FRIDAY 11 June 2021 “Bondservant”

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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

Do you enjoy reading? There’s something special when you begin a new book, or a new chapter in a book isn’t there?

Today we begin a new chapter in our journey through the Bible. But first, we’ll bid farewell to Paul & Barnabas for a while and leave them in Syrian Antioch. Luke reports in Acts 15:35: “But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.” The big meeting in Jerusalem was history.(Acts 15:1-35) Paul and Barnabas had returned to Antioch and were settling in with the group of Jesus followers who had sent them off on their first missionary journey, almost two years before. There was lots of ‘catching up’ to do. Remember, they had no cell phones, no Facebook, no email, no way of sending news back from the places they had visited on their long journey. So when I say lots of “catching up” to do, I think you can imagine.

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, where the apostles had reached a verdict on the major question of IF the Gentiles could be saved and become a part of the Jesus movement, the big challenge now was working through what type of relationship these Gentile & Jewish “Christians” could have with each other? I can imagine everyday was filled with follow up discussions the apostles had with Jerusalem Jewish Jesus followers who really struggled welcoming Gentiles who did not follow all the laws of Moses, did not get circumcised, did not follow the strict dietary laws of the Jews etc.

May I ask, in your city, how do ‘Christians’ of different churches or denominations relate to each other? Unity or suspicion, jealousy, competition, or simply ignoring each other? How do you think Jesus feels about what He sees with those who claim to be His people, where you live?

The pressure was mounting on all sides, so the Holy Spirit led James, the 1/2 brother of Jesus and the one who had spoken up with a final decision in the big Jerusalem meeting… that James, to write a letter to ALL Jewish Jesus followers, across the Roman Empire. Multiple copies were made by hand, very carefully, one word at a time… no rapid copying laser printers in those days! Those copies were then sent by trusted men who carried them to the various cities known to have a community of Jewish Jesus followers.

That little letter, which bears his name, is in our New Testament and is very powerful for all of us who are today followers of Jesus, regardless of where we live, what our ethnicity is, or our spiritual background. This book of James, like all books of the Bible, is authored by the Holy Spirit, directing a human author, in this case James, to write what God sees the world needs to hear, both then when written, and through all time, in all parts of the world. Consider this truth about the God authorship of our Bible: “All Scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16,17) Do you hold the Bible in the highest of respect for that reason?

Do you have an almost insatiable hunger to have the Word of God permeate every part of your life? I think it will be well worth our time to immerse ourselves in this letter from James for a few days. Will you join me? Let’s open a new book together… James chapter 1, verse 1: “I am James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, writing to the descendants of the 12 tribes of Israel, scattered among the nations. Greetings!”

When you introduce yourself to someone you’ve not met, or you are introduced by a friend to some of their friends, what words are used to describe who you are? Your family heritage, your vocation, your education, where you live, what you’ve accomplished in your lifetime? Notice James uses a powerful word: SERVANT when introducing himself. In fact the word is really ‘bond servant’. Do you understand its significance? Slaves were prevalent throughout the world in the first century. For many of them it was their only means of survival for their master was responsible to provide for them food and housing, in exchange for their work.

Sometimes slaves earned their freedom with several years of faithful service, or sometimes generous masters issued freedom to their slaves especially in their older years. But on rare occasions a slave who was issued their freedom said ‘no, I prefer to remain a servant to my master. Therefore I CHOOSE to be their servant, even though I am now free!’ That person was considered a ‘bond servant’, or one who CHOOSES servanthood as their identity and their life. In order for these people to be recognized as different from regular owned slaves, God gave Moses these instructions: “If your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you…’ then take an awl and push it through his ear lobe into the door, and he will be your servant for life…” (Deuteronomy 15:16,17)

So whenever a man or woman was seen with a hole in their earlobe they were quickly identified as a ‘bond servant‘...a former slave who had been given their freedom but chose to remain a servant to their master for the rest of their lives! That is how James wanted to be identified…a bond servant to the Jesus Christ who had delivered him, rescued him from his bondage to sin! Now think about that… do you live each day as though you have a hole in your earlobe?? Do you see yourself as a ‘bond servant’ of Jesus?

Notice James draws a distinction between God the Father and Jesus Christ, God the Son. James had been a good Jewish man worshiping the one, true God since he was a boy. But here James is making a strong statement of his allegiance to Jesus as his master (Lord) his Savior (Jesus) and his Messiah (Christ). What statement can you make about your relationship with God and your allegiances? Is Jesus your Savior, is Jesus your master? Are you a self-declared “bond servant” and how do you live that out everyday?

Finally notice, James is celebrating the uniqueness of the Jewish people of God, the descendants of the original 12 tribes of Israel, and that they no longer reside primarily in Israel, but they are scattered throughout the world, by God Himself, (Acts 8) but united in their distinctive history and relationship with God. Furthermore these Jewish Christians are part of an even larger global movement of God… the redeemed people Jesus has rescued with His death and resurrection! Today that is nearly 1 Billion people around the world. May I ask… are you part of this great Jesus movement and are you a bond servant of Jesus? May I invite us to worship Jesus right now and consider this powerful truth with a song I have found sung by some children…is this your heart?

Today’s Scripture is James 1.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)

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