“JAMES AND JOHN – SONS OF THUNDER”
SELECTED SCRIPTURES

I. Introduction
I have a question for all you parents who have had two or more children. Are they very much alike or are they very much different? There are some ways in which they are probably very much alike. For example, they share certain physical characteristics, they have lived under the same economic circumstances, they have been the recipients of simi-lar instructions and educations, and they have been raised with the same moral and ethi-cal values. In short, there is much that makes it clear they are siblings.

But any parents who have born and raised multiple children sometimes wonder how their offspring can be so different. How can such vastly different personalities emerge from the same set of parents?

Two of the men Jesus chose to be His apostles were like that. They were the brothers James and John, the sons of Zebedee and Salome. They were very similar in many ways. There seems to have been no passivity in them. They were not quiet, meek, and mild. On the contrary, they were passionate, intolerant, ambitious, and in the case of James, at least, even explosive.

You and I might hesitate to put such men in positions of authority and power, but Jesus did not hesitate. James and John became two of the four apostles whom Jesus placed in His inner circle. He spent the most time, and seemed to pour more of Himself into Peter, Andrew, James, and John than He did with the other eight men He chose to establish His church and carry on His ministry after His return to heaven.

Just as Jesus had given Simon the nickname Peter, the Rock, so too, he gave James and John the nickname “Bŏanĕrgĕs,” (bo-an-erg-es).
Mark 3:16-17
16 And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter),
17 and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”)…

While Jesus gave Simon the nickname Peter to remind him of what he was to be, and what he would eventually become, the Lord gave James and John a nickname that spoke of what they already were. These two brothers were nothing if not zealous and even fiery for God and the things of the Lord. And yet we seldom think of John that way.

We often think of him as a gentle man, a man of love and compassion. And he was. But that came later. God turned John’s passion and zeal and fire into the warmth and genuine love he so beautifully expresses in 1 John. His affection for his brothers and sisters in Christ, whom he repeatedly refers to as “little children” is obvious.
Too often, the world equates such a man with passivity and weakness. But that is as wrong as it can be. I think the reality is that John was much more like his brother James than he was unlike him. It’s just that Jesus took the “thunder” from both of them and channeled it in different directions. Neither one of those two directions was superior to the other. They were just different.
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II. Text
There are many commands in Scripture that tell us how to live our lives, how to relate to this world, how to relate to fellow believers and, in short, how to grow and become mature in Christ. One of those commands is found in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Christians in the church at Ephesus. He is talking about why Jesus has given His church direction and leadership through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The main reason He has done so is that, thus saved, led, and taught, we the church, will become united together and, to use Paul’s words, “grow up” in Christ.
*Ephesians 4:11-15
11 And He (Jesus) gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;
15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ…

Obeying five of the words in v. 15 is a struggle for me. “…speaking the truth in love…” Whether it is due to my own personality, my own flaws, or my own sin, I find obedience to those words a real challenge to consistently obey. “…speaking the truth in love…” For me, that may well be the most difficult command in all of Scripture.

What about you? Some of you are very good at speaking truth, but maybe not so good at loving people. On the other hand, some of you are very good at loving one another, but have a difficult time telling them the truth, especially when comes to things like sin, the reality of a hell to come, and the need for personal repentance.

But you and I are called to do both. Having a zeal for God’s truth and a passionate love for people are not mutually exclusive. In fact, I am convinced that “…speaking the truth in love…” that is to say, balancing an uncompromising zeal for God’s truth and a non-negotiable love for people, is the ultimate goal of the church.
In Jesus’ apostles, the brothers James and John, we can readily see both. Their zeal and passion to follow their Lord and advance His kingdom can be seen in nearly everything we know about the two men.

Throughout the course of their lives, one fairly short and the other very long, they both learned to speak the truth in love. But it seems James tended to lean more heavily on truth. And it seems that, at least later in life, John tended to lean more heavily on love. Was one’s zeal and passion more right or more holy than the other’s? Not in the least.

As we look at two examples from the lives of James and John, ask yourself these two questions: First, is it even possible for us to love God but be willing to compromise His truth? Second, is it even possible to truly love someone but not tell them the truth? Think about those questions as we look into the personalities of these two brothers.

