When James finally met Jesus

In the writings of Paul to the Corinthian Church, I came across a line that is short but with so much content. It’s one of those verses you can easily skim past in Paul’s long list of resurrection witnesses — “Then He appeared to James.” (1 Corinthians 15:7). No thunder, no crowd, no sermon. Just a quiet line about a very personal moment.

But think about it. James — Jesus’ younger brother. The one who grew up under the same roof, ate from the same bowl, fetched water from the same well. The one who saw Jesus barefoot, dusty, laughing with neighbors, maybe fixing a broken chair in their family workshop. When people started calling Jesus “the Son of God,” James might have whispered, “Really? The same guy who borrowed my sandals?” John 7:5 confirms it — “For even His brothers did not believe in Him.” James probably whispered to his other brothers, “Eh, our big brother needs rest. Hii imezidi sasa.” In fact, Mark 3:21 tells us, “When His family heard about this, they went to take charge of Him, for they said, ‘He is out of His mind.’”

They even showed up one day, trying to pull Him out of the crowd — His mother, His brothers, all of them thinking He had lost it. So yes — James didn’t just doubt quietly like Thomas; he doubted actively. It wasn’t just his issue; it was a family matter. The Messiah of the world had siblings who thought He was crazy. And yet, the risen Christ chose to appear to James.

I imagine James sitting alone after the crucifixion, haunted by regret. Maybe remembering every time he rolled his eyes when Jesus prayed too long. Maybe wishing he’d said, “I believe You” — just once. Then, one quiet afternoon, everything changed.

“James.”

He turned — and there He was. Jesus. Alive. Smiling. No crowd. No miracles. Just two brothers meeting after death and disbelief. Maybe Jesus looked at him and said nothing, just opened His arms. James maybe wept — not just from shock, but from surprise.

It makes sense that Jesus appeared to James personally. In their culture, James was likely the eldest of the younger brothers — the man now responsible for the family after Joseph’s death and Jesus' departure. Perhaps Jesus, the firstborn of heaven, came to restore faith to the firstborn of the house of Mary. From that day on, James changed completely. The doubter became a leader. The skeptic became James the Just — head of the Jerusalem Church, a man known for prayer, fairness, and humility.

Paul’s little line — “Then He appeared to James” — holds an entire redemption story. The one who once said, “He’s out of His mind,” would later write, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

He had lived it.

Sometimes, Jesus still meets us like that — quietly, personally, after we’ve misunderstood Him, doubted Him, or even tried to pull Him away from His purpose. He comes not to scold, but to restore. Maybe your faith feels thin. Maybe you’ve stood outside the crowd, unsure. Take heart — even His brothers once thought He was mad. But when the risen Jesus called James’ name, one family — and one heart — was forever changed.

Today, He’s still doing the same. Whispering your name. Calling you home. Most times, the closest ones physically are the farthest ones relationally. The Israelites who were delivered from Egypt fell into this trap. They were close to God physically (cloud by day and fire by night) but relationally they were far from God and Paul had this to say of them... “So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, 

    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. (Hebrews 3:7-19)