Sons of Thunder is not the title for a popular television show or the name of superhero twins, it is the nickname Jesus gave two disciples--James and his brother John (the Gospel writer) and it is easy to see why.
These guys were feisty. They started a discussion, which led to indignation by the other disciples and a full-blown argument about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. They wanted Jesus to give them whatever they asked for—namely to sit on either side of Him in the kingdom of God. They wanted to stop someone who was casting out demons in the name of Jesus but was not part of their inner circle, and they wanted to call fire down on a village inSamaria that rejected Jesus. (Mark 9:33-41/Mark 10:35-45/Luke 9:46-56) They were feisty and reactionary as men who were fishing partners with Simon Peter might have been. (Luke 5:10-11) We always hear about the reactions of Peter, but it seems James and John had similar behavior. Perhaps this is why Jesus always kept these guys close and together—they needed His influence the most, if true transformation ofcharacter was to occur. (Luke 9:1-45) Does any of that sound familiar?
Scholars believe James and John were related to Jesus. Salome was their mother and she was believed to be the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus. If so, as cousins of Jesus, James and John would have known Jesus for the longest period of time. They may have grown up with Him, traveled with Him and lived nearby Him. As disciples, they knew Jesus was a unique individual and they were amazed at the things he could do and the way He taught the scriptures, but it is clear from (Luke 9:45) they did not understand His full purpose for coming to earth.
Salome also recognized her nephew was a unique person, and perhaps even more so than her sons did. (Matthew 20:20-28) This mother’s grandiose request, which the boys said they were able to handle, had intense implications.
James died in the early church period when Herod the king had him killed with the sword, (Acts 12:2). Eventually John, who would live the longest of any of the Apostles, would be boiled in oil by the Roman Emperor Domitian and when he did not die, was exiled to the desolate island of Patmos. The Historian Eusebius writes John returned from exile to Asia Minor near the age of one hundred. He visited the churches, often carried on a stretcher, to deliver a single message, “Children love one another…the sole commandment of Christ is to love, for he that loves has no need of anything else.”
John grasped perhaps better than anyone else, the unconditional love of Jesus. John declared, Jesus understood what was in man. (John 2:23-25) (See also: John 1:48, 5:42, 6:61, 6:64, 16:30) John had first hand experience with feelings of jealousy, envy, grumbling inside his own heart,which Jesus knew about and challenged. John’s nickname was relevant to who he was, but the unconditional love Jesus showed taught John to become greater than his nickname or sibling rivalries.
God’s love taught John to deny himself, to view others as greater, and to serve others with unconditional love. John came to be known as “the beloved disciple and the apostle of love.” This signifies his understanding of being loved by Christ and adopting the message of unconditional love to the world. In his writings John referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:20-25) and rightly so. John had experienced the unconditional love of Jesus to his undeserving and self-seeking, thunderous behavior. That love caused John to also be amongst the most loyal and fearless of the disciples. Even though at the arrest of Jesus all the disciples fled the scene, only John was found at the foot of the cross supporting Mary as she said goodbye to her Son.
(Part II - Next Post)
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