A WORD FOR TODAY, October 23, 2025
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, October 23, 2025
“All the multitude kept silence, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul reporting what signs and wonders God had done among the nations through them. After they were silent, James answered, ‘Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has reported how God first visited the nations to take out of them a people for his name. This agrees with the words of the prophets. As it is written, “After these things I will return. I will again build the tabernacle of David, which has fallen. I will again build its ruins. I will set it up that the rest of men may seek after the Lord: all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who does all these things.” All of God’s works are known to him from eternity. Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God, but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood. For Moses from generations of old has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.’ Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers.” Acts 15:12-22, WEB
Today is the day we remember St. James of Jerusalem, also known as James the Just, who is often identified as the brother (or half-brother) of Jesus Christ. We don’t exactly know the relationship between them, whether James was a younger brother who shared Mary as their mother or an older brother, the son of Joseph from a previous marriage. He is named in Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:3 as part of Jesus’ family. This James is not the James the Apostle, but he had an important role as a leader of the early Church, particularly in Jerusalem where he was named bishop.
He is identified by Paul as one of those to whom Jesus made an appearance after He was raised in 1 Corinthians 15. In Galatians 1, Paul calls him James, the Lord’s brother. It is believed that James wrote the epistle named after him. The writer of the letter of Jude is also identified as a brother of Jesus, noting in his greeting that James is his brother. Josephus, Eusebius, and Jerome, historians during the time of the early church, make references to him. Josephus seems more sympathetic to James than he is to Jesus. Though there are some questions about his identity, particularly in modern scholarship, most of the early scholars reported that Jesus was a relative of Jesus.
James did not seem to believe in Jesus during His ministry. James was probably with Mary when she tried to get Jesus to go home to rest in Matthew 12:46. The crowds in Jesus’ hometown could not understand where Jesus got His wisdom and power, identifying Him with His family. Jesus answered, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house.” In the end, however, James became one of Jesus’ staunchest supporters and an advocate for the growing church.
Our text for today notes a moment when Paul returns to Jerusalem to share a report about the work happening with the Gentile believers. James helped guide the church toward welcoming Gentile converts without imposing the full weight of Jewish law. He lived a life of prayer, simplicity, and holiness, and was deeply revered for his intercession on behalf of his people. His bold witness to Jesus as Messiah, however, provoked opposition. According to tradition, and the witness of many early historians, James was thrown from the temple roof or stoned to death for his testimony. Honored as both apostle and martyr, James is remembered for his wisdom, his reconciling spirit, and his steadfast faith unto death.
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