Continuing with James 1, Verse 9-17 in the King James Version. The language can seem antiquated to the modern ear and eye, but it has a particular poetry and gets easier to read the more times we read through it.
Verses 9-11 are a reminder that the things of this world are transitory.
Verse 12-15 are a caution to us that we will likely be tempted - whether it be by greed, by lust, by anger, or by own weaknesses. These temptations do not come from God, but originate from our own thoughts and desires - perhaps a good reminder that if we want to be good shepherds, we must shepherd and govern our own minds - stray thoughts will pass through our minds but we can turn those thoughts back to go.
Verses 16-17 are a promise, and a clarification - what God has in store for us, what God wants for us is perfect.
As often as I study the Bible I find myself coming to James again and again - there is a simplicity and a directness that can be powerful particularly in times of confusion.
9 Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11 For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Congratulations @alohaed! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain And have been rewarded with New badge(s)
Your next target is to reach 9000 upvotes.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPDo we believe that James was the Brother of Jesus ? It looks like he became the Leader of the Hebrew Nazarenes after the death of Jesus.
I don't have a strong opinion on it, that may be a radical statement on social media! (To not have a strong opinion).
Scholars have a wide range of views. I think the Orthodox view is that he was a cousin of Christ.
What's your intuition or belief about his lineage?
Well .. I’m Roman Catholic and I we are told that James was a cousin, but I wonder if maybe James was an older brother (Son of Joseph) … I think back in the day they had many wives. In the 1st Century Gospel of Thomas (The Twin) Jesus tells his disciples to follow James (after he is gone) … I think it was a very large family. I’d like to learn more about the ancient and Historical family of Jesus the Nazarene.
I'm a Baptist, as I've grown older I've come to think that Protestants became overly disconnected from Church history. This is a tangential thought.
This week I'll take some time and dig into the scholarship some. Origen of Alexandria may be a starting point, though likely modern scholars have some different idea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_of_James
Catholics and Orthodox Christians teach that James, along with others named in the New Testament as brothers of Jesus, were not the biological children of Mary, mother of Jesus, but were cousins of Jesus, or step-brothers from a previous marriage of Joseph (as related in the non-canonical Gospel of James).Others consider James to be the son of Mary and Joseph.
Source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James,_brother_of_Jesus
The further Bible studies that I did as a Catholic I realized that I needed to study and learn Hebrew and ancient Aramaic to understand the original teaching of Jesus (Yeshua ha Notzri) the Nazarene
When you read the Bible … New and Old Testament in Aramaic and Hebrew everything has a lot more meaning. Everything is a symbol and metaphor … every letter / number has a deeper meaning and Significance….
Jesus was always teaching in symbol and metaphor. On a much deeper level that only the Great Mystics could understand.
St Paul was the greatest mystic of all. Only St Paul and St Thomas (Toma the Twin) understood what Jesus was teaching.
With some effort, I occasionally sit down and work through the New Testament in Koine Greek.
There is certainly metaphor and symbology there, or an underlying message that our carnal or physical nature resists. How many times did he get express his frustration with the Apostles? There definitely much to think about there.