James & John – the Sons of Thunder
“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot,
who betrayed him.” -Mark 3:13-19
Transformed. Meeting Jesus changed them. It still does. This week we study the brothers, James and John, as we continue our sermon series exploring the people Jesus encountered in his ministry. James and John were in Jesus’ “inner circle.” James, John, and Peter are frequently mentioned together as the only apostles to witness some of Jesus’ miracles: the raising of a young girl from the dead (Mark 5). Jesus took James, John and Peter up a mountain, where they saw Jesus’ transfiguration (Matthew 17:1–9). James and his brother, John, were given a nickname by Jesus, who called the two “Boanerges,” which means “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). This name gives us a clue to the brothers’ personalities. They were characterized by zeal, passion, and ambition.
James and John asked Jesus to let them sit on either side of Him in His kingdom (Mark 10:37-45), and Jesus told them that wasn’t a request He could grant. Then He prophesied about their future—James and John would suffer persecution just as He would. Jesus handled the brothers’ audacious request graciously, turning it into a lesson in humility for all the disciples. The other ten disciples weren’t very happy with the brothers because of their brazenness—and probably because they wanted those positions of honor in the kingdom for themselves.
The apostles James and John show us that Jesus knows our nature: He identified them as “sons of thunder” right away. Jesus patiently works with us to conform us to His will. We also learn from James and John that courage in our service to Christ is a valuable asset in spreading the gospel. At the same time, boldness should not be allowed to descend into brashness. Our zeal must be tempered with grace, and impetuosity must be curtailed by a steady commitment to the will of God.
Are we ON FIRE for Jesus? Are we so committed to Christ that we want to be his “right hand”? Or are we so weary and worn that we don’t see the work of God among us?
O God our eternal Father, we praise thee for gifts of mind with which thou hast endowed us. We are able to rise out of the half-realities of the sense world to a world of ideal beauty and eternal truth. Forgive us for loving others half-heartedly. Teach us, we pray Thee, how to use this great gift of reason and imagination so that it shall not be a curse but a blessing. Grant us visions that lift us from worldliness and sin into the light of thine own holy presence. In Jesus Christ we pray, Amen. (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)
