reserve their greatest love for God, put him first, obey him first, give him first call on their time and energy and substance, their marriage will not become more driftwood on the matrimonial seas.

This putting of God first by married couples is shown by the apostle Paul, at 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, NW: “Moreover, this I say, brothers, the time left is reduced. Henceforth let those who have wives be as though they had none, and also those who weep be as those who do not weep, and those who rejoice as those who do not rejoice, and those who buy as those not possessing, and those making use of the world as those not using it to the full; for the scene of this world is changing.” Paul is not here saying to withhold the various marital dues and responsibilities, for in this very chapter he admonishes that these should be rendered. (1 Cor. 7:3-5) What he is admonishing is that whole or chief attention should not be given over to personal, selfish matters relating to the flesh, whether these be enjoying a husband or wife, or rejoicing overmuch in pleasure pursuits, or allowing ourselves to be swallowed up in our sorrows and griefs and even drawing an unhealthy satisfaction from self-pity, or seeking to accumulate extensive possessions by unduly entangling ourselves in worldly businesses—all of which excessive caterings to the flesh are characteristic of this old world and are to pass away with it. Hence the Christian should not bury or sink himself too deeply in these things to the neglect of what is eternal, and specially so now that the “time left is reduced”. Nothing should be allowed to so engross the Christian’s time that he has none left for Jehovah’s service. So it is within this qualified view that the married couple lives as though unmarried, always putting Jehovah first.

Only marriages meeting the foregoing divine requirements are truly successful marriages, and they have the opportunity of succeeding gloriously. They may endure on into Jehovah’s new world, wherein earthly married couples will finally carry out the mandate first issued by God in Eden, to “multiply and fill the earth”.—Gen. 1:28, Ro.

James, the Brother of Jesus

JESUS, the Son of God, once stated: “A prophet is not unhonored except in his native territory and in his own house.” That he himself had this experience in regard to his immediate family is apparent from the record made by his preferred disciple John: “His brothers were, in fact, not exercising faith in him.” Matthew and Mark name four brothers, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas. (Matt. 13:55-57; Mark 6:3; John 7:5, NW) After Jesus’ death and resurrection, however, at least some of his uterine brothers (having the same mother but a different father) did exercise faith in him, for we read that, pending Pentecost, the eleven apostles with one accord “were persisting in prayer, together with some women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers”.—Acts 1:13, 14, NW.

In view of the fact that some of our readers may object to the statement that Mary had other children besides Jesus, holding that she was “ever virgin”, before considering what the Christian Greek Scriptures have to say about James, the brother of Jesus, let us briefly consider that objection. If Mary was “ever virgin” then why did Matthew say at chapter one, verse twenty-five Mt 1:25, that Joseph “knew her not”, that is, “had no relations with her until she gave birth to a son”? (Dy; NW) And why did Luke describe Jesus as her “firstborn”? (Luke 2:7) Had Mary given birth to no other children would he not have referred to Jesus as her “only” son? Clearly Matthew and Luke did not consider that Jesus was Mary’s only son or they certainly would have emphasized the point; especially if they had thought this matter as vital as some religious organizations do.

Nor can it be argued that these “brothers” were not of Jesus’ immediate family, but were kinsfolk or cousins, for the word used literally means “from the same womb”. (Young’s Concordance) Had mere kinsfolk been meant the inspired writers doubtless would have used the Greek word translated cousin and cousins at Luke 1:36, 58. (”Cousin” and “kinsfolks” in the Douay) Neither is the position tenable that these “brothers” were his spiritual brothers or disciples, because, as we have already seen, they did not exercise faith in Jesus at the time. That these “brothers” were separate and distinct from his disciples John’s record makes clear, for in it we read: “After this he [Jesus] and his mother and brothers and his disciples went down to Capernaum.”—John 2:12, NW.

PROMINENT IN EARLY CONGREGATION

Of these flesh-and-blood brothers who became Jesus’ disciples after his resurrection James was foremost. Evidently foreknowing the role James would play in the early Christian congregation, Christ Jesus singled him out for special attention, for Paul, in giving proof of Jesus’ resurrection, seems to refer to Jesus’ brother James, when he writes: “After that he appeared to James,” the only one Paul mentions by name, aside from Peter and himself, as ones to whom Jesus appeared individually.—1 Cor. 15:7, NW.

Peter likewise gives James special mention. When visiting the group of Christians assembled at the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, after his miraculous release from prison, Peter instructed them: “Report these things to James and the brothers.” (Acts 12:17, NW) And that James was not only foremost among his flesh-and-blood brothers but also prominent among his spiritual brothers seems apparent from the fact that he evidently presided at the special meeting held at Jerusalem to discuss the question of whether Gentile converts to Christianity should be circumcised or not, for he summed up the proceedings. His recommendations were adopted and instructions in keeping therewith were sent to the various Christian congregations.—Acts 15:14-21, NW.

Not only did Peter at the time of his miraculous release from prison make it a point that James should be notified, but Paul likewise specially mentions him. In telling the Galatians of his first years as a Christian minister he states: “Later I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and I stayed with him for fifteen days. But I saw no one else of the apostles, only James the brother of the Lord.”—Gal. 1:18, 19, NW.

Undoubtedly James the brother of Jesus played a most prominent role in the governing body of the early Christian congregation situated at Jerusalem. He would be the logical one to write the letter bearing the name of James. The apostle James,