Sermon - Midweek Lent 5 - James and Jude

So far we’ve examined 8 of the 12 apostles.  Most of them, and their stories, have been somewhat familiar to us.  But tonight we come to two of the lesser-known, and less-mentioned apostles:  James the Son of Alphaeus, and Jude, also known as Thaddeus. 

James the Son of Alphaeus or “James the less” he is sometimes called.  That is to say, he is not to be confused with James the Son of Zebedee..  This James appears only four times in the New Testament, each time in a list of the twelve apostles. 

Now, there’s long been some debate about whether he is the same person as “James the Brother of Jesus”, and that is tied up in a discussion that leads us to the question of the perpetual virginity of Mary.  The Gospels are somewhat ambiguous at times about which James they refer to, what exactly are the familial relationships (and then there’s the whole matter about whether “brother” can mean “cousin”)  Add to the confusion a number of women named Mary.  It’s quite a mess, honestly, and I’m not sure it’s worth our time sorting out, especially in a midweek sermon. 

LSB follows the tradition of observing Sts. Philip and James (Son of Alphaeus) together on May 1st.   Their day is traditionally shared because of a historical event. Their bodies were moved, together, from Jerusalem to Rome around 560 AD.  This supposes him to be James, the brother of Jesus, and also the author of the epistle of James.   

There is also, therefore, a stanza for the two in LSB hymn 518 “By All Your Saints in Warfare” (v. 16), and then also one for “St. James of Jerusalem” (Christ’s brother) (v.27). 

And then there’s Jude, also known as Thaddeus.   

Here, too, there’s some ambiguity or difficulty with his identity.  He is sometimes identified with Jude, the brother of Jesus, but is always clearly distinguished from Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus prior to his crucifixion. Catholic writer Michal Hunt suggests that Judas Thaddaeus became known as Jude after early translators of the New Testament from Greek into English sought to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot and subsequently abbreviated his forename. Most versions of the New Testament in languages other than English and French refer to Judas and Jude by the same name. 

Jude is paired with Simon (the Zealot) on the Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude, October 28th.  LSB 518 v. 28 follows this.  Tradition has them sharing a mission in Mesopotamia and Persia and also being martyred together. 

So, Judas, but “not THAT Judas!”  James, but “not THAT James!”  The KJV has for John 14:22, “Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?” And this lone question is really all we have of Jude.  Not much to go on. 

So now that we’ve covered the scant information we have about these two apostles, and the difficult questions concerning even who they are, what do we make of it for our sermon series?  What does God’s word wish to teach us about these men, and how might we apply it to ourselves? 

Well let’s start with Jude’s question from John 14, and include also Jesus’ answer: 

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. 

Jesus emphasizes to Jude, to the apostles, and to us, that keeping his word is paramount.  It is what sets us apart as the people of God.  It is what shows our love for Jesus, that love that first loved us, and that love that he also shares with the Father and that the Father has for us.  It is by his word that he manifests himself to us, and to the world. 

And by keeping this word, the promise is that Christ and the Father will both make their home with us.  We are part of the household of God, the family of faith.  The bond Jesus has with the Father is extended to each of us, by his word of promise. 

The Triune Name is upon us in our baptism, and by it we are assured that God knows our name, each of us.  He brings us into relationship with himself, no matter our relation to others.   

You may feel unknown to the world, unknown to all, even to your own family.  But God knows you, even the hairs on your head are numbered.  He has called you by name; you belong to him. 

So the lack of information about two of the more obscure apostles really doesn’t matter.  What matters is they were known to Christ, loved by Christ, and had an eternal future in Christ.  So also for us.   

 
All of this is put rather beautifully in one of our hymns, one we don’t sing that often, but I want to highlight its lyrics for you.  “We Sing for All the Unsung Saints” 

 

 

We sing for all the unsung saints, that countless, nameless throng 

Who kept the faith and passed it one with hope steadfast and strong 

Through all the daily griefs and joys no chronicles record 

Forgetful of their lack of fame, but mindful of their Lord. 

 

Though uninscribed with date or place, with title rank or name, 

As living stones their stories join to form a hallowed frame 

Around the mystery in their midst, the Lamb once sacrificed 

The Love that wrested life from death, the wounded, risen Christ. 

 

So we take heart from unknown saints bereft of earthly fame, 

Those faithful ones who have received a more enduring name. 

For they reveal true blessing comes when we our pride efface 

And offer back our lives to be the vessels of God’s grace.