A Compelling Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus – James 1:1

The claim that Jesus rose from the dead is the foundation of Christianity. If the resurrection is true, nothing matters more. If false, Christianity is a massive waste of time. He is either the risen Son of God, deserving worship, or a false prophet deserving condemnation.

So today, I want to talk about one of the more compelling and easily overlooked arguments for the resurrection of Jesus.

If you are new here, hi, I’m Brandon. I’ve dedicated my life to following Jesus, including over 18 years as a pastor and 9 years studying in seminary. That’s a lot of time and sacrifice based on this fundamental claim.

But I have not always been 100% convinced. As a teenager, I wrestled with doubts and had to decide if it was truly my faith or my parents. After searching for answers, reading the Bible, and a lot of other books, I concluded that  Christianity is true and dedicated my life to ministry.

Later, disillusionment with church leaders who treated me more like a tool than a person led to the darkest year of my life. Yet, God didn’t let go. I wrestled through that season of doubt and came out even more convinced that Jesus is God, and that the church, though often led by broken men, is still worth fighting for.

And that leads me to one of the most convincing arguments for Jesus’ resurrection.

Evidence for the Resurrection

James 1:1 (ESV),

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

Now, why is this an argument for Jesus’ resurrection? At first glance, it doesn’t seem like much, and a lot of people will read straight through it without further thought. But when you slow down and ask, ” Who is James?” that’s when things get interesting! 

We can’t get him mixed up with the other two Jameses, who were disciples of Jesus. 

The first is James, the son of Zebedee (the brother of John), who Herod executed around 44AD in Acts 12. 

About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. ² He killed James the brother of John with the sword (Acts 12:1-2)

The second is James, the son of Alphaeus, who is among the disciples, but very little else is mentioned about him.

But this James, who wrote the book of James, is the brother of Jesus. We first see James in Mark 6:3 and Matthew 13:55.

Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”  (Mark 6:3)

“Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? (Matthew 13:55)

James became a prominent leader in the early days of the church. He was sometimes called James the Just or “Camel knees” because he prayed so much that his knees resembled a camel’s, became one of the most influential figures in the Jerusalem church.

Paul mentioned him in a recording of his visit to Jerusalem in Galatians 1:19,

I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 

He is likely referring to him in 1 Corinthians 9:5, when he mentions, “the other apostles and brothers of the Lord and Cephas.”

In Acts 15, we see James’ authority and influence in the church as he presides over the verdict of the Jerusalem Council on whether gentile converts to Christianity should be circumcised. 

Though not in the Bible, historians such as Josephus and Eusebius record that James was martyred in 62 AD by the High Priest in Jerusalem after refusing to deny Christ. He was thrown 160 feet from the Temple Mount, ironically, where Satan tempted Jesus to jump. Somehow surviving the fall, James was then beaten to death with a club.

What’s amazing here in James 1:1 is how he refers to himself. He doesn’t pull family rank and say, “James, brother of Jesus.” He says servant of God and the Lord Jesus. Think about that. 

He calls Jesus Lord and puts him on equal footing with God.

And James isn’t alone here. One of the other brothers of Jesus mentioned in the Bible, Judas or Jude, also wrote a letter in the Bible called Jude, and he says the same thing:

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James,  (Jude 1)

It’s very similar to James’ introduction, except notice that Jude claims James as his brother because James was such a prominent leader in the church. 

What’s even more remarkable about this is that James and Jude didn’t always believe this about Jesus. 

In the gospel of John, we read about Jesus before he was crucified: 

For not even his brothers believed in him.  (John 7:5)

And Matthew says not only that, James and his family actively tried to stop Jesus because they thought he was crazy:

Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. ²¹ And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”  (Mark 3:20–21)

A few verses later, we see them trying to reach Jesus while he is teaching.

³¹ And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. ³² And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”  (Mark 3:31–32)

So Mary and Jesus’ brothers are trying to get to him because they believe he is crazy. And this is when Jesus famously responds: Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.

So we see James and his whole family (Mary included) being skeptical and doubting Jesus’ authority to teach as the son of God. 

And so what changed? Why did James go from doubting Jesus to leading the church and dying for his claim because he refused to deny Jesus as the Son of God?

Maybe a better question, for those of you who have brothers, is: What would your brother have to do for you to worship him as God?

The answer is in 1 Corinthians 15:7. Paul writes about Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and the many people to whom Jesus appeared after his resurrection, and this is the key. Towards the end of the list, he writes:

Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Jesus died, and then three days later, he got back up and appeared to many people, including his brother, James. 

And that is what it would take for one of my brothers to convince me, too. I wouldn’t believe them unless I saw something undeniable. James knew Jesus died, and Jesus came back again and proved his power over death and all things.

So here we have an incredibly compelling case for the central claim of Christianity. What would make James and Jude, the brothers of Jesus, believe their brother was God? It took a resurrection. And James believes so much that he died for his claim. He gained nothing but a martyr’s death because he couldn’t deny what he had seen or heard. 

And so he is so humbled by this that he doesn’t even refer to himself as the brother of Jesus. No, he is a humble servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. And he took that conviction even beyond his death.

Confidence in the Resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus is not just some myth. You can believe it because it is grounded in historical facts, such as this example.

So we can live confidently in our faith, with unshakeable conviction and humility as James did.

And if you want to know more about what James stood for, I’m going to be covering the rest of his writing in upcoming videos. We’re just scratching the surface here. 

James, often called the Proverbs of the New Testament, is packed with wisdom on suffering, speech, money, putting our faith into action, and much more that we can all learn from. Subscribe if you want to come along for the ride.