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1He entered again into the synagogue, and there was a man there whose hand was withered. 2They watched him, whether he would heal him on the Sabbath day, that they might accuse him. 3He said to the man whose hand was withered, “Stand up.” 4He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath day to do good or to do harm? To save a life or to kill?” But they were silent. 5When he had looked around at them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored as healthy as the other. 6The Pharisees went out, and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how they might destroy him.

7Jesus withdrew to the sea with his disciples; and a great multitude followed him from Galilee, from Judea, 8from Jerusalem, from Idumaea, beyond the Jordan, and those from around Tyre and Sidon. A great multitude, hearing what great things he did, came to him. 9He spoke to his disciples that a little boat should stay near him because of the crowd, so that they wouldn’t press on him. 10For he had healed many, so that as many as had diseases pressed on him that they might touch him. 11The unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, fell down before him and cried, “You are the Son of God!” 12He sternly warned them that they should not make him known.

13He went up into the mountain and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him. 14He appointed twelve, that they might be with him, and that he might send them out to preach 15and to have authority to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); 17James the son of Zebedee; and John, the brother of James, (whom he called Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder); 18Andrew; Philip; Bartholomew; Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot; 19and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

Then he came into a house. 20The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21When his friends heard it, they went out to seize him; for they said, “He is insane.” 22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”

23He summoned them and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end. 27But no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder unless he first binds the strong man; then he will plunder his house.

28“Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; 29but whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation.” 30—because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

31His mother and his brothers came, and standing outside, they sent to him, calling him. 32A multitude was sitting around him, and they told him, “Behold, your mother, your brothers, and your sisters are outside looking for you.”

33He answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34Looking around at those who sat around him, he said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers! 35For whoever does the will of God is my brother, my sister, and mother.”

James (Brother of Jesus)

James (Brother of Jesus)

Biography | Hershel Wayne House

There are several people mentioned in the New Testament named James. The name "Jacob" is a Latinized version of Yakob - or Jacob, a very common Jewish name. Here, the person in question is the brother of Jesus. In order to distinguish him from the other people named James in the NT, the early Church gave him the moniker "the Just." Although the Church later argued that James was the son of Joseph through a marriage previous to Mary or that "brother" actually means "cousin" (owing to the belief that Mary was a perpetual virgin), the Bible gives no indication that he was not the natural son of Joseph and Mary, and the actual brother of the Lord Jesus.

Almost nothing is known of James' early life. He grew up in Nazareth, and at first apparently did not believe (Mark 3:31-35; John 7:5). After the death and resurrection of Jesus, James became a leader of the church in Jerusalem. Paul is reported to have met with James just after his conversion (Gal 1:18-20), and later Paul mentions James among the "pillars" of the church who "recognized the grace" of his call (Gal 2:9-10). James was also present at the Council of Jerusalem that decided Gentiles did not need to become Jews in order to follow Jesus (Acts 15:1-30). Finally, before Paul's arrest in Jerusalem, he met with James and "all the elders" (Acts 21:17-25). According to both Josephus and other early Church historians, James was martyred around A.D. 62 by being thrown from the "pinnacle of the Temple" and then stoned to death. He was said to have been buried and "his monument" was still present "by the temple" in the 4th century A.D.

In 2002 it was announced that an ossuary (bone box) had been found bearing the inscription, written in Aramaic, "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." Although its authenticity has been challenged by some skeptics, experts have demonstrated that it is almost certainly authentic. Although the names "James (Yakob), "Joseph (Yoseph)," and "Jesus (Yeshua)" were very common in first century Judea, the specific combination written on the ossuary is unique, making the probability that it is indeed James' very high.