For some reason, I have struggled with putting together the post for James even more than with Judas. Maybe it's because I can relate to him in more ways than with the other disciples. Then again, James comes with so much to say.
To begin with, like me, he is the eldest sibling. James is always mentioned with his brother, but he is listed first.
Therefore, we can assume he is the oldest of the two. James was the son
of Zebedee and Salome. Perhaps he was the more responsible one, or sensible one as he stayed behind with the family business
when his younger brother went with Andrew to hear John the Baptizer's
teachings. After all, they had much to supervise as they had hired workers in both Bethsaida and
Capernaum, as well as being in business with Andrew and Simon Peter. (Luke 5,
Mark 1, Matthew 4)
It is important to note that though he stayed back initially, when Jesus appeared in the middle of a workday calling the brothers to follow Him, James joined his brother. He left the work behind and chose to follow this new teacher. (Mark 1, Luke 5)
And speaking of James and his brother John, they are known as the Sons of Thunder. Some translations called the brothers, Boanerges or Benay-Regah, rather than Sons of Thunder. The Greek transliteration is sons of loud shouts or commotion, as in easily angered. But the TPT says it can also mean passionate, while CSB says it can be a fiery and destructive zeal. When I hear the word thunder I think of rumbling in the skies above as a storm rolls in. Not like lightening which instantaneously appears as it strikes an object then just as quickly disappears.
I have an experience that possibly resembles a Sons of Thunder moment. It was during a choir trip to Romania. After the Sunday service our group was surrounded by hands waving in the air in all directions. Shaking and pointing accented the powerfully raised voices as we stood silently observing. I just knew a fight would break out at any moment. My only comfort came from knowing I was among people who loved each other. All they wanted was to share a meal with us.
In any case, trying to picture Sons of Thunder leaves me with several options. One, they grumbled and mumbled about a lesson they heard, maybe between themselves or with others. Or, two, like the believers mentioned above, they discussed loudly, so that everyone in the crowd could hear them. People would know they were coming before they turned the corner. Or was it because they offered to command fire to destroy a village that refused to host Jesus. (Luke 9) In any case, we can say James spoke his mind.
Just as Jesus accepted Matthew in spite of his past, Jesus tolerated these outbursts of James and his brother. I sometimes speak louder than perhaps a situation calls for - though not as loud as the experience mentioned above. I get that from my biological family whom I've been told argued on the loud side. So in some ways I can relate to the Sons of Thunder title.
Can you relate to any of this so far? Let's look at more.
James was not just part of the inner twelve, he was included in the closest three students of Jesus. As such he was taken up on a mountaintop in Luke 9, Matthew 17, and Mark 9. It was there that he witnessed not only a transformation of Jesus, but also the appearance of Elijah and Moses, and heard the voice of God the Father. WOW.
Three interesting things happened on that mountain. One he fell asleep when they first stopped there so he didn't get to see everything that happened. (Luke 9) Two, when he heard the voice of God the Father he fell to the ground face first. (Matthew 17) And he didn't get up until Jesus assured him it was safe. And three, he was trusted to keep a secret until it was the right time to share the occurrence.
But then there's the time when shortly after hearing Jesus was going to face trauma and death, James and his brother had the guts - maybe audacity - to ask Jesus to seat them at his sides in heaven. (Mark 10) Whichever reason it was, James knew Jesus well enough to have the freedom to ask anything. The answer he received was a gentle rebuke resulting in the promise of a tough road before reaching heaven.
I love this aspect. We also have the freedom to ask Jesus anything. Jesus will always answer us truthfully. It may not be the answer we are looking for, but He will speak what needs to be said.
After the episode of falling asleep on the mountaintop, James has another experience of an inability to remain awake while Jesus prayed for a long time (Matthew 26). Following the request to keep watch, James falls asleep. (He did stay awake long enough to hear some of what Jesus lifted in prayer. It is after all recorded in Mark and Matthew.) I can so relate to this. Staying focused as another person does the praying can be challenging at times. I get it.
When we look at his life as a follower of Jesus and all the things he witnessed, he had all that a believer could want. From the outside one would think he was going places... that nothing could stop him because he had the favor of God upon him. But, even when man thinks God's favor will make someone unstoppable, it may not turn out that way. James did preach in Jerusalem and Judea. But, before he could get very far, he was cut off relatively early around AD44. Acts 12 tells us he was struck down by Herod's sword.
I've mentioned how I can relate to James. Did you see anything in James that you can relate to?
There are many passages in which James is mentioned or part of the story: Matthew 4, 10, 17, 26; Mark 1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 14; Luke 5, 6, 8, 9; John 21; Acts 1, 12.
No comments:
Post a Comment