make such a big deal about it?

Because men will say the darndest things and twist themselves into pretzels just to prove their position valid, in no particular order, the four men in the Bible named James are:

James, the father of Judas, no, not that Judas, and he is mentioned twice. Once in Luke and another time in Acts.

Luke 6:16, “Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.”

Acts 1:16, “And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.”

Those who read the verses and don’t just gloss over them may have noticed another James being mentioned in this verse: James, the son of Alphaeus. Although counted among the disciples, very little is known about this James. He is mentioned one other time, in the gospel according to Mark, and is referred to as James the Less.

Mark 15:40-41, “There were also women looking on from afar, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joseph, and Salome, who also followed Him and ministered to Him when He was in Galilee, and many other women who came up with Him to Jerusalem.”

Then there is James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John, affectionately known as the Sons of Thunder, and also known as James the Greater, who was beheaded with a sword by Herod Agrippa close to where he was a missionary to the Jews in Judea. 

Matthew 4:21-22, “Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.”

Matthew 10:2-4, “Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.”

Then there’s James, the Lord’s brother, mentioned a handful of times in Matthew, Mark, Galatians, and Acts.

Matthew 13:55, “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?”

Galatians 1:19, “But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.”

One thing to notice, and it’s something that stood out to me, having met more than my fair share of people trying to convince me of something that wasn’t entirely true, is that nobody’s trying too hard to emphasize that Jesus had siblings. Both passages, within the context of the broader dialogue, can be considered throwaway lines.

Nobody’s trying to hammer home the point; they’re just stating a fact. Nobody’s trying to convince anyone that Jesus had brothers and sisters; it was common knowledge during that time, and Paul mentioned it because he’d met James, and the people discussed it because they knew the family Jesus came from and that he had brothers, James among them.

Be wary of people who try too hard to convince you about something. Truth is self-evident. Be matter of fact in presenting it, but once you have, you’ve done your duty, and the rest is on them.

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr.