How Jesus’ Relatives Came to Believe—and Die—for His Resurrection

“Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.”

—1 Corinthians 15:7

There’s something unshakably powerful about a skeptic who changes his mind. But there’s something even more compelling about a brother—someone who grew up with you, knew your habits, your voice, your personality—suddenly worshiping you as Lord. That’s the story of James, the brother of Jesus. It’s not only a remarkable narrative of conversion; it is one of the strongest evidences for the resurrection of Christ.

James was not a disciple during Jesus’ earthly ministry. In fact, none of Jesus’ brothers believed in Him while He was teaching and performing miracles. John tells us plainly: “For not even his brothers believed in him” (John 7:5). In Mark 3:21, they even thought Jesus had lost His mind. That kind of skepticism—coming not from the crowds, but from His own household—speaks volumes about the uphill battle Jesus faced even within His own family.

And yet, by the time Paul writes his first letter to the Corinthians, James is listed among those to whom the resurrected Jesus appeared—after His crucifixion and after His public ministry had ended. This appearance is striking: “Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles” (1 Cor. 15:7). What happened? What could have so completely reversed James’ thinking that he not only believed in Jesus, but became the undisputed leader of the Jerusalem church—the very place where Jesus was crucified?

History answers this with clarity: James saw the risen Jesus. And from that moment, everything changed.

James would go on to become one of the three “pillars” of the early church (Gal. 2:9), along with Peter and John. He presided over the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15, helping to resolve one of the most important debates in early Christianity—the question of whether Gentiles had to be circumcised to be saved. His epistle, the Letter of James, is one of the most practical and convicting pieces of New Testament Scripture. And his death—recorded by both Josephus and early church fathers—was that of a martyr, killed by a mob stirred up by religious authorities around A.D. 62.¹

James’ life, conversion, and death are incredibly important because they demolish the skeptical argument that Jesus’ followers had something to gain—fame, fortune, power—by promoting the idea that He rose from the dead. Nothing about James’ life post-resurrection suggests any worldly benefit. In fact, the opposite is true.

He wasn’t seeking fame. He wasn’t lining his pockets. He wasn’t building an empire. He was leading a persecuted, impoverished, minority community that was frequently under suspicion from both Rome and Jewish authorities. And he died not for a dream, not for a philosophy, but for the firm, unshakable conviction that his brother—the one he once doubted—was alive again.

Skeptics often argue, “People will lie for power. People will lie for money or sex or fame.” True. But James had access to none of those in the early church. There was no Christian empire to climb, no wealth to hoard, no celebrity status to obtain. The Jerusalem church was poor (Rom. 15:26), persecuted (Acts 8:1), and closely watched by the Sanhedrin.² If anything, James could have gained far more status and security by publicly denouncing Jesus as a false messiah—especially after His crucifixion.

But he didn’t.

Because he saw Him.

And he wasn’t the only one.

The Brothers of Jesus

The Gospels name four brothers of Jesus:

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon?” (Mark 6:3)

They also mention unnamed sisters, though we don’t know how many or what became of them.

Let’s look at these brothers.

James we’ve already seen: from skeptic to martyr, from doubter to leader of the church in Jerusalem.

Judas (Jude) is most likely the author of the Epistle of Jude, who opens his letter with “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James” (Jude 1). Notice the humility. He does not boast of being the Lord’s brother—he calls himself His servant. This is someone who was deeply transformed. The Epistle of Jude is sharp, sober, and filled with Old Testament references. Its closing doxology is one of the most beautiful in the New Testament.³

Simon and Joses (Joseph) are more mysterious. They’re not mentioned in Acts or the Epistles, but early church history fills in some intriguing details. According to Hegesippus, writing in the second century (preserved in Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History), a man named Simon son of Clopas, a relative of Jesus, became bishop of Jerusalem after James was martyred.⁴

Some scholars believe this Simon was one of Jesus’ brothers—others think he was a cousin. Either way, he was family. And according to the same source, Simon was arrested during the reign of Trajan and crucified at the age of 120, because of his connection to Jesus.⁵ That’s a long life and a brutal end—again, not the reward of someone clinging to a lie for comfort.

Even more remarkably, Hegesippus tells us that the grandsons of Judas, the brother of Jesus, were arrested under Domitian, who feared that descendants of David might try to claim a messianic kingship. These grandsons were brought before the emperor, questioned, and ultimately released—because they were poor farmers, and made no claim to earthly power.⁶ They were, however, known leaders in the early church.

