I was wondering if you have ever thought about the Apostle James. Jesus spent his most important times with the three -- James Peter and John. We know Peter was chosen as the apostle to the Jews and John went on to live the longest and write five books of the Bible. But as for James he was the first to die and we never hear much about him in the book of Acts. As disciples we usually give the best training to those who are able to use it. I have heard it taught that Jesus did not go after large crowds but focused the heart of his teaching on a select few who would then go out and pass the message on. If that is true why would he be the first to die as it was so early in the movement? What if any are your thoughts on this? -- Corey Barton (San Francisco)
My thought is that Jesus himself had a very short public ministry perhaps three or four years. Jesus ministry needed only be long enough to train his chosen apostles; and yet this could not happen until Jesus was old enough and free enough of family obligations to begin his public ministry. This he did in his early 30s.
James s ministry was longer than Jesus s yet Jesus himself made an enormous impact before dying young. It s a matter of quality not quantity. With 12 apostles in training the loss of James was a heavy blow but not an insuperable one.
For more on this man of faith please see my book The Letters of James Peter John Jude (2006).
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