Acts 12: Some Additional Thoughts about James' Death

This is Part 3 of considering James’ death as recorded by Luke in Chapter 12 of Acts. Parts 1 and 2 are here and here.

James provides a different kind of witness than Peter does; but he is a witness nonetheless.

In Matthew Chapter 10 (see also Luke 12), we read:

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.

A sparrow does not fall to the ground apart from the will of our Father. Is James’ death any different than the sparrow’s falling in the will of God? Only in this sense: James is worth more to the LORD than any such sparrow.

That’s a tough consideration for us. The will of our heavenly Father may require us to walk in difficult places for us. But we know this. Herod Agrippa could kill James’ body, but he had no claim over James’ soul. Facing death for following and proclaiming Christ, James had this assurance: that Jesus would confess James before his Father in heaven. We too have that assurance if we hold our testimony to the end. Confess him to the end and he will confess us to his heavenly Father.