Mk 3:17   James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder);

Sometimes when we look at the apostles, or hear them being preached about, we feel that these were spiritual giants and we can in no way match them. Well, without doubt they were men who stood out, if for no other reason that they were called by Jesus and travelled with him and witnessed all he did for three years. That must have been life transforming! Some of the twelve stand out in that there is much written about them, some stand out because their names stand out for some reason, and others don't stand out at all, because they hardly get a mention. James comes into the second category – it is always ‘James and John'.

However, James seems to sit in the shadow of John in history. John became a great leader and died an old man. Yet, in all the descriptions of the two brothers, James comes first and is presumably the older of the two. Like his brother he is nicknamed a ‘son of thunder'. Presumably the two brothers were alike. Yes, it had been John who had wanted the person delivering people in Jesus' name to be stopped (as we saw in the previous meditation), but it was James and John who wanted the Samaritans to be killed for their rejection of Jesus: “When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Lk 9:54). It was also both of them who came wanting Jesus to promote them: “Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.” (Mk 10:35-37)

He had been called with his brother while they were in their fishing boat, so he was another of the fishermen: “Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him,” (Mt 4;21,22) so, to be positive about him, he was another of those who just put everything aside to follow Jesus. Good stuff!

But of course he was also one of the ‘inner three' who Jesus took with him up the Mount of Transfiguration: “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves,” (Mt 17:1) so he was clearly close to Jesus. He had also been taken by Jesus with the other two to witness the healing of the Synagogue ruler's daughter: “He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James.” (Mk 5:37) He was also part of the small inner group who asked Jesus for understanding: “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James , John and Andrew asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?” (Mk 13:3,4) In the Garden of Gethsemane he was also one of the inner group that Jesus took to be close to him while he prayed: “He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.” (Mk 14:33)

And that, in the Gospels at least, is all we are told about James. After Jesus' ascension, James was with the others praying in the upper room: “Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James,” (Acts 1:13 ) so he was one of the senior apostles who continued the church in Jerusalem . Interestingly Luke puts his name after John now, who presumably had risen to greater prominence. The only other reference we find to him is: “It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James , the brother of John, put to death with the sword.” (Acts 12:1,2) Thus he dies as one of the early martyrs.

So here we see him, a close follower of Jesus, one of the inner leading group, originally a firebrand, but one who sticks with Jesus and is clearly there as a leader as the years go on, until the point where he is singled out (probably because he was a leader) and is put to death by Herod. He doesn't get any particular fame but is simply known as a good follower. That may be you or me and, as we stick close to Jesus and go with him wherever he takes us; that is enough. Be known as a faithful follower. You may not be called to great and spectacular things, but just be faithful in all you do, and be a blessing to Jesus as he leads, trains and transforms you.