13 Sep Sharing a Bunk Bed with Jesus
James 1:1 – James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to share a bunk bed with Jesus as a kid?
I grew up in a big working-class family with brothers and sisters, a mom who stayed at home to raise us, and a dad named Joseph who paid the bills by swinging a hammer. Sound familiar? Jesus’ family was like that.
Being poor, maybe He shared a small room with His brothers like I did, with bunk beds packed close enough together that we could reach out and annoy each other or stay up late talking. During the day, it was all about building forts and playing ball outside.
I wonder what it was like to have Jesus as a brother. What were the conversations like late into the night? As kids, what was it like to eat all your meals, play outside, enjoy the holidays, and make memories together? Did Jesus have a decent arm in sports, and could His brothers beat Him in wrestling?
Over the next 12-weeks, we’ll learn more about Jesus through the eyes of His little brother by studying the book of James together. The book is a short letter that’s been the source of much controversy throughout church history. Because of the scholarly debates surrounding the book, most pastors approach the content with theology at the forefront.
In my opinion, it’s much more interesting to start with the man behind the words. If I could interview anyone in the Bible about Jesus Christ, His mother Mary and His brother James would top the list.
Nobody knows you like your sibling. If anyone in all of Scripture could dish up the dirt on Jesus, surely His kid brother would have no shortage of youthful indiscretions and sibling injustices to recount. I know my younger brothers would never mistake me for the sinless and perfect Messiah. But James grew up to preach “faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory”—a legitimate indication that there was something special happening in that family. (James 2:1)
That’s not to say James always believed Jesus was who He claimed to be. The Bible tells us that when Jesus first started preaching, His family “went out to seize him, for they were saying, ‘He is out of his mind’”. (Mark 3:21)
By the time Jesus rose from the dead, however, His brothers were worshiping Him as God. (Acts 1:14) James went on to lead the church in Jerusalem, the largest and most influential church of the first century.
I hope you’ll join us over the next 12 weeks as we study this incredible, practical book together. You can find all the sermons that accompany these devotionals on the “sermons” tab at legacy.realfaith.com.
Does reading about Jesus from the perspective of His brother show you more about the human side of Jesus? Does the fact that His family worshipped Him as God encourage you in your faith?
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