Beyond the Cross: From Skeptic to Believer
This Sunday at Myrtle House Community Church, Martin O’Brien continued our Beyond the Cross series by looking at the remarkable resurrection story of James, the brother of Jesus—a story of transformation, revelation, and hope.
James’s journey is one of the most powerful examples in Scripture of how encountering the resurrected Jesus can completely change a life.
Before the resurrection, James was not a believer. Despite growing up with Jesus, seeing His character, hearing His words, and witnessing His life up close, James struggled to believe that his own brother was truly the Messiah. In fact, Scripture tells us that Jesus’ brothers were sceptical and even mocked Him at times.
And perhaps that’s what makes James’s story so relatable.
Sometimes familiarity can blind us to what God is doing. James knew Jesus as a brother before anyone called Him Teacher, Lord, or Saviour. What others saw with awe, James saw through ordinary eyes. His struggle wasn’t necessarily rebellion—it was familiarity.
There’s a challenge in that for all of us. Is it possible to become so familiar with Jesus, church, or faith that we stop recognising the power and wonder of who He truly is?
Then came the cross.
For James, the crucifixion seemed to confirm every doubt. We don’t see him standing at the cross or running to the tomb. It appears he had stepped away completely.
But resurrection changes everything.
At some point after Jesus rose from the dead, James encountered the resurrected Christ personally. Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesus appeared specifically to James. That moment changed his life forever.
The sceptic became a believer.
The doubter became a leader.
The brother who once questioned Jesus became one of the key pillars of the early church.
By the time we reach the book of Acts, James is leading the Jerusalem church, guiding believers with wisdom and authority, and standing alongside Peter and John as one of the foundational leaders of the Christian faith.
What caused such a dramatic transformation?
One encounter with the resurrected Jesus.
And that same resurrection power is still changing lives today.
James’s story reminds us that no one is too far away, too doubtful, too familiar, or too sceptical for Jesus to reach. Revelation can come in a moment. Hearts can change instantly. Lives can be completely transformed through an encounter with Him.
That’s why our stories matter.
When we share what Jesus has done in our lives—how He has restored us, changed us, carried us, and transformed us—we point people toward the same hope that changed James forever.
Because resurrection is not just an event from history. It is a living reality that still transforms people today.