The power of waiting for a sibling moment
In 1 Corinthians Paul records the story after the resurrection of Christ. It’s Jesus’ encounter with people after the resurrection. Jesus did not speak with or encounter non-believers. He came back to build the faith of believers.
Jesus had a sibling encounter here with his half-brother, James. He appeared to him first, right before appearing to all the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:7).
Can you imagine what that encounter was like? Jesus has come back to life. His message is true. He’s got nail scars in His hands! He walks up to His brother in this new state of resurrection.
At this point, we don’t know if James had given his life to follow Christ or if this was an encounter before Jesus goes back to heaven. Was it an opportunity, one last time, to speak directly to the heart of one of His brothers? I imagine He says, “James, it’s true.”
And James was either a believer or he was leaning in that direction. A revolution occurred in his life. James became one of the great movers and shakers of the first century church. Jesus went to His brother James. He knew James was the one He wanted to reach, the one that was ready.
We know James wrote the book of James and became a mover and shaker, a leader in the first century church. At some point James came to recognize his brother was God and gave his life to Him. Perhaps it was even in this sibling moment.
Check out Sharing Christ with Your Family Can Be Tough and find 3 Keys to Sharing Your Faith with Loved Ones.