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Pentecost Season · Proper 21 · Year B

James 5:13-20

Trials and Temptations

The Dream of Jacob, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
The Dream of Jacob, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1660-1665State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg · public domain

Overview & Insights

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” (James 1:17)

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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Background & Word Study

The Church Fathers

Questions preachers ask

What does James teach about trials?

Blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial; temptation comes not from God but from our own desire, while every good gift comes down from the Father of lights.

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