Background

I thought I would approach this series with a little more of the background information I have from some of my trusted commentaries.

Who Is Ya’akov?

Of all the persons named Ya’akov in the Brit Hadashah (Ya’akov, son of Zebedee: Mattityahu 4:21; Ya’akov, son of Alphaeus: Mattityahu 10:3; Ya’akov the father of the apostle Judas [not Iscariot]: Luke 6:16; Ya’akov the Less the son of Mariam: Mark 15:40), no one is as crucial to the development of the early church as Ya’akov, the Lord’s brother. Yet, his name appears only eight times in the Brit Hadasah (Mattityahu 13:55; Mark 6:3; Acts 12:17; 15:13–29; 21:17–26; 1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 1–2; and Jude 1:1). His name is first mentioned in Mark 6:3 (see also Mattityahu 13:55), in the narrative of Yeshua’s rejection in Nazareth. Nothing more can be inferred from the narrative other than Ya’akov was the Lord’s brother. Earlier in Mark, the brothers of Yeshua, along with His mother, were looking for Him (Mark 3:31–35). The Gospel of John states that the brothers of Yeshua do not believe in Him (John 7:5), meaning that this Ya’akov does not at first believe in His brother’s messianic claims. seems to imply Ya’akov’s belief was a result of a resurrection appearance (1 Cor 15:7).^[1]

Historical Background

Ya’akov was probably written between 48 and 52 CE, though nothing in the epistle suggests a more precise date. Ya’akov’s death in 62 or 66 CE means the epistle was written before this time. Similarities to Gospel traditions and Sha’ul’s themes are suggestive. If Mark was written around 65 CE and time is allowed for the events of Acts 15 and 21 to have occurred between Shaul’s first and second missionary journeys, a date between 48 and 52 CE seems most likely.

The reference to “the 12 tribes in the Dispersion” (1:1) suggests the letter was written to Jewish Believers living in or around Palestine. Ya’akov led the Yerushalayim Kehilah, so it is likely that the audience lived in that area (including Antioch). The reference to a synagogue in 2:2 also suggests that his audience were Jewish Believers. References to their circumstances (e.g., oppression by wealthy landowners; 5:1–6) could refer to congregations anywhere in the Roman Empire. However, Semitic word order, quotations from the Septuagint, and the overall dependence of the epistle on the Jewish wisdom tradition suggest a specifically Jewish Believer audience.^[2]

Message and Purpose

We live in a world where politics rules the day. In this world, a person’s public reputation too often drowns out the private reality. Who you know usually trumps what you know. Name-dropping often gets you farther than talent or skill. These cynical sayings not only apply to the political realm, where quid pro quo is the status quo. Unfortunately, the “good ol’ boy” system also tends to corrupt most areas of business, academia, entertainment—and, yes, even the church.

This is why the opening words of the Book of Ya’akov are so refreshing. Like a cool spring breeze blowing through a musty room, the unassuming nature of these first few words drives out arrogance, ego, and presumption. Written by a man who could have dropped the Name above all names, this simple, straightforward greeting sets the tone for a letter that assaults our natural human tendencies toward sin and selfishness with a radical message of authenticity and humility.

Having identified the author as Ya’akov, the brother of Yeshua, what do we know about him that will help us as we read his letter? Let’s reconstruct a meaningful picture of Ya’akov’s life.

No second-born son or daughter can possibly fathom what it must have been like to suffer second child syndrome with an older brother who never sinned. But Ya’akov did. Can you even imagine? Yeshua always came when His mother called Him the first time. He always washed His hands properly before supper. He always did His chores quickly and with delight. He always obeyed. Then there was Ya’akov, born with a sinful nature like the rest of us, living in the shadow of a big brother who was God in the flesh. Being far from perfect, younger brother Ya’akov had a built-in problem right from the start.

