This past Sunday we celebrated the Feast of St. James – but we celebrated it by reading a condemnation of St. James by St. Paul! Here’s why…
As you all know, today is the Feast of St. James the Less – a.k.a. “Iakovos” or “Jacob” – the brother of our Lord.
After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, James becomes the first bishop of Jerusalem.
According to scripture, James’ mission was to proclaim the good news of Christ’s resurrection to the Judeans. Paul, on the other hand, was to proclaim the good news to the Gentiles.
But the proclamation was the same – no matter who you were – and it brought everyone together as one family with God.
James for the Judeans and Paul for Gentiles
It’s this dynamic between James and Paul that makes this feast so interesting.
Why?
Well, we’re celebrating St. James and everything he did for the early church. But the epistle reading is from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians – it’s a letter where St. Paul spends his time accusing James (or at least his followers) of corrupting the gospel!
Why in the world would the Church celebrate the feast of St. James by reading this letter?
Good question. Let’s dive in a bit more.
Paul’s Gospel Unites Us as One Family
Here’s the basic situation.
Paul, after his conversion to Christianity, receives the good news – and he’s emphatic that it was given to him through an unveiling by Christ.
Paul argues that what happens to Jesus on the cross has profound implications.
For one thing, it means that three days later someone rises from the dead! This has never happened before.
Secondly, for Paul, this also means that being a part of the family of God is defined in a completely new way.
Where once being a family member meant you had to follow Jewish laws and customs – including circumcision – now it means that the mark of family membership is your faith in the messiah, Jesus.
He makes all this clear.
This is what the gospel means – this is its implications – we are all one family. This is why we call each other “brothers” and “sisters.”
His letter to the Galatians is addressing a particular problem – a problem that gets right to the heart of his teaching. It’s a problem that directly contradicts this good news.
Here’s why.
People from James Divided the Family
As I said, “family” is now defined by trust in the faithfulness of the messiah.
This means that the old laws saying that Jews couldn’t eat with Gentiles no longer matter. We’re all one family, we need to sit down together and eat as one family.
All was going well in Galatia. Jewish Christians were eating with Gentile Christians. They were one family in Christ. Looking after one another, having compassion for one another, and loving one another.
But then a group of Jewish Christians from Jerusalem – sent by James – shows up. Then, all of a sudden, Jewish Christians – even those who had been in Galatia for some time – wouldn’t eat with Gentile Christians.
Do you see the problem?
The people from James were enforcing ancient Jewish law, which divides the family. After all, if you can’t eat together, you’re not a family. And, if you’re not a family, then the power of the good news of what God has done in Christ has no effect on your life.
Becoming a family – eating together – was a sign of the gospel.
But the camp from James had effectively denied the power of the gospel.
Paul, in his letter, wastes no time telling them off. They’ve destroyed the gospel, and he let’s them have it.
He says,
“…I stood up to him face to face. He was in the wrong.” (2:11)
“You witless Galatians…you are so witless…” (3:1a, 3a)
“You are split off from the Messiah, you people who want to be justified by the law! You have dropped out of grace.” (5:4)
“If only those who are making trouble for you would cut the whole lot off!” (5:12)
“Don’t be misled; God won’t have people turning their noses up at him.” (6:7)
All of this makes this reading, on the feast of St. James, all the more ironic.
The Times, They Aren’t Changing
It occurs to me that times haven’t changed much since Paul’s time.
The gospel hasn’t changed…the good news is that we have new life through what’s happened to Christ on the cross. A mark of this new life is our faith and this faith brings us together as a family.
But our sinful nature hasn’t changed either. We continue to undermine the gospel in all sorts of ways that split the family.
I don’t think I need to list examples here – everyone can think of a time when someone acted in such a way that the Church – and the gospel – was harmed.
We can all think of times when so-and-so wouldn’t sit with so-and-so at fellowship hour because of hatred.
We can all think of times when people yelled at others during meetings.
We can all think of times when instead of giving for the good of the church, people withheld their stewardship checks to harm the church family.
We can all think of times when people plotted to get their way rather than working for the good of the church family.
In other words, we are no better than those people from the James camp who showed up and divided the community in Galatia.
So Paul’s harsh rebukes apply to us as well.
We too are “witless” and in the wrong.
Come Together, Right Now
But a family doesn’t have to stand divided.
The freedom of the gospel allows us to repent, come together, and form a stronger family bond than we’ve ever had.
Here’s how Paul puts it,
“When God called you, my dear family, he called you to make you free. But you mustn’t use that freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, you must become each other’s servants, through love. For the whole law is summed up in one word, namely this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (5:13-15)
He continues through example,
“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, great-heartedness, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. …So, then, while we have the chance, let’s do good to everyone, and particularly to the household of faith. …What matters is new creation. Peace and mercy on everyone who lines up by that standard…” (5:22-23a, 6:10, 15b-16a)
So maybe that’s why we continue to read Paul’s letter on the feast of St. James.
It’s a cry from our Church that we are a family and that means a lot.
Don’t mess it up! There’s too much good happening for family disputes to sidetrack the good work that’s being done.
So, dear family, in love we carry on.
P.S. We believe in One, Holy, and Apostolic Church – One Family In Christ
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