Last week we looked at Peter and discussed how he seemed to be the best friend of Jesus. Jesus pinned all of his hopes and dreams on Peter. However, there were two others who were within an inner-circle with Peter. These three were allowed to be a part of teachings and miracles that the others were not privy too. Due to this inner-circle you will find a lot of parallels between their and Peter’s contact with Jesus.
We may think it would have been awesome to be this close to Jesus but we must ask the question “Why did Jesus keep them close?” While it is true they became the pillars of the church, perhaps there was a bit more to it than that. Remember when you were in grade school? There always seemed to be a class-clown or a trouble maker. What usually happened to these kids? There were moved closer to the teacher’s desk so they could keep an eye on them. I believe Jesus saw potential in these three but also saw a need for correction. So He kept them close.
They realized who Jesus was at the same time Peter did.
Luke 5:8-11 “When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, ‘Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.’ For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!’ 11 And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.” Just like Peter they left everything to follow Jesus.
We find them again locked in the inner-circle with Peter.
Mark 3:13-17 “Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, giving them authority to cast out demons. These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter),
17 James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them ‘Sons of Thunder‘),
Remember last week when Jesus first saw Peter? His name was at that time was Simon. The name Simon meant “to be heard”. He certainly lived up to his name. But Jesus saw something in him that said “Rock”. He would be solid, eventually.
Likewise when Jesus looked at James and John, He saw a storm. He saw two guys who, for the most part was as passive as a spring day. But in a moments notice they could explode with the force of an evening thunderstorm. Jesus knew what they would become but at this moment they needed watching.
This reminded me of a story I heard. In a certain town, there were two brothers, 8 and 10 years old, who were exceedingly mischievous. Whatever went wrong in the neighborhood, it turned out they had had a hand in it. Their parents were at their wits' end trying to control them. Finally they went to the Minister in the local church who had done some work with troubled children, and asked the Minister to talk to their boys. The Minister agreed to talk to the boys but he wanted to speak to the youngest one first. So the mother sent him into the Minister's office. The Minister sat the boy down across a huge, impressive desk which he sat behind. For about five minutes they just sat and stared at each other. Finally, the Minister pointed his forefinger at the boy and asked, "Where is God?" He wanted the boy to realize that God was everywhere and always watching. The boy looked under the desk, in the corners of the room, all around, but said nothing. Again, louder, the Minister pointed at the boy and asked, "Where is God?" Again the boy looked all around but said nothing. A third time, in a louder, firmer voice, the Minister leaned far across the desk and put his forefinger almost to the boy's nose, and asked, "Where is God?" The boy panicked and ran all the way home. Finding his older brother, he dragged him upstairs to their room and into the closet, where they usually plotted their mischief. He finally said, "We are in BIIIIG trouble." The older boy asked, "What do you mean BIG trouble?" His brother replied, "God is missing and they think we did it!"
Now back to James and John. They would be with Peter when Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead. (Mark 5:37) They would be with Peter when Jesus met with Moses and Elijah. (Luke 9: 32) And like Peter they often suffered from “foot in mouth” disease, as we will see in Luke.
Luke 9:51-53 “As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem.”
There came a point where Jesus set his sight on the cross. Verses 51 says He resolutely set out to Jerusalem. This is the only time the word “resolutely” is used in the Bible. It was comprised of three Greek words. They meant in front of, facedown, and established.
When I was a young boy I saw a movie called “High Noon.” It was by far I think the best western ever made. It was a story of a sheriff who on his wedding day gets the news that a killer he arrested has been released from prison and is coming to town with his gang on the noon train to kill him. Everyone in town encourages him to leave and no one supports his decision to stay, including his wife. When the noon trains whistle blows, he resolutely steps into the dust filled street. He will stand alone in front of those determined to kill him. He will have a facedown with them. He will establish himself on the street and not waiver. This is the picture that my mind conjured up when I seen this word.
As we see He was taking the route through Samaria to get to Jerusalem. The reason being, it was the shortest route. He planned to minister along the way so He sent messengers to announce his arrival. But there was a dispute between the Jews and the Samaritans as to the proper place to worship. The Samaritans believed God could only be worshipped on Mount Gerizim. The Jews believed in worshipping God at the temple in Jerusalem. Since it seemed Jesus’ loyalty lay with the Jews they shunned him when He arrived.
Now we will discover why Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder.” Luke 9:54 “When James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, ‘Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?’” They were on an ego trip. It had not been very long that they had gone to the mission field in the name of Jesus and had cast out demons and healed the sick. They had the power and were willing to use it. In fact if James had been around today he may have quoted Jim Croce.
