twelve common men james the apostle of passion. t he i nner c ircle peter james john andrew...

TWELVE COMMON MEN

JamesThe Apostle of Passion

THE INNER CIRCLE

Peter

James

JohnAndrew

Transfiguration; Resurrection of the Little Girl; In the Garden

OVERVIEWJames the Son of Zebedee

• Family Relations• The synoptic Gospels give us any account of

James the Son of Zebedee and brother of John.

• His father must have been a man of some importance.

• It is inferred that James was the elder of the two brothers.

• His mother's name was probably Salome, the sister of the mother of Jesus (Mt 27:56; Mk 15:40; Jn 19:25)

James – the Apostle of Passion


• Family Relations• James was a fisherman by trade, and worked

along with his father and brother (Mt 4:21). According to Lk, they were partners with Simon (Mt 5:10), and this is also implied in Mk (Mt 1:19).

• As they owned several boats and employed hired servants (Lk 5:11; Mk 1:20), their business must have been prosperous.

• Two of the lists of the Apostles, name James second.



• First Call: • The call to James to follow Christ (Mt 4:18-22;

Mk 1:16-20; Lu 5:1-11) was given by Jesus as He was walking by the sea of Galilee (Mt 4:18). - READ: Mt 4:21-22.

• The account of Luke varies in part from those of Matthew and Mark, and contains the additional detail of the miraculous draught of fishes, at which James and John also were amazed.



• Probation and Ordination: • The call took place after the imprisonment of

John the Baptist (Mt 4:12; Mk 1:14), and there is no mention of James among those who received the preliminary call recorded by John (compare Jn 1:35-51; 3:24, and compare ANDREW).

• After a period of companionship and probation with his Master, he was ordained one of the Twelve Apostles (Mt 10:2; Mk 3:17; Lk 6:14; Acts 1:13).



• Apostleship: • Only the inner circle were present at:

- the raising of Jairus' daughter - at the Transfiguration - in the Garden of Gethsemane

• The ire of James and John was kindled by the reception of Jesus by the Samaritans (Lk 9:53-55).

• It was probably this hotheaded impetuosity and fanaticism that won for them the surname “Sons of Thunder.”



• Apostleship: • During Jesus' last journey to Jerusalem (Mk

10:32), the two brothers expressed their presumptuous impetuosity in a more selfish manner (Mk 10:35-45).

• James was one of the four who put the question to Jesus concerning the last things (Mk 13:3).

• James was also present when the risen Jesus appeared for the 3rd time to the disciples and the miraculous draught of fishes was made at the sea of Tiberias (Jn 21:1-14).



• Death: • James was the first martyr among the

apostles. - Acts 12:1-2

• James fulfilled the prophecy of our Lord that he too should drink of the cup of his Master. - Mk 10:39


The Sons of Thunder Fire from Heaven - Lk. 9:51-56

• The Samaritans - Mixed race, worshipped God at Mt. Gerizim with a religion that blended elements of truth with paganism: had their own priesthood, temple (destroyed before Christ) and sacrificial system.

• Considered mongrel’s by pure-blooded Jews. Jews traveling would cross the Jordan twice to avoid Samaria

• Jesus going to Jerusalem for Passover – Samaritans had no love for the Jews or their festivities.



• Jesus and the Samaritans • Healed a Samaritan leper (Lk. 17:16)• The Samaritan woman at the well (Jn. 4:7-37)• The hero of His best-known parable was a

Samaritan (Lk. 10:30-37)• Sent the disciples into Samaria to preach

(Acts 1:8) • James and John were outraged at the

Samaritan’s treatment of Jesus. Should they do just as Elijah did?



• Samaria was the seat of the northern kingdom of Israel, the home of Ahab, Jezebel, and Baal worship, Ahaziah and Elijah (2 Kings 1:1-18)

• Their call for fire stood on the precedent of Elijah, but what was different?

• Their motives were wrong. They were arrogant to think they had any power to do anything. They were asking Jesus to empower them to do what they knew that He would not do.



• Jesus’ mission was different from Elijah’s. (Lk. 9:55-56)- He came to seek and save the lost.

(Lk. 19:10; Jn.3:17; Jn. 12:46-47) - He was on a rescue mission of service.

(Mt. 20:28)- This was not the time nor place for

judgment, though that time will come. (2 Thess. 1:7-9).



• However, their zeal to defend the Lord, should be commended, even if their idea of how was wrong.

• Jesus did not condemn Elijah’s actions, because the sinfulness of Ahaziah and the Baal worshippers demanded it.

• Ordinarily, God does not bring down instant destruction when we sin. (Ps.145:9; Ex. 34:6; Eze. 33:11)



• Jesus’ lesson to James and John was that there are times when loving-kindness and mercy must be cultivated.

• In Acts 8 we see Philip the evangelist preaching in Samaria and making converts from quite possibly the very village that James had sought to destroy.


The Sons of Thunder Thrones in the Kingdom - Mt. 20:20-24

• We have previously seen James as fervent, passionate, zealous and insensitive, now we see him as ambitious and overconfident. According to Mark’s account James and John must have put their mother up to this bold request.

• Perhaps this idea had been put in their minds by such statements from Jesus as Mt. 19:28-30?

• James, are you able to drink the cup of Christ? He says, “I am!”


The Sons of Thunder Thrones in the Kingdom - Mt. 20:20-24

• It was not up to Jesus to give the thrones to the right and left (v. 23)

• Their ambition creates conflict among the other Apostles; even to debating it around the table of the Last Supper (Lk. 22:24)


The Sons of Thunder A Cup of Suffering - Acts 12:1-3

• Herod- His end is seen in Acts 12:19-23.• James is the first martyr from among the

Twelve and his is the only death of an Apostle (besides Judas) recorded in the NT.

• At the time of his death James had obviously put his passion to good use at the forefront of the spreading of the Gospel.

• When Herod decided to stop the church he made James and Peter his first targets.

• James indeed drink the cup of Christ.


CONCLUSION

• James stands as the prototype of zealousness, passion and being on the front lines.

• Somewhere along the way he had:- tempered his passion with grace,- learned to control his anger, - bridled his tongue, - redirected his zeal, - eliminated his thirst for revenge, - and set aside his own selfish ambition.


CONCLUSION

• What kind of disciple are we?- A burning, passionate, enthusiastic

disciple with a potential for failure?- Or a cold, careful compromiser?

• We need to be the former! But our zeal must be harnessed and tempered with love; it must be blended with patience, long-suffering and self-control.

• The life of James shows us that such Holy Spirit directed zeal is a marvelous instrument in the hands of God.


TWELVE COMMON MEN

JamesThe Apostle of Passion

twelve common men james the apostle of passion. t he i nner c ircle peter james john andrew...

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