February 20 | James 5:7-11

Jennifer Jerrome
Feb 20
3 min read

DAILY READING

REFLECTION

We Are Family

By Jennifer Jerrome

Last month, my assigned scripture was from the Epistle of Jude and this month it’s James – both brothers of Jesus. Which made me wonder, what was life like for these siblings? Can you imagine growing up with the Messiah?

John 7:5 tells us, For even his own brothers did not believe in him. And According to Acts 1:14 their faith transformation didn’t occur until after the Resurrection. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

James and Jude are directly mentioned only a handful of times in the New Testament. Hence not a lot of details are shared about them, so understanding their roles comes with some speculation.

What do you think verse 8 of today’s passage meant to James?

You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.

I can hear James saying, “I miss my brother and can’t wait for him to return. I know he’ll do what he says because I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:7).

Maybe that’s why James uses the phrase “brothers and sisters” over 15 times in his short letter. When your brother saves the world, everyone feels like family.

I also wonder if James and Jude ever kicked themselves for not believing sooner. They could have been part of Jesus’ inner circle during his ministry, but maybe there was a reason they weren’t. Would they have monopolized his time and become jealous of the others when Jesus clearly loved his disciples just like brothers?

Maybe Jesus had to create a family outside of his own to accomplish what he needed to accomplish. Sorry, but sometimes family gets in the way. For as much as we love them, family can really complicate things. God knew it would take time for Jesus’ brothers to accept what was happening and maybe they would have tried to interfere or keep Jesus from doing what needed to be done.

Once James and Jude understood what had really happened, they felt compelled to share it with all their “new” brothers and sisters in Christ. James wanted his audience to know the Savior would come; they just needed to exercise patience and perseverance.

PRAYER

Prayer from James’ perspective…

Brothers and Sisters, be patient. He’s coming. He’ll do what he said. He is family – ours, yours, mine, and theirs. He’s everyone’s brother. He came to save us all. It took us a while to figure it out, but now that we know what a treasure our brother is, we want everyone to experience his love and become part of our family. One family in Christ. The Lord truly is full of compassion and mercy. Amen

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JENNIFER JERROME

I have known I was a child of God from the beginning. I was baptized and raised in the Catholic church and began attending UALC about 18 years ago when my husband I were searching for a place to worship and serve as a family. UALC has helped shape our faith over the years. We have been through several seasons of life and the constant has been our faith and family.