2. Faith in Difficult Times
The historical background to the book of James can help us understand a great deal of what the apostle wrote – and why he wrote it. We know from the first-century Jewish historian Josephus that James was martyred about AD 62, and the situation we find reflected in his letter fits well with the years leading up to the Jewish rebellion against Rome in AD 66.
But it is vital that we understand that the Jewish rebellion was not just about religious or political independence. In the century before that war Judea had come under Roman control and increasing change. Roman policy had left many Jews landless, and the exorbitant taxes imposed by the puppet king, Herod the Great, had driven much of the country into decline. The only people who profited under these conditions were the rich landlords of the aristocratic and priestly families who helped keep the nation subservient to Rome and who controlled the Judean people with economic and even physical brutality – to the point of sometimes hiring thugs and assassins to "soften up" or even eliminate those who owed them money or who were not compliant.
Even within the priesthood the aristocratic ranks began to withhold tithes from the lower levels of the priests, and widespread corruption further widened the gap between the rich and the poor at every level. Poverty became widespread and massive amounts of resentment and hatred of the rich began to build within Jewish society. These conditions were not limited to Judea – many of them were common in large areas of the Roman Empire through which many Christians had spread (Acts 11:19). But in Judea, where the resentment against Rome and those who grew rich under its rule became most intense, these conditions would soon lead to war. When the revolt finally broke in a rebellion of the poor, it was the priests and the Roman soldiers on the Temple Mount who were massacred first.
This was the difficult situation that James, as "Senior Pastor" of the Jerusalem Church, addressed in his letter. When he begins his epistle with the statement: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2), it is easy to think of spiritual "trials" and temptations, but the Greek word, peirasmos, that he uses can mean any kind of adversity, and the trials James actually addresses in his letter are primarily those of poverty, oppression and the natural human temptation to strike back in some way at the oppressor.
As a result, the rich are mentioned more in James than in any other New Testament epistle, and there is more about them – and responding to their misdeeds – than almost any other subject he addresses. The apostle speaks out strongly against the pride of the rich, making a point which is hammered home repeatedly and in every chapter of his letter (1:9-11; 2:1-9; 3:13-18, 4:13-16, 5:1-6). He speaks specifically of the oppression of the poor by the rich (2:6-7; 5:4-6), and the dozens of verses that focus on the rich are clearly a major theme of this epistle. Not surprisingly, it was the rich and powerful high priest Ananias II who had James executed – probably as much for his vocal criticism of the abuses by the rich as for any perceived religious threat against Roman stability.
But James' letter does not stop with a critique of those who misuse riches and abuse the power they hold. He focuses just as much on the reaction of those oppressed and affected by the rich. James discusses many of the ways we might respond to such mistreatment, and when we understand this underlying theme with which James is working, we are able to see the clear connection between the problems he lists and the reactions they cause.
For example, directly after his words on the evils perpetrated by the rich, James addresses the temptation to retaliate to economic and social oppression with violence (2:11; 3:14; 4:2). Interestingly, the zelos of which James warns in 3:14 is the "zeal" from which the name of the Zealots, who called for a violent end to Judea's problems, was based. He also warns against responding with judgmental words and curses (1:19-20, 26; 3:1-12; 4:11-12; 5:9), with anger (1:20) or envy (3:14), or conversely with favoritism to gain the favor of the rich (2:1-9). James calls upon the oppressed not to respond according to any of these ways of the flesh, but to respond spiritually, with faith in God's power over the apparent supremacy of the rich (1:6-8; 2:14-26), with trusting patience and endurance (5:7-11), and with care and support for those even poorer than themselves (2:14-16).
As we read James with this understanding, we see that rather than simply stringing together unrelated "proverbs" or words of "wisdom," as is often said of this epistle, he alternates between what the rich are doing and how the poor must react, and between social and economic problems and Christian responses. Although the overarching theme of the book is certainly faith, it is not abstract faith or belief, but living, working examples of everyday faith in response to the physical difficulties of life.
In this sense, the message of James' letter reaches far beyond the situation in first-century Judea to every society where there is oppression, poverty, injustice and inequality. But James addresses any and every kind of adversity that may come upon us, from social injustice to sickness, from problems we may experience at work to difficulties we may face in making rent or mortgage payments. James speaks directly to every Christian who experiences the fact that in this life we may suffer at the hands of the world.
Yet James does not simply critique. He names the problems for what they are and holds up a better way of response – the way of faith and trust in God's unmovable purposes. James stressed this way of restraint in a time of escalating hatred that led to eventual violence and ultimately to the destruction of Judea in AD 70. His message is one that is just as meaningful today: despite the evils of the world and the corruption of society, do not become embittered, but be patient and have faith. Tradition tells us that James was greatly loved by many of the people of Jerusalem, and especially by the poor. There is every reason to believe that. James offered – and still offers – all of us, and especially the weak and vulnerable, guidance in responding faithfully in difficult times.