This reveals something significant: the entire family of Jesus was transformed. Not just James. Not just Jude. But even their children were so committed to Christ that they were recognized by Rome as leaders of a growing, dangerous movement—a movement willing to die rather than deny the resurrection.

Were They at the Resurrection Appearances?

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesus appeared to more than 500 brothers at one time—a detail unique to his writings:

“Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:6)

While Paul does not name them, many scholars believe this took place in Galilee, where Jesus had told His disciples to go after the resurrection (Matt. 28:7, 10, 16). If that’s correct, it would make perfect sense for Jesus’ family—still living in Galilee—to have been part of this large gathering. His brothers, even if still unsure, would have at least been present, listening, observing.

It is likely that James’s private appearance came later, a final confirmation after seeing the risen Christ publicly. As for Jude, Simon, or Joses—they may very well have been among the 500. If not, they certainly heard firsthand from those who were.

What’s undeniable is that by the time the early church began to spread, Jesus’ family was in it, not standing off to the side. They had become believers. Leaders. Martyrs. And their conversions—far from being automatic or naïve—were born in skepticism, solidified by sight, and proven in suffering.

The Testimony of Martyrdom

We have no indication that James, Jude, or the others recanted. We have every indication that they died still believing in the one they once doubted. That matters.

Because people don’t suffer for what they know is a lie.

They may die for a belief they think is true (like modern terrorists or cultists). But they don’t willingly suffer for something they themselves invented. James and Jude would have known if the resurrection was a hoax. They were family. If Jesus had simply been buried and stayed buried, they wouldn’t have led His church. They would have buried His memory with His body.

Instead, they lived for Him, led for Him, and died for Him.

Their conversion is one of the strongest internal evidences for the truth of Christianity. It can’t be explained by wishful thinking or cultural conformity. These were Jews steeped in monotheism, who believed it was blasphemy to worship a man. Something massive had to happen to convince them otherwise.

That something was the resurrection.

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Final Reflection

If you’re skeptical of the resurrection, don’t just look at Peter or Paul. Look at James. Look at Jude. Look at the grandsons and cousins of Jesus. These weren’t strangers. They were family. And they were not easily persuaded.

They had no earthly reason to believe in Jesus once He was gone.

But they did.

And they suffered for it.

Because they knew He wasn’t gone.

He was alive.

Before dismissing the testimony of Jesus’ family, especially James, the brother of the Lord, skeptics must wrestle with serious historical questions:

• What explains the radical transformation of James—from skeptic to martyr, from outsider to the leader of the Jerusalem church?
  He did not follow Jesus during His earthly ministry. He thought Him misguided. Yet something changed James so profoundly that he risked everything, including his life, to proclaim that his brother was the risen Messiah.
• If James’s conversion is a fabrication, what independent historical evidence do skeptics present to support that claim?
  The burden of proof does not rest solely on those affirming the traditional account. Anyone who rejects it must offer historically viable alternatives, grounded in evidence—not assumptions or preferences.
• Why would early sources like Paul (1 Corinthians 15:7) and Luke (Acts 15, 21) fabricate James’s leadership role if it could have been easily falsified by living eyewitnesses?
  The early church operated in the full glare of public scrutiny. James was well-known in Jerusalem. Any exaggeration of his role or his beliefs would have been immediately discredited by opponents.
• What motive would Paul—once a persecutor of Christians—and Luke—an educated Gentile physician—have for inventing the conversion of Jesus’ brother if it weren’t true?
  This claim had no apologetic advantage unless it was historically grounded. It would only invite refutation if false. Yet no such refutation exists from contemporaries.
• If you reject the conversion of James simply because it supports the resurrection, are you being guided by evidence—or by philosophical bias?
  Disbelief in a claim does not refute it. One must offer a better explanation, grounded in history, for why multiple family members of Jesus—who had every reason to reject Him—came to believe, lead, and die for the faith they once opposed.

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Footnotes
¹ Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 20.9.1. See also Hegesippus, quoted in Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 2.23.
² Acts 8:1; Romans 15:26; Galatians 2:10.
³ Jude 1:24–25.
⁴ Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.11; 3.32.
⁵ Ibid., 3.32.
⁶ Ibid., 3.20.