Sermon - Midweek Lent 2 - James and John

Tonight we continue our examination of the 12 Apostles of Jesus.  Last week we saw a pair of brothers, Peter and Andrew.  Peter, the chief of the Apostles, but by no means an angel himself.  His ups and downs mirror our own, he shows us the sin of even the greatest among us, but also the grace of God in the Christ who restored him.  And Andrew, the first of the apostles, a follower of John the Baptist who brought his better-known brother to Jesus.  He reminds us that not everyone is a leader, and that the supporting role has honor in the kingdom of God, too.  And both of them, by their life and death, remind us that all Christians bear our crosses, and follow Jesus with his cross. 

Now, tonight, on to another set of brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee.  They were fishermen, too, like Peter and Andrew.  And like those others, left behind their nets to become fishers of men.   

James and John, along with Peter, were the inner circle of the inner circle.  They were blessed to have front row seats at the Transfiguration.  They alone, went with Jesus into the house when he raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead.  And these three Jesus took with him, to be a little closer, as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on Holy Thursday evening. 

They were the sons of Zebedee, mentioned by name, and yet their mother also came to the fore in a certain event in which she asked Jesus a favor for her sons – no small thing – to sit on his right and left hand when he entered his kingdom.  She wanted earthly honor for her sons.  Maybe they even put her up to it. 

And so we see that James and John do not always act so honorably.  In another event, which we heard tonight, they wanted Jesus’ permission to call down fire on a Samaritan village that refused to welcome Jesus.  Maybe they had in mind Sodom and Gomorrah.  Maybe they were a little too impressed with the authority Jesus gave them to heal the sick and cast out demons.  Now they wanted to be agents of his wrath, and well, if it’s Samaritans on the receiving end, all the better. 

But Luke tells us Jesus rebuked them.  Rather than dishing out the judgment, they found themselves on the receiving end of Jesus’ disapproval.  We should not be so quick to judge, so quick to punish, and we must remember that “Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.” 

In fact, many scholars speculate that it was this incident which prompted Jesus to give them a nickname. “Boanerges” he called them, “Sons of Thunder.”  Sounds kind of cool, like an action movie.  But probably a gentle reminder to keep their bold, zealous, and sometimes impetuous nature in check. 

James is sometimes called Saint James the Greater to contrast with James the son of Alphaeus (whom we will see later in this series) 

James was the first apostle to be martyred – put to death by the sword (by Herod Agrippa).  While there is ancient tradition from the writings of the early Christians about how all 12 apostles died, James is the only one whose martyrdom is told in Scripture:  Acts 12:1-2.  Acts mentions this almost as a passing reference as part of the account of Peter’s arrest and escape from prison. 

And then in contrast, John, probably the youngest of the 12, was also the last to die and the only one not to die by martyrdom. 

Among the 12, besides Peter, we are perhaps most familiar with John. He is, of course, one of the four Evangelists, author of the Gospel of John.  And that book, of the four Gospels, offers a distinctly different perspective than Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 

In his Gospel, John refers to himself, not by name, but as “the disciple whom Jesus loved”  He is therefore known as the "Beloved Disciple," the "Apostle of Love".  And love is a theme throughout his epistles, too.  We read in 1 John 4 that “God is love.” 

And he also was blessed to receive the vision that he wrote down, which we know as the book of Revelation.  He was in prison on the island of Patmos when it happened, showing that even though he wasn’t martyred, he did suffer persecution from enemies of the Gospel.  What comfort Christians have received from this great vision – in which we see the throne room of God in heaven, the victory of God’s people through all manner of plagues, persecution, and against all evil foes.  Revelation shows us beautiful pictures of the future glory of God’s people, cleansed of sin and robed in white, with paradise restored, and God himself wiping all tears from our eyes. 

And we should also mention that John was the only one of the 12 to stay with Jesus to the end, standing at the foot of the cross.  There he was entrusted with the care of Jesus' mother, Mary:  woman, behold your son, son, behold your mother.  May we also stay ever close to Jesus and his cross.  

So what do we learn from all this?  What do James and John, the Sons of Thunder, teach us by their life, their witness, and even their death? 

For one thing, we can see in their lives the contrast between ambition and service.  They sought high places in Jesus' kingdom (Mark 10:35-45), but Jesus taught them that true greatness comes through service, a lesson they eventually embraced – James unto death and John unto persecution.  When they had asked for their thrones at his right and left hand, the keynote of that passage, the nugget of truth Jesus speaks is this, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

True enough.  If even Jesus himself, who had (by rights) the highest throne, comes to serve, comes to lay down his life as a ransom for many, comes to wash feet and receive the little ones.  Thanks be to God.  May we not only receive his service, but also emulate it, as James and John would learn to do. 

Likewise, we can see in James and John a movement, a maturation, a manner of growth in faith.  You might say they go from Thunder to Love: Their fiery spirit matured into deep, tempered love, with John's writings emphasizing this theme. 

For Jesus has done the same for us, or to us.  While we, by our sins, along with James and John, deserve the rebuke of our Lord.  While we, along with James and John, along with the Samaritan village and all sinners, deserve the judgment of God, even the fire and brimstone of heaven.  Yet Christ has forgiven us.  Christ has died for us.  Christ has loved us.   

He bore the wrath of God in our place.  He became a son of thunder in a different sense, as God’s own righteous wrath was poured on him.   

You are the beloved disciple, in Jesus Christ.  May you be faithful unto death, and receive with James and John, and all believers, the crown of life. 

Thanks be to God for James and John, for their faith, for their life, for their witness.  In Jesus’ Name.