Growing Up With Mr. Perfect

    Can you imagine growing up with a perfect child in the family?
    James, the brother of Christ had just that problem. Not a favorite
child, but really a perfect child. We know Jesus had four brothers,
James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas and at least three sisters, we know
this from Matthew 13:55&56. 
    We also know that, at Jesus' crucifixion, Mary had no family with
her, so Jesus told John, the disciple, to take care of His mother. The
assumption being that Joseph was dead and that Jesus' brothers and
sisters were not part of His ministry. In fact, as far as we know, they
never talked to Jesus, after He started His ministry, and left their
mother alone to grieve for Jesus at the cross.
    How difficult it must have been to grow up with the Son of God
as your brother. Every child has heard at one time or another, why
can't you behave like another sibling. Jesus was probably the only
child in the whole neighborhood to not get into trouble or get a
spanking. This had to be an extremely difficult childhood for  not
only Jesus' siblings but for the other children in the neighborhood.
    Though Jesus' siblings knew that Jesus' was of Devine origin,
we can never imagine, how difficult it must have been to accept
your brother as Messiah. You had to know, growing up with Jesus,
that He was different and gifted, but that wouldn't make it any
easier to accept your brother as Lord and Savior.
    We do not know when James became a follower of Christ, but
we do know that James was not chosen to replace Judas as one of
the twelve, that fell to Matthias by casting lots.
    Whether James became a Christian at Pentecost or shortly after
Pentecost, we don't know, but we know that he became a leader at
the church in Jerusalem before Paul's conversion, because Paul
met with Peter and James, the brother of Christ.
    The book of James, gives us a unique look at this brother of Christ.
We can see in his writing, James' leadership and knowledge concerning
Jesus teaching. You get the impression that James, though not a
believer during Jesus' ministry, kept tabs on his brother from a
distance.
    James grew up with Mr. Perfect, but more importantly became
a believer in Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

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