Old Camel Knees

Who was St. James the Just? James the Just wrote the Epistle that bears his name in Scripture and was the first bishop in Jerusalem until his martyrdom ~62 AD. He is also known as St. James, the brother of Jesus. Interestingly, James didn’t believe all the stuff about Jesus being the Son of God (John 7:5). It would have been hard to believe that the brother you grew up with was — surprise — The Son of God!

And yet, as we learn from 1 Corinthians 15, James, still a skeptic, received his own personal visit from the resurrected Jesus. How tenderly Jesus loved his kid brother that, despite James’ rejection, Jesus prioritized visiting him personally after His resurrection. After this, James is humbled and becomes devoted to Jesus. In his letter, he simply introduces himself as “a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (James 1:1)

The Collect for his feast day gives us a hint of what characterized his ministry. It says, “the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity.” James was a wise leader and peacemaker. That’s where he gets his title, “James the Just.” There was a famous dispute in the early Church, described in Acts 15. Among the new Christians, there were some former Pharisees who were convinced that new Gentile believers had to follow all the Jewish laws given by God, including getting circumcised, but this sparked a deep disagreement with Paul and Peter. So, the matter was brought to the Apostles in Jerusalem, James now among them. After much discussion, James, as the leader, devised a wise compromise. He suggested that the new Gentile believers should not be burdened with the whole Jewish law but rather just the essentials: abstaining from sexual immorality and from eating food sacrificed to idols. This was well received by both Jews and Gentiles.

James was also known to give himself continually to prayer. In fact, his nickname was “Old Camel Knees.” Now, I don’t know if anyone called him that to his face, but according to tradition, James spent so much of his time praying on his knees that his knees developed tough callouses, as rough as a camel’s. We can learn a lot from James on how to follow Jesus — especially when there is a lot that threatens to deeply divide us, to be a peacemaker and to spend much time in prayer.

A Prayer

Grant, O God, that, following the example of your servant James the Just, brother of our Lord, we your Church may give ourselves continually to prayer and to the reconciliation of all who are at variance and enmity; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Book of Common Prayer, pg. 245