In the first example Jesus was leaving His Galilean ministry and was preparing to go up to Jerusalem. In the process He would travel south through Samaria. The Samaritans were disdained by the Jews because they were thought of as “half-breeds.” These two peoples, Jews and Samaritans, living in very close proximity, just didn’t like each other. As such, most Jews traveling to Jerusalem from the north, would travel far out of their way to avoid going through Samaria. But Jesus chose to go right through the heart of it.
*Luke 9:51-56
51 And it came about, when the days were approaching for (Jesus’) ascen-sion, that He resolutely set His face to go to Jerusalem;
52 and He sent messengers on ahead of Him. And they went, and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make arrangements for Him.
53 And they did not receive Him, because He was journeying with His face toward Jerusalem. (They were angry because Jesus was going to worship in Jerusa-lem, not in their temple on Mt. Gerizim.)
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?”
55 But He turned and rebuked them, [and said, “You do know what kind 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 on to another village.

James and John wanted Jesus to kill the Samaritans right on the spot. In fact, their ques-tion in v. 54 strongly implies that they would be more than happy to “help” Jesus do it. “Do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” Not only is that arrogant, it’s just a little extreme, isn’t it? Yes, but consider where these two intense brothers were coming from. They had just seen their Lord rejected and, in their minds at least, they had also seen Him insulted. They didn’t like it! You and I shouldn’t like it either, should we? So they were wrong. But how wrong were they? Actually, they had their basic doctrine right.
However, it is pretty clear that they weren’t thinking much about the grace and mercy God has for lost sinners. But again, they had scriptural precedents for what they asked.
• First, in 2 Kings 1 the Prophet Elijah called down fire from heaven that consumed King Ahaziah’s soldiers. They had refused to believe that Elijah was a prophet of God and, as such, was entitled to respect. They hadn’t insulted Elijah. They had insulted the God who sent Elijah.

• Second, James and John knew full well that the final outcome for all those who reject Jesus and, in that rejection, insult, or blaspheme the Holy Spirit of God, is to be consumed by the fires of hell.

Remember, that it is the final rejection of the Holy Spirit’s prompting to receive Christ and His salvation that the NT defines as the unforgivable sin. Anything else, any other sin can be forgiven, but God will not forgive the final rejection of His Son.
*Matthew 12:30-32
30 “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
31 “Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32 “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or the age to come.”

James and John would have known this. So the intensity of the brothers came through loud and clear. They probably said something like this. “Lord, they have rejected You and they have insulted You. They deserve to die!” They weren’t wrong. But it wasn’t the Samaritan’s time. So Jesus had to temper James’ and John’s reaction to the Samari-tans by reminding them again why He had come to earth. “…the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” The judgment James and John were looking for will take place at the Second Coming. (Lamb of God vs. Lion of Judah)

But we need to be clear about this. When the Samaritans rejected and insulted Jesus, the two brothers, James and John, were not wrong to defend their Lord’s honor. In fact, they were right to do so. But they did it in a manner that lacked any real sensitivity. You do see the lesson there, don’t you?

When we next see James and John together their intensity has taken on a different look. Now they want to know how much authority they will have in the future, when Jesus takes His throne at the Second Coming. This time their passion shows itself, not in zeal to defend Jesus’ honor, but in personal ambition. They want to share in Jesus’ power.
*Matthew 20:20-23
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Salome) came to (Jesus) with her sons (James and John), bowing down, and making a request of Him.
21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Command that in Your kingdom these two sons of mine may sit, one on your right and one on Your left.”
22 But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you are asking for. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to Him, “We are able.”
23 He said to them, “My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been pre-pared by My Father.”

I find it fascinating that these strong personalities, James and John, had their “mommy” approach Jesus. As self-confident as they were it seems they were hesitant to seek such a thing themselves. Do you think this just might suggest that they knew their request was something less than appropriate?

In the first part of v. 22 Jesus’ answer seems to be directed at Salome. “You do not know what you are asking for.” Her sons are right there and they obviously hear Him. In the next part of v. 22 Jesus questions James and John directly. “Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” Notice that there is no indication that the brothers take even a moment to ponder the question. Like Peter, they “dive right in.” “We are able!”

