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. 

Sermon - Midweek Lent 1 - Simon Peter and Andrew

Today we begin a midweek Lenten sermon series focusing on the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ.  Now, we have 5 midweek Wednesdays, and together with Holy Thursday, that gives us 6 weeks to cover the 12, two on each occasion.  We will pair them up as naturally as possible, beginning with Peter and his brother Andrew this evening. 

We will briefly touch on each disciple, but then move on to how the lives of the 12 draw us closer to Christ and his passion, his work for us, and especially his suffering and death.   

So let’s get to it.  

Even though Andrew holds the distinction of being the first of the apostles... we will come back to him.   

Peter, the chief Apostle, is always mentioned first when they are listed by the Evangelists. And of course most of us probably know Peter the best, of all the 12.  In fact, I had a hard time deciding which passage to read for tonight’s service to exemplify Peter.  There are so many to choose from. 

Peter denies Jesus, three times, but then is restored by the risen Jesus, and charged, “Feed my sheep.”  Peter always seems the first to speak up, blurting out, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to also walk on the water”  “Lord, if you wish, I can build 3 tents – one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.”  “Even if all these fall away, Lord, I will never fall away!” 

He has his highs and lows. He walks on water, then sinks. He confesses Jesus as Christ, then tries to talk Jesus out of going to the cross and is told, “Get behind me Satan”.  

He really comes into his own in the book of Acts, especially with his great Day of Pentecost sermon. Is instructed by God to leave behind Jewish Law (the vision of the sheet coming down with unclean animals) but later had to be corrected by St. Paul when he hypocritically withdrew from eating with Gentiles (Galatians 2:11- 14).  

Peter shows us that even the “greatest” and “first” among Jesus’s apostles is a sinful man in need of periodic correction and restoration. He is first to speak, first to draw the sword and hack away, first to step out of the boat. His sometimes rash initiative and bold speech gets him into trouble, but God uses it for his own purposes and the blessing of many. Though Peter, with his denial, has a very shameful and embarrassing fall, Christ lovingly and gently restores him.  And we can expect no less from our Lord. 

Andrew, by contrast, seems overshadowed by his more prominent brother. He is even left out of the “big three” of Peter, James, and John, Andrew may seem to get short shrift. Why did he miss the Transfiguration, for instance? Surely even he must have wondered. 

While he does bear the distinction as being the first to follow Jesus, and even faithfully followed John the Baptist before that, Andrew certainly appears as more of a follower than a leader. In an age (especially in the church) when “leadership” is all the rage, let Adrew stand for us a godly example that having one’s name in the headlines and being the first and loudest is not always necessary or proper.  

One thing we will learn again from examining the 12 apostles, all from various walks of life, all with different personalities and concerns, is that God uses all sorts of people in his kingdom, even in the Holy Ministry. Not every pastor is a top notch preacher.  Not every pastor is a scholar or professor.  Not all are as likeable or gregarious.  Some are extroverts, and some are introverts.  But God has a place for many different skillsets and individuals in his kingdom.  Not all have to be first and greatest and most well known.  There is honor in the faithful, though less famous brother.  

Perhaps it’s also worth mentioning that at least two sets of disciples (and maybe 3!) were brothers.  We have Peter and Andrew, next week James and John.  And then some suggest Jude and James the Son of Alphaeus were also brothers.  Jesus certainly knew what he was doing, and had his reasons to call some sets of brothers as his apostles.  It may lead us to reflect. 

So often we share our faith in Christ with our family members, and this is a great blessing.   For so many of us, it is our parents who first teach us the word of God.  It is with our brothers and sisters that we sit in church, and kneel at the altar.  It is in the crucible of the family that we practice our righteousness on a day to day basis, sharing house and home with our nearest neighbors.   

And so, for many Christians, we attend church together with our families.  And Messiah is no different.  Thanks be to God for the families that have raised their children in our midst, and taught them by word and example, and by faithfully bringing them to Jesus, teaching them what is most important and needful in life.  

But even if you are a family of one. If you never even had brothers or sisters.  Note this.  The bonds of faith also bring us into a family that transcends blood ties.  We are brothers and sisters in Christ.  This isn’t just a nice sentimental way of referring to fellow Christians.  It confesses a deep reality about the unity we have in the Spirit, the closeness we have with our fellow believers.  It’s like Jesus himself said, “who is my mother, and who are my brothers? Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”  

And finally, I want to try and steer away, in this series about the 12 apostles, from leaning too heavily on the traditions about them that have come down through the ages.  Let’s rather stick close to what Scripture says about them, for in most cases there’s more than enough there to think about. 

But in this case, we might dip just a bit into tradition, which suggest that Andrew was martyred by crucifixion on an x-shaped cross.  It’s been used in much of Christian symbolism and heraldry, and famously on the flag of Scotland, as well as many other nations. 

And then tradition also tells us that Peter died on a cross, though upside-down.  John’s gospel hints at this, when Jesus mentions to Peter,  “when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.)” 

So we have it on some authority that both Peter and Andrew died as martyrs, each having their own cross.  So the church remembers them also today. So they stand for us, also, as examples of faithfulness.  So they show us the way of true Christians. 

For they lived under the cross of Jesus.  And they followed him, carrying their own crosses, and in the end, it seems, even literally so. To live is Christ and to die is gain, so also for these faithful brothers. 

We too, are called to follow Jesus.  We, too, are to take up our crosses.  We, too, have our ups and downs, our moments in which faith shines, and those in which we falter.  Some of us are better known, leaders, speakers.  Others are followers, helpers, more behind the scenes.  But what unites us, yes, and even makes us brothers, is faith in our dear Lord Jesus.   

May we follow their examples of faith, even as we follow Jesus, who carried his cross for us, who calls us, and who makes us his brothers and sisters by faith.