In describing the newly nominated Supreme Court Justice, David Souter—President George H.W. Bush’s nominee to fill the vacancy created by Justice William Brennan’s resignation in 1990—one commentator described the New Hampshire nominee as a “blank page.” By that, he meant that Souter was virtually unknown. He had not written many decisions on matters of national significance and thus had not left a “paper trail.”
That’s about how one might describe the subject of this installment in this series on the apostles of our Lord. James, the son of Alphaeus—compared with the other apostles—is sort of a blank page.
His name is mentioned only in the three New Testament synoptic gospels, where the apostles are listed, and possibly in Mark 15:40—where “Mary, the mother of James, the less” is mentioned. The “less” may mean that he was short in stature, or of modest influence, or of a “retiring” personality—if indeed this person whose mother is mentioned as being at Calvary with Mary Magdalene and Salome—was James, the apostle.
There is some conjecture about him. For instance, Matthew the apostle is also said to be the son of Alphaeus in Mark 2:14. It may be, then, that Matthew and this James, both called the son of Alphaeus, were brothers. They are never called brothers, however, so each may simply have had a father named Alphaeus. Also, some have thought this James to have been one of the brothers of Jesus who wrote the epistle of James. But, since the brothers of Jesus were spoken of in John 7 as unbelievers, initially at least, this in an unlikely possibility.
Interestingly, though very little is said of James in Scripture, his life can be inspiring! I believe every one of us can be and should be encouraged by the life of James, the son of Alphaeus, because we can all be—like him—what God wants us to be:
- He was a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, Matt. 10:1ff. He did what his Lord equipped him to do:
► He preached the gospel of the kingdom, v. 7
► He did some great things in Christ’s name: (Matt. 10:1ff.; 2 Cor. 12:12)
- Healed the sick, v. 8
- Cleansed lepers, v. 8
- Raised the dead, v.8
- Cast out devils, v.8
► He was persecuted, v. 22
► He was, above all things, a servant, v. 25
- He was a faithful and obedient servant of Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:13)
► He wrote no epistles (like Paul)
► He preached no classic sermons (like Peter)
► He founded no church that we know of, nor did he pastor any great church
► But he was what Christ expects every follower to be:
- Faithful in all things, even that which is least
- Faithful unto death. Believers will be rewarded at the Judgment seat of Christ, based not on fame but on faithfulness; not so much on what we did but on how we did what we did—and why
Conclusion: James, son of Alphaeus, was not of the stature of Peter or John. But what if Christ had chosen 12 to be with Him and to preach the gospel of the kingdom—and every one of them had been like Peter or John?
A painter completed his work of the Last Supper and asked some friends to view it. One friend remarked on how beautiful the cups were from which the apostles were drinking. The artist took a brush and painted out the lovely cups, to the astonishment of his admiring friends. His reason: “I want people to see Jesus.”
That’s the way James, son of Alphaeus, was. When people saw him, they were reminded first of Jesus.
By the way, “Isn’t it strange that princes and kings, and clowns that caper in sawdust rings—and common folk like you and me are builders for eternity? To each is given a set of rules, a shapeless mass, and a bag of tools. And each must build ‘ere life has flown, a stumbling block or a stepping stone.” (R.L. Sharpe)
“Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.” (I Cor. 4:3)
YOU and GOD 