James, the Brother of Jesus

June 29th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 1:1a James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…

The author of the epistle calls himself “James.” Among Christ’s 12 disciples, the name James appears three times. There is James, the son of Zebedee—brother of John (Matt 10:2; Luke 6:14), James the son of Alphaeus (Matt 10:3; Luke 6:15), and James the father of the other disciple named Judas (Luke 6:16; John 14:22; Acts 1:13). Since it is known that James, the son of Zebedee was martyred under Herod Agrippa in AD 44 (Acts 12:2), and the epistle was written after that, he cannot be the author. The other two men are almost entirely unknown apart from being named in the Gospels. So, by process of elimination, the only other James who could have written the epistle is the half-brother of Jesus named James. His other half-brothers were Jude, Simon, and Joseph (Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3)—the physical offspring of Mary and Joseph.

Now this particular James was not always a follower of Christ (John 7:3-5; cf. Mark 3:21). His eyes were opened to Jesus’ true identity as God in the flesh after Jesus’ resurrection, for Paul wrote, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures…He was buried… raised on the third day… appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve... to more than five hundred brethren at one time… then He appeared to James” (1 Cor. 15:3-8, italics mine). Shortly thereafter, James became the leader and pastor of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18). Paul knew him as one of the “pillars” in the church (Gal 2:9), calling him “James, the Lord’s brother” (Gal. 1:19). Later, according to the early Church historian Hegesippus, he became known as “James the Just.”

Like his brother Jude (author of the NT epistle bearing his name), James did not identify himself as Jesus’ brother, referring to himself only as the Lord’s “bond-servant,” or slave (Gr. doulos). This Greek term, one that Paul used for himself (cf. Rom. 1:1; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:1), denotes one who willingly gives himself to his Master who owns him, selflessly and absolutely submitting himself for service (cf. Matt 24:46; Luke 2:29; Acts 4:29; Gal. 1:10; Col. 1:7; 2 Tim. 2:24; Rev. 19:5). In the OT, those whom God called to distinctive service were dubbed “slaves” (doulos) of the Lord—from Abraham to Moses to Joshua to David to the prophets (Josh. 14:7; 24:29; 2 Kgs. 17:23; Ps. 89:4, 20). Clearly both Jude and James saw their primary relationship to Jesus not as brothers with the same mother but as servants—slaves of their Master and Lord.

If James had a boast about his relationship with Jesus, it was as a slave and nothing more. After all, being a slave of Christ transcends a blood relationship with Him. Even Jesus said as much. For when Jesus was told by the crowds that His mother Mary and His brothers and sisters were looking for Him on one particular occasion while He preached, Jesus used the occasion to say that those who actually do the will of God are His mother, brothers, and sisters (cf. Matt 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35), not the woman who gave Him birth or his blood siblings. Thus, neither James nor Jude designated themselves brothers or “servants” of Christ; they saw themselves as “slaves” to their Master who is God in the flesh. All Christians should boast likewise.

Food For Thought
For James to call himself a slave of both God and the Lord Jesus Christ is not that he divided the two. God is the Father, and Jesus is the Son. They are one in their nature and attributes but distinct in their roles and functions. They are as J.P. Lange writes, “wielding one dominion” (John 17:3). James thus believed the OT God is the same as the New Covenant God, and as a faithful slave to Him, Lange says, James’ service was “rendered to God and Jesus Christ with undivided consciousness, obedience and operation.” What a great commentary on what a Christian should be! In a day when Christians look so much like the culture around them, a slave of Christ who submits to God stands out as a true member of the family of God. O to be like that.