Sons of Thunder

"When his disciples James and John saw this, they said,  "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" (Luke 9:54)      

James and John were brothers and fishermen when Jesus called them to follow Him. They were honored to walk with Jesus so honored, in fact, that they asked Him a brazen question: Would they one day get the two most special seats in heaven, to the right and left of Jesus? (see Mark 10:35-37) Another time, they made an audacious suggestion to call down fire on a town as punishment for the people not accepting Jesus.

Despite these shocking requests, James and John were part of Jesus's inner circle, along with Simon Peter. Jesus called them the Sons of Thunder, presumably for their force of nature ways. He saw their passion, even if it was misplaced, and He kept them close to Him so they could watch and learn from Him.

Both James and John followed Jesus wholeheartedly. James was eventually the first of the disciples to be martyred for preaching the gospel. John went on to write four books in the New Testament. 

Despite the men's pride and desire for vengeance, time with Jesus softened their hearts. They followed Him at whatever cost, learning  how to love others like He did. Jesus did not call them because they meant to be disciples; He taught them what it looked like as they followed Him. Even if you are not sure you have what it takes to be like Jesus, the more you walk with Him, the more He will teach you what it means to be His follower.

Questions to Ponder

• Are you walking with Him and learning from Him?

• Have you felt Jesus soften your heart?

• Do you have the enthusiasm that James and John had?

In His Service,
Terry Phillips