James - The Son of Thunder

James and John, fishermen and two of Jesus’ disciples, were brothers and possibly cousins of Jesus. Their mother, Salome, was the sister of Mary, Jesus’ mother. Jesus called James and his brother, John, “Boanerges” which meant the “Sons of Thunder” – possibly because of their bold and aggressive personalities.

At one point in his journey with Jesus, James and his brother, John, asked Jesus if they might sit, one on His left side and one on His right side, in His future glory. Jesus rebuffed them and asked if they were ready to drink the cup from which He was going to drink. Furthermore, He said, this was an honor that was not His to grant.

James was one of the three disciples who were chosen among the others to witness the raising of Jairus’ daughter, Jesus’ transfiguration, and His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. After Jesus’ ascension, he was firmly entrenched in the leadership of the early church in Jerusalem – so much so that Herod Agrippa put him to death at the age of 48 – 14 years after Jesus’ ascension. His death, the first of the apostles and the only one mentioned in the New Testament, was possibly the incentive that caused the apostles to leave Jerusalem and go to the outer parts of the then known world.

Herod had lived as a faithful Jew who tolerated the Christians at the beginning of his reign. However, his popularity with the Jews led him to lay violent hands on those who were Christians. He also thought that James had led the city of Jerusalem astray. And, according to Jewish custom, execution (beheading) with the sword was punishment for apostasy (Deuteronomy 13:6-18).

Although his life was relatively short, James turned his life around into a powerful instrument God could use. His life is a lesson that, whatever our gifts and personalities may be, when we dedicate them to God’s service, we can accomplish great things for His glory.