True Pictures Bible Study Series - A Lenten Study of James

This 5-lesson study guide goes along with the Lent 2007 sermon series: "False Pictures".

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Study Introduction: True Pictures
A Lenten Study of James

We talk about living for Jesus where we live, work, and play, but living as Christians is not always an easy thing. We are assailed by temptations and troubles - from external sources and from the trouble we cook up in our own minds and hearts. If we're going to live for Jesus in this world, we need help! The book of James gives practical advice about living as Christians, even in a messed-up and demanding world.

James was most likely written by the brother of Jesus, who at the time of this writing was the "main spokesman" for the Jerusalem church. He was likely writing somewhere near the time of his death, which occurred about 62 AD. James was writing to people living in a deeply economically divided time-Jewish peasant farmers had lost their land and were forced to live as tenants for wealthy landowners or become day laborers in the city. Economic injustice even existed in the temple, where aristocratic priests were withholding income from poorer priests. And over all this was the dominion of Rome. James is writing to Jewish Christians struggling to follow Jesus faithfully in this system of double oppression.

Into this troubled context, James speaks words of encouragement. How easy it would have been for his readers to give in to the picture of reality that their immediate situation gave them! Yet James exhorts them to look beyond these false pictures of reality, to "look intently" (James 1:25) into God's Word, and to come away changed by what they see there. He calls them to new, truer pictures of who God is, who they are, and how the world should work for those living as citizens of God's kingdom. Many commentators have pointed to the echoes of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) found in James. This sermon is sometimes called Jesus' "State of the Union" address for those who will live in the upside-down kingdom of his grace and love. Perhaps James is writing the "State of the State" address for the Jerusalem church.

So, what does this mean for us living in 21st century America? We aren't peasant farmers, landless day laborers, or poor priests (at any rate most of us aren't, and we may not have much contact with those who are). Yet we, like James' original readers, are living in a world full of trouble where it's easy to buy into false pictures of reality, to see our context as the full picture. We've become like "Alice Through the Looking Glass" - like Alice, we're stuck in a mixed-up world on the wrong side of the mirror from reality, where at times we become confused into thinking this world is what's true. The book of James calls us to step back through the mirror, to deal with the troubles that beset us from without (favoritism, from cliques to injustice; a messed-up church that can seem "dead" to the world) and the troubles that come from within (our own words, attitudes, and actions that get us in trouble).

We enter into this study during Lent, the time when we remember that Jesus steadfastly turned his back on the false pictures of this world and headed resolutely toward the cross, God's truest picture of the reality of his love and grace. May we walk with him this Lent, heading away from our distorted pictures and into the light of God's love: toward the "God who gives generously to all, without finding fault" (James 1:5). We can only do that through God's Word, so in this booklet you'll find studies of the 5 chapters of James, one for each of the weeks leading to Holy Week. These studies are meant as a companion to the sermon series, pointing out different facets of each chapter of James. The studies are intended to be done as a group; as we've said often to small group leaders, the pursuit of God is only possible in the company of friends.

Kathy Smith for all the authors

See also:

• NV: False Pictures
• Sermon Series: "False Pictures"

These study materials were developed by
Kathy Smith, Debbie Schmidt, John Schmidt, Sally Guiles, George Antonakos, and Matt Acton.
They are meant to be freely used, but please contact us if you would like
to distribute them from somewhere other than our website.
© 2007, Central Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD 21204 410/823-6145
www.centralpc.org

Sources:

• Rich Lamb, The Pursuit of God in the Company of Friends, IVP, 2003.
• Craig Keener, The Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, IVP, 1995.
• Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass.   (Wikipedia listing)