REMAIN HUMBLE LIKE JAMES

5. How did James respond when the resurrected Jesus appeared to him?

⁵ When did James become a loyal follower of Jesus? After Jesus was raised from the dead, “he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.” (1 Cor. 15:7) That meeting with Jesus marked a turning point in James’ life. He was present when the apostles awaited the promised holy spirit in an upper room in Jerusalem. (Acts 1:13, 14) Later, James had the joy of serving as a member of the first-century governing body. (Acts 15:6, 13-22; Gal. 2:9) And sometime before 62 C.E., he was inspired to write a letter to anointed Christians. That letter is of benefit to us today, whether our hope is heavenly or earthly. (Jas. 1:1) According to the first-century historian Josephus, James was executed at the order of the Jewish High Priest Ananias the Younger. James remained faithful to Jehovah until he finished his earthly course.

6. In what way was James different from the religious leaders of his day?

⁶ James was humble. Why can we say that? Consider the contrast between the way James eventually responded to Jesus and the way that many of the religious leaders reacted. When James was confronted by irrefutable evidence that Jesus is the Son of God, he humbly accepted it. That was not the case with the chief priests in Jerusalem. For example, they could not deny that Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead. Instead of acknowledging that Jesus was Jehovah’s representative, they endeavored to kill both Jesus and Lazarus. (John 11:53; 12:9-11) Later when Jesus himself was resurrected from the dead, they conspired to hide that fact from the people. (Matt. 28:11-15) The pride of those religious leaders caused them to reject the Messiah.

7. Why must we avoid pride?

⁷ The lesson: Avoid pride, and remain teachable. Just as disease can harden the arteries of a literal heart and restrict its ability to beat, pride can harden our figurative heart and prevent us from responding to Jehovah’s direction. The Pharisees allowed their heart to become so hard that they refused to recognize the clear evidence being presented to them by God’s spirit. (John 12:37-40) That was a dangerous course because it affected their everlasting future. (Matt. 23:13, 33) How important it is that we continue to allow God’s Word and spirit to mold our personality and influence our thinking and our decisions! (Jas. 3:17) Because James was humble, he allowed himself to be taught by Jehovah. And, as we will see, it was because of his humility that he became a skillful teacher.

13. As indicated at James 3:2 and footnote, what did James recognize?

¹³ James kept the right view of himself. James did not feel that his family background or his privileged assignments made him special or placed him above his brothers and sisters. He referred to his fellow worshippers as “my beloved brothers.” (Jas. 1:16, 19; 2:5) He did not give the impression that he was perfect. Rather, he included himself in the statement: “We all make mistakes many times.”​—Read James 3:2 and footnote.

14. Why must we be willing to admit our mistakes?

¹⁴ The lesson: Remember that we are all sinners. We must not think that we are somehow superior to those whom we teach. Why not? If we give our student the impression that we are flawless, he may conclude that he could never measure up to God’s requirements. But when we honestly admit that it has not always been easy for us to follow Scriptural principles and we explain how Jehovah has helped us to overcome our challenges, we will help our student to see that he too can serve Jehovah.