“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,” – [01:02]

I. “brother”:

I want to start here. This is an important part of the verse. James knows he is saying tough things, so he uses this intimate term. He doesn’t say “children” holding himself above most others going through trials, but instead he says “brothers”. This shows that no one – not even an apostle is above the sufferings and trials that come with being a Christian. We are beside one another in this journey as one family, experiencing life as one. I also find it interesting that he is the brother of Christ, but he calls us brothers, showing the unity we all have as the singular body of Christ. James knows that no mater his relationship in the natural, the most defining relationship one has with another is a spiritual one. A natural brotherhood is meaningless compared to the spiritual joining as a family.

II. “Count it all joy”:

This word for “count” is a very volitional one. It can mean “declare authority over.” James here is calling us to be controlled in our emotions no matter what we’re going through. Have emotions, mind you, but don’t let them control you. Another interesting thing in the greek: the greek word for “all” literally means “all” – with no exceptions. This phrase is in essence telling us that joy should be a tool that we can employ at our disposal. In the gospel, this joy is fully purchased for us on our behalf and given freely to us so that we actually can employ it when suffering comes.

III. “meet” – lit. “fall into.”:

[Luke 10:30 - Good Samaritan. Traveler "fell among many robbers" who beat him.]

[Acts 27:41 - Paul’s boat "striking a reef" (same word)]

These are the other uses of the word in the New testament. This is a very interesting word to use here. This word carries with it the idea of light suddenly surrounding you completely. but, even though the image is of light, it’s always used as something bad coming to the people that only Providence could have caused. Not a result of sin or Satan (or the individual receiving it). So, these two phrases are telling believers to take full command and authority over joy, and then employ it completely and freely when God sends these things our way that are outside our control. But what does he send?

V. “various trials”:

The word for “various” is the word meaning “manifold” or literally, “many-colored.” This means that there os a spectrum of trial that is in store for the believer. Trials of all kinds will be brought to the believer so they can employ joy as their response. Speaking of the word for “trials”: this is the same word for “temptation” (hence the rendering as such in some translations). But the problem with that word is two-fold. One, we have such a negative connotation of “temptation” that we wouldn’t want to think that God sends it. Secondly, later on in the book James directly says that God doesn’t tempt us. But, that Greek word is the same word used here for something God sends. Jon Owen talks about this in On Temptation. There are two types of temptation: that which is meant to lead to sin, and that which is meant to lead to the Glory of God and the sanctification of the believer. God will never do the first, but he does the second all the time. In his wisdom, he send trials and temptations our way so that we might employ the joy we have authority over and so be drawn to him to a greater degree.

I. “servant” – slave:
This is surprising. James is one of the brothers of Jesus (yes, Joseph had sex with Mary after they were married, regardless of strange Catholic teachings). The Gospels tell us that Jesus’ brothers denied Christ as Messiah. They thought he was crazy. What must have happened to James to change his view to a “slave” of his brother? How easy would it be for any of us to so quickly start seeing our brother or sister as the Son of God through which all things we were created, by which all things are sustained? One o more evidence that Christianity is done to you, not the other way around. Something supernatural has to happen to you to see Christ as Lord and Savior.

II. “Dispersion”:
All Jews living outside Judea. We can find ourselves in this. God’s people far from where God has promised us to be, trying to figure out how to do this whole “Christianity” thing. This is what the rest of James is about. This whole earth is ours and we wait expectantly for the enemies to be cleared out so we can take possession. So what does life look like in the tension of awaiting promises for a new home, knowing it’s not yet time, but it will come? What is the first characteristic of this life that James brings up?What does life here look like? Verses 2 – 4 – a life of suffering for the purposes that God has laid out for us.

Verses 2 – 4 next.