When addressing the recipients of his epistle, James uses a very interesting term, one very familiar to his audience: the Diaspora.Since the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, the Jewish people had been scattered throughout many countries; the Jews often referred to this as the Dispersion. Much of the longing for a Messiah came about as a direct result of this scattering. But James had something more in mind when he coined this term. His audience was more than just Jewish; they were Jewish believers; 19 times in his epistle, James calls them brethren.
Acts 8:4 tells us that due to severe persecution, many of the early Jewish Christians were scattered abroad. James, as a leader of these people, wrote this epistle as a handbook for practical, Christian living to help them in their trials. Just as the first dispersion prepared God’s people for Christ’s first coming, so too this second dispersion had created within the hearts of God’s people a longing for His return.
James also wrote this epistle with the knowledge that these Christians would form the foundation of the Gospel in the communities they had relocated to and many would be leaders in their local congregations. Thus the epistle of James provides a clear foundation both for the practical, Christian life and for the potential Christian leader.
Interested in learning more? Firebreak University offers the course “Journey Through James.”
