Sons of Thunder

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were two of the earliest followers of Jesus. With their father, these two fishermen were hard at work when Jesus called:

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. (Matthew 4:21)

They promptly left their work and their father to follow Jesus.

Such a demonstration of faith and confidence in Jesus is commendable. The strength of their commitment carried them through three years of discipleship with Jesus. With Jesus they had no permanent place to live (Matthew 8:20). At Jesus' command they went forth to preach without an extra coat, with no packed food and no money (Mark 6:8). With Jesus they spent a troubling and exhausting evening in a little park called Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37). They experienced the heartbreak of the cross and the joy of the resurrection. James's powerful faith led him to his death (Acts 12:2)--the first martyred apostle. John spent a long, but hard, service in God's vineyard (Revelation 1:9).

Early in the ministry, Jesus named these two stalwarts Boanerges, "the Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17). Why would Jesus name them that? What did it mean? Passionate, powerful, zealous, even threatening: all of these described these two sons of Zebedee.

Such characteristics can be a great asset when one must go through the difficult troubles that James and John endured. No doubt they needed such strength in their difficult task of teaching the lost in a hostile world.

Perhaps unyielding zeal for the Lord made James the first target when Herod determined to squash the growing Christian faith in Jerusalem:

Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. (Acts 12:1-2)

Perhaps a strong, burning love for Christ made John the ideal apostle to remain--apparently--the longest on the earth. As the "age of apostles" approached its end, he continued to boldly proclaim the reality of Jesus:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life. . . . (1 John 1:1)

Even very old (3 John 1), John could deliver an ominous warning to the overbearing Diotrephes:

Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does. . . . (3 John 10)

In every age, everyone is needed to press the battle against the ancient enemy, the Sons of Thunder included. Today, as much as ever, we need thunderous voices proclaiming God's word without hesitation and without compromise.

Distant rumbles warn that a bad storm is coming; the bold proclamations of James and John warned of the coming judgment of God. Thunder gets our attention, and James and John shook the world with a voice that echoes still today.

But there can be a down side to this temperament. Maybe Jesus gave them this name to warn them about themselves. After all, a storm can do a lot of harm.

Just as the thunders try to outdo each other, becoming louder and louder as the storm approaches, the Sons of Thunder can get into a similar match, striving to stand-out farther and farther than all the others. When this happens they lose their sense of purpose, and faithful service turns into a carnal struggle for preeminence. And they, "comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." (2 Corinthians 10:12)

The Sons of Thunder are somewhat susceptible to contests. They can lose their focus on truth, and focus instead on who is the most faithful, who is the greatest:

Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping [Jesus]. . . . She saith unto him, Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom. But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. . . But Jesus called [the disciples] unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. . . . (Matthew 20:20-27)

Servitude is the biggest mark of greatness in the kingdom of God. The Sons of Thunder may be apt to forget this.

Also the Sons of Thunder, in their sincere zeal for the Lord, can lose sight of the compassion that brought Jesus to the world in the first place.

But [the Samaritans] did not receive [Jesus], because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 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?"

But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village. (Luke 9:53-56)

In their wonderful zeal to defend the dignity of Christ they forgot their purpose. In their anger, they forgot patience and mercy. The Sons of Thunder need self-restraint: the storm must not turn into a ruinous tornado.

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ. . . . (Ephesians 4:15)

The Sons of Thunder have a strong zeal, much needed, to preach the truth, and that boldly. But they must never forget the indescribable grace of God, compassion for their fellow men and humility in the service of God.