And just like Peter, when the time came, they couldn’t drink the cup that Jesus was about to drink either. It was too much for them. They were strong and they were committed. They were aggressive and they were ambitious. They were bold and they were arrogant. They were all of those things and more, and they needed to be reigned in.

James and John (and all the apostles) already knew they would be rewarded at the Second Coming. Jesus had already made that promise to them.
*Matthew 19:27-30
27 …Peter…said to (Jesus), “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?”
28 And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters, of father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, shall receive many times as much, and shall inherit eternal life.
30 “But as many as are first will be last; and the last first.

Apparently James and John had listened very carefully to vv. 28-29, but v. 30 must not have made as big an impact on them. Jesus made it clear that the apostles would receive a great reward, but James and John, aggressive and ambitious as they were, wanted what they perceived to be the very best thrones. They wanted to sit right next to Jesus.

But now look again at Matthew 20:23. Even Jesus Himself will not decide who sits on His right and His left. That is the decision of God the Father. So again, Jesus had to reign them in, to teach them. He had to channel their strong personalities in the direction of humility and a willingness to serve rather than to be served. As to where they will sit in the kingdom, God will decide. His decision will be perfect, right, just, and holy.

Do you see any of the personality traits of these two brothers in yourself? Both of the examples we’ve looked at depict men who can be difficult to live with or to befriend. But the fact is that such personalities are often found at the very core of great Christian leaders. Such men may lack sensitivity but they will not compromise doctrine. They will not waver in doing what is right. They will stand for Christ no matter what happens.

People like James and John often struggle with outward expressions of Christian love, but they don’t struggle with truth. Every church needs men and women like that. And don’t forget this. When Jesus chose James and John, He knew exactly what He was getting – “Sons of Thunder.” The Lord would make them two of the three or four most important and prominent leaders of the early church.

Contrary to popular opinion, there is nothing wrong with zeal and righteous indignation when it is done for the right reasons and aimed in the right directions. Jesus Himself showed such righteous indignation at least twice. The first time was in John 2 at the beginning of His ministry when He cleansed the temple of the moneychangers. Then He did so again five days before the crucifixion.
*Matthew 21:12-13
12 And Jesus entered the temple and cast out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who were selling doves.
13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it into a robber’s den.”

Listen, there is always a place in the church for those with fiery personalities. We know that both Elijah and Nehemiah had such temperaments. We also know that John the Baptist never “pulled his punches” when it came to naming and condemning sin.

As Christians we are to be zealous and passionate for the right things. But if we don’t know the Scriptures, we can easily become zealous and passionate for the wrong things.
• Zeal and passion for a religion can be dangerous if it’s a false religion. Think of September 11, the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.

• Zeal and passion for a legalistic lifestyle can send more people away from Jesus than it will ever bring to Him. Think of the countless children raised in the homes of Christian legalists who finally turn their backs on a God whom they only know as cold, hard, bitter, and unforgiving.
• Zeal and passion, even for Jesus, can be thoroughly unbiblical and destructive if it lacks knowledge of the Word and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit. If you aren’t sure about that just think of all the Christian martyrs murdered by the Roman Catholic Church over the centuries. And think of all the Protestant Reformers Rome burned at the stake for the so-called “cause of Christ.”

But with all of that we need to remember that zeal and passion for God and His Word, when guided by the words of the Scriptures and directed by the indwelling Holy Spirit, are wonderful and God-blessed things. The church would not survive without them. So in the end, we should not be at all surprised that Jesus chose two “Sons of Thunder” to establish and to lead the early church.

How did they change over the years of their respective ministries? What became of them? Scripture tells us about James.
Acts 12:1-3a
1 Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, in order to mistreat them.
2 And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.
3a And when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.

So Luke tells us that about fourteen years after Jesus’ ascension to heaven Herod arrested and beheaded the one man whom he understood to be the leader of the church, the Apostle James. Since the Jews were so pleased with that, Herod arrested and imprisoned Peter, whom he apparently thought was “the next in command,” as it were.

Peter escaped from prison but James was taken home to heaven. It wasn’t Peter’s time, but it was James’. The work God had given him was completed and the Lord took him. It has been said, and I believe rightly, that there are really only three reasons Christians die. The Book of Acts gives us examples of all three.
• First, Christians die for the express purpose of glorifying God. There is no greater example than the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 8. He praised God and prayed for his murderers even while he was being stoned to death.

