In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:
What happens when a bolt of lightning instantly heats the air around it to about 30,000 °C? And what happens when that super-heated air instantly expands and contracts as it cools? The rapid expansion and contraction generates sound waves, making a loud noise that is commonly known as “thunder.”
The scientific explanation for thunder seems harmless enough, but tell that to the frightened dog hiding under the bed or the scared toddler seeking refuge in his mother’s arms. Contrary to what we have been led to believe, thunder is not just the angels in heaven bowling or God rearranging the furniture. Thunder is loud. Thunder is violent. And sometimes thunder can be downright scary.
And so it was probably not meant as a compliment when Jesus
gave James and his brother John the name “Boanerges,” which means “Sons of
Thunder” (Mark
But that didn’t stop Jesus. That didn’t stop Jesus from calling James to be one of his disciples. And with a little help from the Holy Spirit James transformed a character flaw into a quality. The Lord redirected the zeal of James to serve his purposes. The Lord rechanneled the fire of James to advance his kingdom. And as we review the life and death of this sainted apostle we will be led to accept this divine paradox…
A SON OF THUNDER MAKES A BEAUTIFUL NOISE
James was part of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples along with
Peter and John. They had seen Jesus
raise the daughter of Jairus from the dead.
They had witnessed his glory on the mount of transfiguration. They had been taken to pray with him in the
But at least for James this special status didn’t translate into increased coverage in the gospels. The gospel of John makes no mention of James at all. The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) record two conversations between James and Jesus, but even then he is paired with his brother John. And neither of these accounts is very flattering.
The first episode is recorded in Luke 9:51-56: “As the time approached for him to be taken
up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for
When the disciples James
and John saw this, they asked, ‘Lord, do you want us to call fire down from
heaven to destroy them?’ But
Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village.”
This account reveals a lot about James, and it isn’t all bad. James and John were zealous, and sometimes zeal can be a good thing. The brothers were quick to defend the honor of Jesus and deal decisively with anyone who disrespected Jesus. There was no doubt that they loved the Lord, and they were eager to show their fierce allegiance to him.
But too much zeal, or misguided zeal, can be a bad
thing. Jesus rebuked James and John for
wanting to destroy the inhospitable Samaritans.
Jesus needed to remind James and John that the reason he had come into
the world and into
The
second conversation between Jesus and James is recorded in Mark 10, the gospel
lesson for today: “Then James and John,
the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do for
us whatever we ask.’ ‘What do you want
me to do for you?’ he asked. They
replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your
glory.’
‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus
said. ‘Can you drink the cup I drink or
be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?’ ‘We can,’ they answered. Jesus said to them, ‘You will drink the cup I
drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, but to sit at my right or left is not
for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they
have been prepared’” (35-40).
I used to think that I knew what was behind this request of James and John. I could even picture it in my mind. When no one else was around the two brothers took Jesus aside and asked him for the prime positions at his side in heaven. I had determined that their motives were entirely self serving, and I was prepared to condemn them for their actions.
But upon further reflection maybe their motives were not so impure. Maybe they weren’t being so selfish after all. Maybe their request was another example of their Christ-centered zeal. They loved Jesus. They wanted to be with Jesus. And they could think of no greater blessing than to be right next to him in his glory.
Even if they had the best of intentions, James and John still had a lot to learn. And the Lord seized this opportunity to teach all of the disciples an important spiritual lesson. He wanted them to understand that in God’s kingdom greatness comes through service. And Jesus would have to give up his life on the cross before any of them could think about wearing the crown.
Even though it didn’t always come out in exactly the right way, I cannot criticize James for his undying devotion. And neither did Jesus. He didn’t rebuke James for being disappointed when others turned a cold shoulder to Jesus. He didn’t find fault with James for wanting to be as close to his Savior as possible. Christ-centered zeal is by definition a good and godly zeal.
But I can’t help but wonder how James would be received by
people, even by many Christians, if he were here today. Would people be quick to dismiss James as some
kind of Jesus freak? Would they put him
in the same category as that guy who preaches with the megaphone outside
We are so blessed to know that Jesus is our Savior from sin. We have the good news. Week in and week out we hear the good news. So how does the devil attack our faith? How does he come after people like us who already know that he has been defeated? By trying to convince us that the good news is old news. He wants us to become apathetic because he knows that apathy leads to unbelief, and unbelief on earth leads to eternal death in hell.
There is a cure for apathy. And even though it came at a tremendous price, it costs us absolutely nothing. The cross is God’s antidote for this sin and every other sin. Jesus died for those times when we try to do too much and when we don’t do enough, when we say the wrong thing and when we fail to say anything. Jesus’ undeserved love has set us free. Jesus’ unconditional love motivates us to serve. And Jesus’ perfect love molded the Christ-centered devotion of James into a Christ-like zeal.
The only other mention of James is in Acts 12. Luke reports that King Herod Agrippa arrested a number of Christians because he intended to persecute them. And this persecution produced at least one execution when Herod had James put to death with the sword (12:3), making him the first of the twelve disciples to die a martyr’s death.
Some people will be forever remembered in history for their last words. When he was sentenced to death by hanging for treason the American patriot Nathan Hale uttered the famous words: “I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Shortly before he was burned at the stake, the reformer John Hus accepted his fate with the words: “What I have taught with my lips, I seal with my blood.”
In the Bible we think of the seventh and final word Jesus
spoke from the cross: “Father, into your
hands I commit my spirit” (Luke
There are no famous last words attributed to James. His death is summarized in a single verse. We don’t know what he said, but we don’t have to because his silence speaks volumes.
We could even say that by the manner of his death this Son of Thunder made a most beautiful noise.
James was an eager disciple and apostle of Jesus. His zeal for the Lord never wavered, and his desire to be with the Lord was rewarded. Maybe it happened sooner than he had anticipated, maybe it didn’t happened exactly the way he had planned, but in the end James got his wish. And now, today, and forever he is sitting at his Savior’s side in heaven.
This account reminds me of a former classmate of mine by the name of Jason Brucker. Jason was the kind of guy you couldn’t miss. He was outgoing (he played the king in our college production of “The King and I”). And it didn’t hurt that he was 6”5’ and had bright orange hair.
Even though Jason still had two years to go at the Seminary it was almost a foregone conclusion that he was going to be a great pastor. And then it happened. On his way home from a preaching assignment just weeks before his vicar year was supposed to begin, Jason was killed in a tragic car accident.
And some people (myself included) began asking the obvious questions: Why? Why did it happen? There were so many sermons to be preached. There were so many souls to be reached. But in an instant Jason’s life was over. Why did God take him before his time?
Maybe some people in
Perhaps the Lord used the death of James to strengthen others in their faith. Perhaps the Lord used his example to inspire others to carry on his work. The truth is that we don’t know. We don’t know why God allows certain events to happen. I don’t know why Jason Brucker died before he became a pastor. But you and I both know where James and Jason are now. Because of Jesus you and I both know where we are going when we die. And we know what God wants us to be doing on this earth while we are still living.
So let’s do it. Let us follow in the footsteps of our sainted brother James. Filled with the same Christ-centered zeal for God and God’s Word, filled with the same Christ-like zeal to save and serve souls, let us strive to glorify God in everything we say and do. Amen.