“You don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit into the wind. You don’t pull that mask off the ol’ Long Ranger. And you don’t mess around with Jim.”
Luke 9:55 “But Jesus turned and rebuked them.” Remember the word “rebuke” meant to speak harshly. He minced no words at their plan..
Let’s look at the instructions Jesus gave his disciples as He sent into the mission field. Luke 9:3-5 ‘“Take nothing for your journey,’ he instructed them. ‘Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, (does it say to ‘call down fire from heaven to burn the up?’ No, it says to) shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”’
He sent them out with no provision and homeless. They were to be dependent on strangers to feed them, clothe them, and shelter them. And if anyone refused they were to abandon them to their fate. For me, this puts a different angle on how I view those in need of food, clothes, and shelter. But that’s for a different sermon. What I want to focus on is the command to “shake its dust from your feet as you leave.”
In Biblical times, when leaving Gentile cities, pious Jews often shook the dust from their feet to show their separation from Gentile practices. If the disciples shook the dust of a Jewish town from their feet, it would show their separation from Jews who rejected their Messiah. The gesture was to show the people that they were making a wrong choice. The opportunity to choose Christ might not present itself again.
It would be like us brushing our hands of a matter, stating “I am done with it. I am leaving the situation to its own fate.” When we are rejected by others because of our faith, we are not to wish harmful things upon them; you know the “God will get them” mentality. Rather, we are to turn their fate over to God and pray that He will have mercy on them. James and John had forgotten Jesus’ instructions.
Let’s keep in mind as we continue that Jesus is heading toward his death in Jerusalem. He has tried to explain to his disciples what is going to happen. He tells them that He will be handed over to the Romans, mocked, treated shamefully, and spit upon. He said He would be flogged with a whip and killed, but on the third day He would rise. But they didn’t understand any of this. (Luke 18:31-34)
However it seems that James and John began talking about this kingdom that Jesus said would soon come.
Mark 10:35-37 “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came over and spoke to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do us a favor.’ ‘What is your request?’ he asked. They replied, ‘When you sit on your glorious throne, we want to sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.’”
Jesus looked at them and said “Guys, you don’t know what you are asking. I don’t decide who sits beside me. Only God does.”
When the other disciples heard about their plot they began expressing strong displeasure at something they considered unjust, offensive, and bias. So Jesus had a powwow with them.
Mark 10:42-45 “‘So Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.’”
We are called to be servants to each other. I love this church. You guys are a shining example of being a servant to others. Some one shared with me this week of his wife’s first experience in a Sunday school class at a large church. She arrived before he did and took a seat. The lady beside her informed her that seat was taken. So she moved over one seat and was informed that seat also was taken. In fact the entire of seats were taken. She left the classroom feeling rejected and embarrassed. Only through some coaxing from a loving couple of that church did she return. Being a servant meant giving up someone else’s right to a seat so as to serve a visitor. Like I said, I love this church.
James and John would go to the garden of Gethsemane with Jesus. They, like Peter, would sleep while Jesus was deeply troubled and distressed. However, his teaching on serving others did not go unnoticed as we will see.
John 19:25-27 “Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, ‘Dear woman, here is your son.’ And he said to this disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from then on this disciple took her into his home.”
In the Gospel of John you will never read where he mentions his own name. He refers to himself only as the disciple that Jesus loved. He was not attempting to elevate himself above the others. He realized that the Gospel was not about him but about Jesus. It was his story.
And John saw a grieving mother who needed comfort. He stood with her at the foot of the cross and in doing so, he ran the risk of being captured and executed. Jesus saw in him a man He could trust to take care of his mother.
Later King Herod Agrippa would have the other “son of thunder”, James, killed with a sword.
John would write three letters to the early church. This man who at one time wanted to destroy an entire city because he had been insulted would mention the word “love” forty seven times in his three letters. He wrote in 1 John 3:18-19 “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.”
This man who, with his brother, sought to rule over all the other disciples wrote these words.
1 John 2:15-16 “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.”
This week I challenge you to develop a servant’s heart. If you are an employer or supervisor, do something as a way to serve those of whom you have charge. It could be something small but notice if it makes a difference. I have an ink pen/flashlight that I give to a cashier at the store or at the drive-through window. It is amazing how a simple fifty three cents item can change their disposition. Do something small for a neighbor, a friend, or a family member. Serve them somehow. They will change and so will you.