• Second, Christians sometimes die because of the polar opposite of glorifying God. Gross hypocrisy and treating the Lord’s Supper with disdain are scriptural exam-ples. Professing Christians who engage in such things can do untold damage to the testimony of the Lord Jesus and to His church. The best example I know of in Scripture is Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. The two of them both tried to lie to the Holy Spirit while in the presence of God’s people and He took them.

• Third, Christians die because the work God has given them to do is finished. That was certainly the case the John the Baptist. As the last OT prophet he pointed ahead to Jesus. When Jesus came, John’s work was done.
The Apostle James’ work was done at the beginning of Acts 12. God had used him to work with Peter, Andrew, and his brother John to establish the church and set it on solid ground. It was James’ time.

When they were younger, the brothers had brashly said they could drink from the same cup as the Lord. Well, now James had drunk from it. Along with John, they had sought after power and glory for themselves. In this life they found none of that. Instead, James laid down his life for his Lord and Savior and was taken into His glorious presence.

But the Lord had a different plan for James’ younger brother John. While James was the first of the apostles to die, John was the last. In fact, John outlived James by at least fifty years. Furthermore, John was the only one of the twelve who wasn’t martyred, but died of old age. (In his 90’s he was so frail he had to be carried in and out of the church.)

You’ve all seen what happens to people as they age. Some become harder, bitter, and angrier as time goes on, while others become softer, gentler, kinder, and more loving with the passage of time. John’s writings are a vivid testament to the fact that as he got older he also became mellower.

But don’t think for a moment that he ever softened the truth. He most certainly did not do that. His writings of the Gospel of John, the letters of 1, 2, and 3 John, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ, are filled with absolutes. John wrote in a world of black and white truths, not one of multiple shades of gray designed not to offend anyone.

He wrote of the great contrasts between God and eternal things, and the world and tem-poral things. For example, he wrote clearly of life and death, light and darkness, heaven and hell, obedience and disobedience, the children of God and the children of Satan, to name just a few. You don’t read John and wonder where he stands on an issue, or a doc-trine, or a question relating to faith in Christ. John was zealous for truth. But he was also filled with love and compassion.

He lived at least sixty-five years after Jesus chose him to be one of the four men to whom the Lord would become closest. Outside of the Apostle Paul I suspect no one learned better than John just how to speak the truth in love, how to strike that marvelous balance between fiery zeal for God’s truth and a gentle love and compassion for all people, but particularly for those of the household of the faith.

John is a great example for us as to how we should strive to live our lives before God and man. He learned how to do what is so difficult for so many of us, “…speaking the truth in love…” In John Mac Arthur’s book “Twelve Ordinary Men,” he says this:
“John was always committed to the truth, and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but it is not enough. Zeal for the truth must be balanced by love for people. Truth without love has no decency; it’s just brutality. On the other hand, love without truth has no character; it’s just hypocrisy.”
III. Conclusion
God has made you the person you are. He has given you strengths and weaknesses, talents and abilities, and since you became a Christian, He has given you spiritual gifts that are to be used for His glory in the building and edification of His church.

Beyond all of that God has given you a unique personality. You may be an introvert or an extrovert. You may be a leader or a follower. You may be a better starter or you may be a better finisher. What really matters is not so much what you are like or what traits seem to be most prevalent in your life. What really matters is that God chose you to be one of His own. And He makes no mistakes. And He can provide you with whatever you lack so that you will be able to serve Him better. Just look at what He did with the twelve apostles.

So take this with you this morning. If you struggle with finding the right balance in “speaking the truth in love,” remember James and John.

James wanted power and authority. But God humbled him and used him to build and lead the first church. John was so focused on truth he had no sense of compassion for people. But God taught John how to love others. He learned that as well as anyone ever could, but he never lost his zeal for the truth.

It is my prayer for all of us today that God would pour out His Spirit on this church and give each of us what we need to be truly effective for Him. Where we lack zeal for the truth, I pray that He would give it to us. Where we lack love and compassion for the lost and for each other, I pray that He would bless us with that.

And where we don’t think we can change, I pray that we remember James and John and what God did with them.

~ Pray ~