James and His Brother Jesus
Christians live between two advents: the parameters of violence and peace. Some would say situating peace within God’s divine relationship to violence protects us from using peace as a justification for war or an excuse for indifference. Others actively engage peacemaking needs in the prejudices of the world. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, connects his listeners to an envisage kingdom. The Synoptic Gospels’ presentation of Jesus, the Messiah, draws on Old Testament texts and traditions to mark Jesus as the holder of peace.
For more than two centuries, scholars have held that James uses a tradition of Jesus’ sayings throughout his epistle. James is not only the key to a re-evaluation and reconstruction of Jewish Christian history; he is also the key to understanding the historical Jesus. Jesus’ ethics did not identify with the Empire or any nationalism.
Jesus was defined by his words and actions. N.T. Wright states, “We must root our church practices, our discipleship, and our Christian faith in the real Jesus or we turn our faith into a feather – a thin, soft feather that blows with the wind and conforms its shape to whatever group interests it comes upon.” Early followers of Jesus tried to wrap their minds and thoughts around his extreme teaching on peace. For the first three hundred years of the Christian movement, the church was almost unanimously pacifist.
The church was committed to making a clear witness to Jesus’ ethics. In this view, trying to make that witness while advocating killing enemies is wrong because not only does it advocate killing people, but also it disobeys Jesus and distorts their lifestyles. Jesus cares deeply about the sacredness of human life and pointed to another way of deliverance from violence. Following Jesus focuses on finding alternative initiatives that prevent violence. Participation in God’s reign means the pursuit of God’s shalom in a world shattered by hostilities. Jesus offered an alternative model to break the cycle of violence and broken relationships. Those who are truly his children will emulate his efforts to make peace, even with those who are the enemies (Matt. 5:43-48).
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