The Feast Of St. James, The Greater
For some of us who are new to Anglicanism there are many things about the tradition your getting accustomed to: Daily prayer, liturgy, using all these books, living by a rule of life and so on. And perhaps observing Prayer Book Holy Days and Feasts fall into this category as well. You may not know this, but the Christian year is filled with all sorts of Holy Days, feast days appointed to commemorate important historical events in the Life of Jesus (like his purification or annunciation). Important figures like St. Michael the Archangel are remembered year by year, as is the martyrdom of important figures of the faith. The cult of the martyrs is of ancient origin. The earliest Christians began to honor the martyrs annually, celebrating their "heavenly birthdays" (the anniversaries of their deaths).
These celebrations were typically held at a martyr’s gravesite where a commemoration would ensue to include prayers for the deceased, oblations, Communion, and a reading of the martyr's life, suffering, and death. In keeping with tradition, we have assembled in the Lord's house today to remember the life, ministry, and martyrdom of St. James the Greater.
In today's Gospel reading, Our Lord put the following question to James and the rest of the twelve, saying, "Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" Now, this is the immediate answer Jesus gives directly to James the Apostle who, with his brother John and their mother, have just asked Jesus to grant that he and John would sit at the right and left hand of Jesus in His kingdom: in the places of the highest honor.
What audacity to make such a bold request in the presence of the other ten Apostles! Yet it most certainly fits the one whom our Lord nicknamed a "Son of Thunder!" James, who once asked the Lord to rain down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans who refused to receive the Good News of the Kingdom, was a man of severe temper, impulsive, and charged with evangelical zeal.
But this is a zeal for himself; a burning desire to be honored above all the other Apostles; seated in the place of highest honor next to Jesus. He has come to Jesus to be the first in line to receive all the glory and honors to come in Jesus' kingdom. Yes, James the Greater was passionate, zealous, quick-tempered- and in today's Gospel account- a man very interested in his own welfare, position, and title. Listen, no one is perfect. Let's be honest, every saint is flawed, and St. James is no exception. And yet, Holy Scripture and history render the final verdict upon James' true saintly character. He is for us the embodiment of Christian obedience: loving obedience to Christ and his Kingdom program.
Obedience: This is what the Collect for this Feast of St. James draws our attention to, "GRANT, O merciful God, that, as thine holy Apostle Saint James, leaving his father and all that he had, without delay was obedient unto the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ and followed him." And mark how he responded with zeal, leaving his father and all that he had, without delay! Little did this brash disciple who left his nets on Gennesaret's shores know that he would be the first Apostle martyred for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes. James, the son of Zebedee, was the first of the apostles to win the crown of martyrdom and the only Apostle whose death is recorded in the New Testament, where we read that the outstretched hand of King Herod Agrippa put James to death by the sword. He paid the ultimate price, and in doing so, obtained eternal glory and the crown of obedience: the Lord Christ himself. Surely it was Christ's glory through suffering that most certainly emboldened the Apostles' witness.
Together with Peter and John, He witnessed the event of Jesus' Transfiguration. James, together with the other two Apostles, experienced the glory of Christ; he saw Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah, sees, with his very own eyes, the shekinah glory bursting forth from the transfigured Jesus. But on another occasion, he found himself face to face with Christ's suffering and humiliation, seeing with his own eyes how the Son of God humbled himself and obediently welcomed suffering and death.
Surely this was an opportunity for James to grow in faith, a good corrective and adjustment to the triumphalist interpretation of the former experience of glory on the Mount: he had to discern that the Messiah, whom the Jewish people were awaiting as a victor, was in fact not only surrounded by honor and glory but suffering and weakness.
Friends, Christ's glory was fulfilled precisely on the cross, in his willingness to share in our suffering. The giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost brought the Apostle's growth in faith to completion. So much so that when the moment of supreme witness came, he did not drawback. Therefore, St. James remains for us a strong witness, the first apostolic martyr.
What exactly is martyrdom founded upon? The answer is simple: on the death of Jesus, on his supreme sacrifice of love, consummated on the cross; he died that we might have life (cf. Jn 10: 10). Christ is the suffering servant mentioned by the Prophet Isaiah (cf. Is 52: 13-15), who gave himself as a ransom for many (cf. Mt 20: 28). And Jesus urges his disciples, each one of us, to take up their cross daily and follow him on the path of love: "he who does not take his cross and follow me," he tells us, "is not worthy of me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it" (Mt 10:38-39).
St. James most certainly fulfilled the command of the Lord. For we ought not to overlook the historical account of his martyrdom recorded by the church historian Eusebius that, "as James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser- witnessing James’ extraordinary courage in facing death- fell at the apostle’s feet begging his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both beheaded at the same time."
Yes, James drank deeply from the cup, which he had told Jesus he was ready to drink. He was baptized with the baptism which Christ endured. Through steadfast and loving obedience to the Apostolic ministry given by Christ- an obedience unto death- James brought his accuser to repentance and salvation. In so doing, James was raised unto eternal honor and glory: through obedient servitude.
THIS is the way of true greatness, "whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; and whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." The obedient disciple puts others above self, ministers selflessly, and proclaims the Good News of Christ no matter the cost. So let us come to the altar with loving obedience and join in James' apostolic ministry of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ, our savior, for in the words of St. Paul, "As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."
Let us pray, GRANT, O merciful God, that as thine holy Apostle Saint James, leaving his father and all that he had, without delay was obedient unto the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, and followed him; so we, forsaking all worldly and carnal affections, may be ever more ready to follow thy holy commandments; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen+
