James, The Brother of Jesus

by Trudy J. Morgan-Cole

They were expecting God to send them a Messiah not to raise one up from right in their midst!

Imagine growing up in the same family as Jesus. While the Bible is largely silent on those early years, clues scattered throughout the Gospels tell of an often-strained relationship between Jesus and His brothers during His ministry. Who can miss the haunting sadness in Jesus’ statement, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home”?

The Desire of Ages observes that tensions in the home were fueled by Jesus’ unwillingness to follow many of the religious traditions so important to His brothers. And, to be fair to them, they were expecting God to send them a Messiah, not to raise one up from right in their midst!

What about believers today?

“Like the family of Jesus,” writes author Trudy J. Morgan-Cole, “we can become so familiar with Jesus, so accustomed to His words and the stories about Him, that we lack the ability to see Him with fresh eyes and recognize how startling His claims really are.”

If the story of Jesus has imperceptibly lost its wonder for you, James: The Brother of Jesus paints a soul stirring picture of a savior unafraid to risk doing the unexpected in order to redeem His family through all time.

Genres: Biblical Fiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 31, 2012

Reviews

[John Pitcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

All the stories we’ve learned about Jesus, but from a different point of view. Worth reading to form your own opinion.

[Sara Downs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great portrait of Jesus' family life

This is a great picture of what it may have been like for Jesus' brothers during his ministry and afterwards, and it touched me personally.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a Protestant the idea of the "mother of god" doesn't hold that much interest for me. Jesus' siblings, however, who would have approached Jesus with rivalry and even disdain, fascinate me. This book presents a picture of Jesus as seen by an older brother whose life dreams he seems to destroy through his radical, and even shameful, behavior. Especially as I'm praying about a mission trip to work with the most marginalized and "unclean" of society, this book is a reminder that Christ never held back from doing the unexpected and taboo when He could touch lives. I'll admit, the portrayal of Jesus with a sense of humour seemed a little strange, but definitely got me thinking about the assumptions I've made about such a familiar story. Although the ending improved, I did feel like some parts lacked emotional depth, or veered into "tell" rather than "show". Overall, however it was an enjoyable and insightful read.

[Licette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful view of the life of Christ through the eyes of His brother, James, who was mostly irritated at His different view of God.