The Bible Speaks to our Condition: James the son of Zebedee: One of the “Sons of Thunder” Scripture Reading: Mk 3:17

Introduction The name James is given to three prominent men in the New Testament 2 of the 12 apostles James the brother of Jesus This evening we will look at James the son of Zebedee and brother to the apostle John (Mt 10:2) who is the most mentioned of the three James

Basic Background James worked as a fisherman with his brother John, his father Zebedee, and with Simon Peter Mt 4:21 “Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them,” Lk 5:10 “and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” He would have been a follower of John the Baptist just as the other early disciples He immediately answered the call to follow Christ (Mt 4:18-20)

“Son of Thunder” (Mk 3:17) This nickname given to James gives us a little insight into his personality This would indicate that there was nothing meek or mild about him Whatever he did, he did with a great deal of passion and a desire to win We all have passion in our lives Our career A favorite sports team A hobby A special person The question is, are you passionate about your love for God

A Fiery Temper (Lk 9:51-56) Do you see the “Son of Thunder” in this passage Lk 9:54 “And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Notice Christ’s reply Lk 9:55-56 “ 55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56 For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.” This to me is another example that even though he was selected by Christ to be an apostle, James was not a perfect individual This helps me to feel confident that Christ can use me even though I am not perfect

A Request that Should not have Been Made (Mt 20:20-28; Mk 10:35-44) Mk 10:36 “ 36 And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” Mk 10:37 “ 37 They said to Him, “Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.” Mk 10:38 “ 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” Mk 10:40 “ 40 but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared.” We see here once again the imperfect side of James in seeking something that he never should have requested and Christ once again setting him straight

James Aggressive Personality did not Keep him from being a part of Christ’s Inner Circle One of only three taken in to see the raising of the daughter of Jarius from the dead Mk 5:35-40 “ 35 While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” 36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.” 37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James. 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” 40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. Lk 8:50-51 “ 50 But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” 51 When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl.”

James Aggressive Personality did not Keep him from being a part of Christ’s Inner Circle One of only three taken further than the other disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane to pray with Christ Mk 14:32-34 “ 32 Then they came to a place which was named Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. 34 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch.”

James Aggressive Personality did not Keep him from being a part of Christ’s Inner Circle He was one of only three on the Mt of Transfiguration Mt 17:1-2 “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” Mk 9:2 “ 2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. Lk 9:28 “ 28 Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening.”

The death of James (Acts 12:1-2) Despite his closeness to Christ, James was not destined to live a life of recognition like that of Peter and John His life was ultimately to be a short one James appears to be the first of the apostles to die a martyr’s death Like James, we do not have to live a life of great recognition from the world to follow after Christ and be servants of him at the time of our death

Conclusion James may not have been the most well known of the apostles James may not have been a perfect man James may have had what we would call some personality traits that got him into trouble But James is still someone that Christ could use in his service and serves as an example for us today