James the Less

James the Less

The name, James the Less is not a demeaning title, rather the word, 'Less' may suggest the short stature of the Apostle, or he might have been a young person or maybe just to distinguish from the other James, son of Zebedee who was referred to as James the Great.  James was a common Jewish male name of the time like Mary.  So, we should not confuse this James with the other James we know in the Bible apart from James the Great who was the son of Zebedee and brother of the Apostle John.  The Epistle of James was written by another James who was one of the brothers of the Lord.   There is not much written about James, the son of Alphaeus apart from a few vague reports of his ministry and martyrdom in the early sources.  James might have been killed by crucifixion or beheading. 

There is an unspoken testimony behind the person James the Less.  He was chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ to be one of the twelve disciples.  He was faithful and he surely did his ministry effectively taking his early martyrdom into consideration.  He reminds us of the countless nameless martyrs of the Lord throughout the history.  These nameless martyrs are the James the Lesses of the world and the Lord has chosen them.  These people never cared about earthly recognition but served the Lord because the Lord remembered them.  Like a saint in the Lord had once said, 'we need more James the Lesses in every nook and corner of the world for ministering, mentoring, dispensing life and sharing Gospel with the deprived of the world.  Hallelujah for James the Less.