2024_11_04 Insight Post- Kim Feld
This week’s reading- Mark 1:16-19, Mark 6:35-43, Mark 3:17, Luke 9:51-56, Matthew 17:1-14, Matthew 20:30-38, Mark 10:35-45, Matthew 26:36-46, Acts 12:1-3
In our reading, we have previously discussed John, one of the brothers Jesus nicknamed “Sons of Thunder.” James is the other brother, sometimes called James the Greater, because two men named James were included in the original disciples, and James was the older of the two. James was part of Jesus’ inner circle (James, John, and Peter), even as scripture shows us his fiery personality (see Luke 9:54) and ambition (see Mark 10:37). James is also believed to be the first of the original 12 who was martyred (See Acts 12:2).
James was a fisherman by trade who left everything behind to follow Jesus. He was close to Jesus and witnessed miracles that only the inner circle saw. I have often wondered what about Peter, James, and John (sometimes Andrew was included) caused Jesus to gravitate toward them and invest deeply in them. All that we are is laid bare before Jesus, so He saw the full picture of who these men were—the good, the bad, and everything in between.
Because James was the first arrested and murdered by Herod Agrippa, I imagine he was an outspoken leader in the early church. It is believed that his murder happened approximately 10 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection. Peter and John went on to be pillars of the early Christian community. Eventually, Peter was also martyred, while John was the only disciple believed to have died of old age.
Scholars believe that James was likely beheaded like John the Baptist. He lived a life out loud for Jesus. It makes me wonder how often he shared his faith and how many became followers as a result. He was devoted and singularly focused. Jesus knew James would be a strong leader in the early Christian community and that his faithfulness would allow the Message to be spread.
James had many character traits worth emulating – courage, devotion, and faithfulness, to name a few. But I would also add teachable to the list. The sons of thunder were rebuked by Jesus in Luke 9 when they wanted to call down fire on Samaritans who did not welcome them. Their response is not recorded, but the next verse seems to indicate that they accepted Jesus’ rebuke and kept following. I like how the Message records the exchange:
51-54 “When it came close to the time for his Ascension, he gathered up his courage and steeled himself for the journey to Jerusalem. He sent messengers on ahead. They came to a Samaritan village to make arrangements for his hospitality. But when the Samaritans learned that his destination was Jerusalem, they refused hospitality. When the disciples James and John learned of it, they said, “Master, do you want us to call a bolt of lightning down out of the sky and incinerate them?”
55-56Jesus turned on them: “Of course not!” And they traveled on to another village.” (Luke 9:51-56, The Message)
Teachability is a requirement for a follower of Jesus. We just can’t get it right on our own. When Jesus rebuked James’ overzealousness, James could have packed up and bailed. But he didn’t. He learned, and he followed. Jesus asks for the same of us today.
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach