When a Brother Believes
The Story of James from "We Have Seen the Lord"
Today’s essay will be the last in the series we have had in April. There is more to say, for sure. Remember, depending on how you count, there are at least a dozen appearances by our Lord after his resurrection.
I invite you to pick up a copy of my most recent book by the same name. I loved writing this book, and I hope you will find it a valuable resource for understanding the impact of the resurrection.
Remember the premise of the book. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the CORNERSTONE of the Christian faith. If there is no resurrection then, as Paul puts it, we are to be pitied more than anyone else. Why? Because we have been duped!!
But Jesus did rise from the dead. And his appearances are only one of the many, many proofs of this central claim of Christianity.
Join with many others and pick up a copy the book and read it as part of your devotional life. (There are journal lines in the printed version for your own thoughts and notes.)
When a Brother Believes
“Then he appeared to James.” —1 Corinthians 15:7
It is a brief statement, easily overlooked, and yet it carries a weight that runs deeper than many of the other appearances.
James is not one of the twelve. He is not a disciple in the usual sense. He is something else. He is family.
He will later be known as “the brother of the Lord”—not metaphorically, but literally. He had grown up with Jesus, shared a home with him, and seen him not only in public moments, but in private ones, in the ordinary rhythms of daily life.
And yet, during Jesus’ ministry, we are told something striking: “Not even his brothers believed in him.” (John 7:5)
They knew him. And they did not believe.
