The early patriarchs of the Israelites were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We know Jacob had twelve sons, with Joseph being his favorite. Scripture states that Jacob “loved Joseph more than any other of his children because he was the son of his old age, and he had made him a long robe with sleeves.” Due to his favoritism toward Joseph, the other eleven brothers grew jealous of him, and things worsened when Joseph was seventeen and started having dreams: “‘Listen to this dream that I dreamed. There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright; then your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf.’ His brothers said to him, ‘Are you indeed to reign over us? Are you indeed to have dominion over us?’ So they hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.” He had another similar dream involving the sun, moon, and stars. Because of the jealousy that developed from these events, Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery and told their father that a wild animal had killed Joseph.
As we read through Scripture, we see several examples of siblings not getting along. The first is Cain and Abel, but there is also Jacob and Esau, and even the parable of the prodigal son has its share of conflict. What’s surprising is that this tension appears with Jesus and his brothers—whether they were brothers, cousins, or other relatives is a topic for another day. Early on, in the synoptic Gospels and John, we get a clear picture that there was tension.
Mark’s Gospel: Jesus has begun his public ministry, and “When [Jesus’] relations heard about it, they set out to seize him for they said, ‘He is out of his mind.’” John’s Gospel clearly states, “His brothers did not believe in him.” They thought he was crazy, which was true for James, whom we celebrate today. However, following the resurrection, James became a devoted follower. He was, in fact, chosen by the twelve Apostles (including James, the brother of John) to lead the Church in Jerusalem.
Surprisingly, it is very common for family and friends who are not believers to question your sanity or become angry when you start following the will of God. Still, for the believer, it should not be surprising, because Jesus tells us, “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
The reasons why such things happen are numerous: jealousy, as in the case of Joseph; pride, as in the case of Jesus’ family (they thought he was crazy and making them look bad); or anger, because you’re no longer following the crowd. But I believe the most important reason is fear. Fear because they are now more personally confronted with their own lives. Your life and obedience to God have become a testimony to them and convicts them of the sin in their own lives, leaving them with a choice of obedience.
James’ initial reaction to his brother Jesus was one of anger; however, Jesus’ life and obedience to the will of the Father convicted James and led to a conversion. In the face of anger, fear, and jealousy because of your faith, stand tall and do not be afraid. God can even use others’ adverse reactions to accomplish His will in their lives.
Candle in a Cave 