Tuesday, February 11, 2014

James and John: The Sons of Thunder (Part 4)



The Sons of Thunder

The two brothers had a nickname which is recorded for us in the Bible. “And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). There are many thoughts concerning the meaning of this nickname as given by the Christ. The Bible never fully explains what is meant by this statement. Some make a reference to their great anger and quick, almost kneejerk reactions to certain situations. Others speak of their thunderous abilities with the gospel of Christ. There are also some strange theories behind the meaning of the name. Let us offer another possibility behind the meaning. These men are referred to the “SONS of thunder.” The word son denotes a relationship. These men are not thunder. They are related to thunder. Considering these  men seemed impatient at times and were sometimes angry they had to learn it somewhere. What or who would best fit the description of thunder? Considering the evidence given in other verses of the Bible, it MIGHT be that the “thunder” in this instance is a reference to their mother. “Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him” (Matt. 20:20).

But what lessons can we learn from these two men?

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