The Sons of Thunder

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The Sons of Thunder

 

Jesus appointed twelve men to be His closest allies. He called the twelve apostles.

Mark 3: 14 - 19

 

A lot of times when we talk about the apostles, we focus on Peter and Paul. There are many things we can learn from their lives, but we also can learn from the examples of the other apostles as well.

Today I would like to direct your attention to two brothers, James and John who were sons of a man named Zebedee. James and John were two of the early disciples called by Jesus. Andrew and Peter, another set of brothers had previously met Jesus shortly after he was baptized by John.

John 1:35-42

This same Peter had a fishing business and was partners with Zebedee and his sons. It was probably from Peter that James and John learn of Jesus. Jesus had journeyed to their region and taught from Peter’s boat.

Luke 5:1-11

 

When Jesus told them to follow Him, they immediately dropped everything and left their family and business behind.

Mark 1:16-20

Peter, James and John were Jesus’ closest companions. When the daughter of a synagogue official was raised from the dead, only Peter, James and John accompanied Jesus and witnessed the miracle.

Mark 5:35-37

When Jesus was transfigured, the ones accompanying him were Peter, James and John.

Matthew 17:1-2

In his deep grief, just before his death, it was Peter, James and John who accompanied Jesus in the garden.

Matthew 26:36-38

In the gospel of John, John never names himself, but simply refers to himself as the one whom Jesus loved

When the disciples were eager to know who would betray the Lord, they got John to actually ask the question.

John 13:21-26
 

 

It was to John that Jesus gave the care of his mother, which is interesting as Jesus’ brothers were still living.

John 19:25-27

It was John, who ran with Peter to see the empty tomb.

John 20:1-10

So why did Jesus call them “sons of thunder”? The Bible never fully explains this interesting nickname, but we can see the cause of it in the lives of these two men

They were quick to protect Jesus, though their zeal was misplaced.

Mark 9:38-40

When Jesus was rejected by the Samaritans because he was traveling to Jerusalem, James and John wanted to avenge the insult.

Luke 9:51-56

They had great zeal, but, like the Jewish people as a whole, it was not founded in knowledge.

Romans 10:1-3
 

They, and their family, wanted to be great in Jesus’s kingdom. Matthew 20:20-28

We often think how pushy their mother was, but notice that they were willing to suffer for Christ and He told them that it would be so.

It was Peter and John who were arrested and threatened.

Acts 4:13-21

James was the first apostle to die for the faith.

Acts 12:1-2

It was probably the son of thunder part of him that stood out, making him an easy target.

Notice that their lack of knowledge was corrected and their zeal was put to useful work for the Lord.
 

 

John was the last of the apostles to die. He was the only one of the apostles to die a natural death. Early Christian writers state that he lived over 94 years. Human tradition states that Emperor Domitian had him brought to the Coliseum in Rome to be executed by dunking him in boiling oil. When he was dunked into the boiling oil, nothing happened to him at all, and every person in the Coliseum was supposedly converted after witnessing this miracle.

Domitian then had him exiled to Patmos. It was late in his life, while exiled on this penal island, that John wrote Revelation. Revelation 1:9-11

Isn’t it ironic that the son of thunder heard the booming voice of God? We can see that John never lost his zeal or his strength.

He uses strong words in his writing.

He calls people a liar without mincing words.

I John 1:6; 2:4

He calls them murderer, pulling no punches.

I John 3:15
 

 

He gives strong warnings in his writing.

II John 1: 7-11

He delivers strong reprimands in his writing.

III John 1:  9-11

As Christians, we need to imitate those who are good.

God’s people are to be volunteers. We are to give freely of our time, money, and efforts.

Psalms 110:3

Like John, we need to love our God with our whole being, with all our heart, soul, and mind.
Matthew 22:37

 

It is only through complete devotion that we can find God.

Jeremiah 29: 12 - 13
 

We seek God in obedience.

Psalm 119: 1 - 3

 

Like John, we need to be zealous to do good.

Titus 2: 11 - 14

 

Like James and John, we need the courage to stand boldly for our Lord.

Romans 10: 8 - 11

 

There is a lot we can learn from studying the lives and work of James and John, the sons of thunder.