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Easter · The Sixth Sunday of Easter (Rogate)

James 1:22-27

Listening and Doing

May 10, 2026

Orphans, Thomas Benjamin Kennington
Orphans, Thomas Benjamin Kennington, 1885Tate Britain, London
A Victorian social-realist painting of two children alone in a bare room, made in the years when London's charities were arguing about what to do with them.Religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress.Thomas Benjamin KenningtonAn English painter of social subjects and a founder of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters.Tate Britain, LondonThe national collection of British art from 1500, on Millbank, including the Turner Bequest of nearly thirty thousand works the artist left to the nation.Tate Britain, London
Historic One-Year Lectionary
GospelJn. 16:23-30 (31-33)Jn 16:23-30 (31-33)
EpistleJas. 1:22-27Jas 1:22-27Alt. Epistle1 Tim. 2:1-61 Tm 2:1-6
Old TestamentNum. 21:4-9Nm 21:4-9
PsalterPs. 107:1-9Ps 107:1-9

Overview & Insights

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)

The letter from James opens with a simple and direct greeting. The writer identifies himself simply as James, a servant of God . There was only one James so well known in the early church that he would need no other form of identification, and that was James the Just, brother of Jesus, leader of the church in Jerusalem. The readers are expected to recognize the name.

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Take it further: James 1:22-27

Commentary

Commentary on James 1:17-27Commentary on Jas 1:17-27 Working Preacher

Lectionary commentary covering being doers of the word, this exact passage.

James 1 CommentaryJas 1 Commentary Enduring Word

Full chapter commentary including the call to be doers and not hearers only.

Commentary on James 1 by Matthew HenryCommentary on Jas 1 by Mt Henry Blue Letter Bible

Classic exposition of pure religion and doing the word.

Background & Word Study

James 1:22 CommentariesJas 1:22 Commentaries BibleHub

Aggregates classic commentators on not deceiving yourselves as hearers only.

James 1 ResourcesJas 1 Resources Precept Austin

Collected verse-by-verse study resources on the chapter.

The Church Fathers

James 1:22 Patristic CommentaryJas 1:22 Patristic Commentary Catena Bible

Fathers commenting directly on being doers of the word.

Podcast

James (tag archive)Jas (tag archive) Issues, Etc.

A multi-part Lutheran radio series on the epistle of James.

Art & Music

Art in the Christian Tradition Vanderbilt

A curated image index for this reading across the history of Christian art.

Questions preachers ask

What is pure religion?

James calls believers to receive the implanted word and act on it, for religion that is pure before God is to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

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