I suppose Ya’akov would have been happy to see Yeshua leave home when He did. But then his already “strange” older brother came back to their home town claiming to be the long-awaited fulfillment of Messianic promises (Luke 4:16–21). How do you think Ya’akov felt toward his older brother then? We don’t have to wonder. John 7:5 says, “Not even His brothers were believing in Him.” And Mark 3:21 tells us that His family “went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, ‘He has lost His senses.’ ”

So, throughout the Gospels we see Ya’akov in a state of unbelief and skepticism over his older brother. But things didn’t stay that way. In 1 Corinthians 15:7, the apostle Sha’ul gives us a brief glimpse at an otherwise unknown event—the appearance of the resurrected Yeshua to Ya’akov. We probably should avoid speculating about the nature of that visit, but I suspect it was different from Sha’ul’s much-needed Damascus encounter—the one that blinded him with brilliant glory (Acts 9:1–9). Rather, I picture Yeshua putting His arms around His younger brother, whispering words of encouragement and love in his ear—words he had longed to hear all his life.

Ya’akov’s wise and convincing words became the basis for the Yerushalayim council’s decision to affirm Sha’ul’s gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone. In agreement with Sha’ul and Barnabas, the Yerushalayim apostles and elders firmly rejected the addition of works to the gospel—and aren’t we grateful! However, in order to maintain unity between the Jewish and Gentile Believers, the Yerushalayim Council asked Gentile converts to avoid practices that Jews would find offensive (Acts 15:28–29; 21:25). Stated succinctly, Ya’akov wanted to ensure that genuine faith was authenticated by God–honoring works.

Ya’akov appears again in the book of Acts about ten years later (58 CE). Shortly before being arrested and sent to Rome, Sha’ul arrived in Yerushalayim from his third missionary journey and met with Ya’akov, who was by then clearly the leader of the Jewish Believers in Yerushalayim (Acts 21:15–19). In an attempt to exonerate Sha’ul from charges that he had been encouraging Jews to abandon their customs after coming in faith to Yeshua, Ya’akov and the other elders in Yerushalayim encouraged Sha’ul to participate in a purity ritual at the temple (Acts 21:23–24). From this we learn that Ya’akov, a Jew living in Yerushalayim and leading the Jewish Believers, continued to keep the Law as a testimony to his fellow Jews. The last thing he wanted was for his genuine faith in Yeshua as the Messiah to be maligned because he and his people abruptly turned their backs on the Law of Moshe. Though the Law was never a means of salvation, for Ya’akov and many Jewish Believers, it was a means of testimony to unbelieving Jews that their faith empowered them to do good works.

Ancient historians tell us that Ya’akov continued to live and teach in Yerushalayim, convincing many Jews and visitors to Yerushalayim that Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God. Greatly esteemed for his piety, he spent so much time in the temple kneeling in prayer that he was given the nickname “Camel Knees.” Even his opponents, the scribes and P’rushim, could find no fault in him—except, of course, his “misguided” belief that Yeshua is the Messiah.

Nevertheless, Ya’akov’s authentic faith eventually became the death of him. His true faith in Christ—demonstrated through good works, strengthened through suffering, and seasoned with God-given wisdom—drew the ire of the increasingly zealous and jealous religious elite. His words and works attracted thousands of Jews to Christ, and the anti-Christian powers in Yerushalayim eventually had enough of him.

Josephus reports that Ya’akov was simply stoned, but Eusebius recounts that he was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple and then beaten to death with a club. Whatever the details of his brutal and unjust execution, Ya’akov, the brother of Yeshua, was martyred for his faith in 62 CE. ^[3]

In our next post, we dig into the Letter of Ya’akov (Ya’akov) itself.

Click here for the PDF version.

 

^[1] Viktor Roudkovski, “James, Brother of Jesus,” in The Lexham Bible Dictionary, ed. John D. Barry et al. (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

^[2] R. Gregg Watson, “James,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary, ed. E. Ray Clendenen and Jeremy Royal Howard (Broadman & Holman, 2015), 1347.

^[3] Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on James, 1 & 2 Peter, vol. 13, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2014), 12.