The Brother’s of Thunder
introducing the apostles James and John
based on Mt 4:21-22,  Luke 9:51-56, Mt 20:20-22), John 3:16 , John 19:25-27
by Rev. Frank Schaefer
    

Today, I want to introduce two apostles to you that have gone down in the church history books as the “sons of thunder.”  If you have a problem managing your temper or if you live with a person who does, this sermon might be of special interest to you.

James and his younger brother, John, were the second pair of brothers that Jesus called into discipleship, right there on the shores of the lake; they instantly followed Jesus and left their father Zebedee behind with the family fishing business. Mt 4:21-22:

Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

James and John first were disciples of Saint John the Baptist before they followed Jesus.  John and James both held prominent positions among the Apostles. Jesus referred to the pair collectively as "Boanerges" (translated "sons of thunder") [Mk 3:17] [1]

The first time the temper of the two brothers comes to the fore in the Gospel writings is in Luke 9:51-56 when James and John wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town for not being welcoming to them, but they were rebuked by Jesus.

 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵² And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” ⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and rebuked them.

We also know that James and John were very competitive, wondering who might be the greatest among the disciples. Perhaps some of this passion and temper came from their mother, who once asked Jesus if their sons could be seated at his left and right of him in the Kingdom of Heaven; and when Jesus questioned her whether they could drink the cup he was about to drink, the brothers very confidently answered: “We can.” (Mt 20:20-22)

Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. “What is it you want?” he asked. She said, “Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.”  “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?”  “We can,” they answered.

Interestingly, John was the apostle who lived the longest of all the apostles; he lived to be into his 90s and died of natural causes. James, on the other hand, was the first one to die.

The Acts of the Apostles 12:1 records that Herod had James executed by sword. He is the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament. He is, thus, traditionally believed to be the first of the 12 apostles martyred for his faith. [Acts 12:1-2]
   
Scholars have suggested that James may have brought the execution upon himself because of his fiery temper.[2] However, there is no evidence in the text itself to support this view.

Nonetheless, James fiery passion has inspired different parts of the church of Christ throughout the ages.  According to a Spanish Legend, following James’ death his body was carried by sea to Iberia and taken inland for burial at Santiago de Compostela.

An even later tradition claims that St. James miraculously appeared to fight for the Christian army during the battle of Clavijo, and was from that point on called Matamoros (Moor-slayer). Santiago y cierra España ("St James and strike for Spain") has been the traditional battle cry of Spanish armies. [2]

I don’t think there is anything wrong with zeal and passion for God’s Kingdom, as long as it is in line with the gospel’s concept of grace and justice. Unfortunately, we don’t have any writings by James, the apostle (the epistle of James was written by James, brother of Jesus); however, John demonstrates a good understanding of Godly zeal coupled with grace and justice in his writings . The love of God truly takes a prominent role in these writings; especially in John 3:16 (the most known verse in the bible) and the prayers of Jesus for his disciples in John 17.

John is also the apostle, according to John 19:25-27, that never left Jesus’ side when he was crucified; Jesus then asks John to take care of his mother:

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.   John 19:25-27

We can only speculate why Jesus chose John to take care of his mother; one obvious reason would perhaps be his foreknowledge of John’s long life. Or perhaps, John was indeed especially close to Jesus heart and enjoyed a special trust.  In the Gospel of John, John uses the designation: the “beloved disciple,” and the “disciple Jesus loved,” to refer to himself.

The apostle John spent his last years in Asia Minor, where he traveled from church to church, installing bishops and celebrating services. According to church father Jerome, his sermons became very short in his old age; his constantly repeated words of exhortation at the end of his life were, "Little children, love one another." [3]

The apostle who had started his road to discipleship as a “brother of thunder” had finally mellowed and espoused the ultimate power of Christianity: love.

He had doubtlessly learned from his many years of discipleship that knowledge divides, but love unites.  Or expressed more aptly in the words of St. Paul: “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1Cor 13:13.

John died in Ephesus in the year 100 AD and was buried in Selçuk, a small town in the vicinity of Ephesus. [4]

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[1] Wikipedia, John, the Apostle - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Apostle
[2] Wikipedia, James, son of Zebedee - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James,_son_of_Zebedee
[3] Jerome, "Comm. in ep. ad. Gal.", vi, 10 - http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08492a.htm
[4] Wikipedia, John, the Apostle - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_the_Apostle