Although our belief in Christ’s resurrection rests ultimately in God’s authoritative Word, the available historical evidence demonstrates that belief in Christ’s resurrection is entirely rational. In The Resurrection of Christ: An Apologetic Primer for Students, I discuss the religious and historical context of Christ’s resurrection, which should not be ignored when evaluating the reasonableness of belief in the resurrection. I also discuss the evidence for Christ’s death, his burial, and the empty tomb. I conclude my positive case for the resurrection by looking at the disciples’ early and sincere belief that Christ rose and appeared to them, the skeptic James’s conversion, and the persecutor Paul’s conversion.
In this post, I am going to provide an overview of the importance of the conversion of James, Jesus’ half-brother. James was transformed from a skeptic into a follower of Christ and leader in the Jerusalem church on par with Peter and John. What changed his mind?
James was a Skeptic Who Did Not Believe in Jesus:
First, James is listed in the Gospels as one of Jesus’ brothers (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3). When Jesus was rejected in his hometown of Nazareth, the people responded, “What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.” (Mark 6:3, ESV).
Second, the Gospels report that Jesus’ family did not believe in him during his ministry. After Jesus selected the twelve apostles and returned home, where such a large crowd gathered “that they could not even eat,” his family “went out to seize him, for they were saying, ‘He is out of his mind.’” (Mark 3:20-21, ESV). And when his mother and brothers came asking for him, Jesus responded, “‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.’’’ (Mark 3:31-35, ESV).
Like Mark, John also records that Jesus’ brothers did not believe in him. As the Feast of Booths approached, his brothers gave Jesus some misplaced advice, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” (John 7:3-4, ESV). John then comments, “For not even his brothers believed in him.” (John 7:5, ESV).
These details would certainly have been embarrassing admissions the church would not have invented: Jesus’ own family did not believe in him and thought he was out of his mind.
James Later Joined the Church and Became a Leader:
However, according to Luke, after Christ’s ascension the disciples met in an upper room in Jerusalem where “these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.” (Acts 1:14, ESV). Therefore, by the time of Jesus’ ascension, his family had joined the disciples and had become followers of Christ. Paul likewise mentions Jesus’ brothers as believers, alongside Peter, Barnabas, and himself (1 Corinthians 9:5-6).
As the storyline of the book of Acts develops, we learn that James, Jesus’ brother, became a prominent leader in the church. When an angel miraculously rescued Peter from prison, Peter went to a house “where many were gathered together and were praying,” and he told them to go tell James and the brothers about his rescue (Acts 12:6-17, ESV). It is clear this is not James the brother of John and one of the twelve disciples because he had already died at the hands of King Herod (Acts 12:1-2).
Peter’s instruction to tell James and the brothers suggests that James might have had some prominent position in the church. This suspicion is confirmed in Acts 15, when at the Jerusalem Council (c. A.D. 48-49), Paul, Barnabas, the apostles, and elders met together to consider whether Gentile believers needed to be circumcised in obedience to the Mosaic Law in order to be saved (Acts 15:1-21). After much discussion, Peter explained his position and so did Barnabas and Paul, after which James stood up and ended the debate after agreeing with Peter, Barnabas, and Paul that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised to be saved (Acts 15:7-21, ESV).
Years later (c. A.D. 57), Paul again visited the church in Jerusalem and Luke (who was traveling with Paul at the time) described the visit this way: “When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present.” (Acts 21:17-18, ESV). Therefore, Luke presents James as one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church, and by the time of Paul’s final visit to Jerusalem, probably as its main leader.
Paul’s letters complement what we find in the book of Acts. In his letter to the church in Galatia, Paul writes that three years after his conversion he went to Jerusalem to visit Peter for fifteen days and “saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:18-19, ESV). He then relates that after fourteen years he again went up to Jerusalem, where “James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars . . . gave the right hand of fellowship” to him and Barnabas (Galatians 2:1-9, ESV. Also see Galatians 2:12). Like Luke in the book of Acts, Paul also presents James as a key leader in the church in Jerusalem, even listing him before Peter and John (Galatians 2:9).
What Changed his Mind?
The most likely explanation we find in the New Testament is that the risen Christ appeared to James. In 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 (likely an early Christian creed dating back to the mid A.D. 30s), Paul writes:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, [5] and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. [6] Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. [7] Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” (ESV).
Although James did not believe in Jesus during his earthly ministry, seeing his brother risen from the dead would surely have changed his mind. That would explain why after Christ’s ascension, Mary and Jesus’ brothers (and sisters) were together with the disciples in the upper room (Acts 1:14). Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and appearance to James (possibly to Mary and some of Jesus’ other siblings as well) convinced his family that Jesus’ claims were true. In time, as Jesus’ brother and one who had seen the risen Christ, James became a leader of the Jerusalem church on par with Peter and John.
James’s conversion is therefore a significant piece of evidence that supports the claim that belief in Christ’s resurrection is entirely rational and supported by the evidence.
Soli Deo Gloria
W. Michael Clark, Ph.D., J.D.
Founder, Golden Oak Society
