A CHRISTIAN MARTYR A WILLING SERVANT A MAN OF FAITH
• There are mentioning of three James’ in the bible
JAMES – Son of Zebedee and brother of John HE WAS CALLED JAMES THE GREATER JAMES – SON OF ALPHAEUS – JAMES THE LESS JAMES– THE BELOVED HALF JUST
BROTHER OF JESUS– THE
Introduction • Jesus chose each one of His disciples in the perfect wisdom of God. Jesus was perfect. He was God himself, and so it was with that wisdom, that omniscience that he hand-picked twelve ordinary men. • On the same basis Jesus chose them, he chose you and me! • Isa 41:9 whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called you from its sides. And I said to you, You are My servant; I have chosen you, and not cast you away. • The 12 were all available when Jesus called them, not some kind of director or CEO or someone with a degree. They were ordinary men who were available. • THEY DIDN’T EVEN THINK TWICE OF GOING
• My question to you tonight is, ARE YOU AVAILABLE, ARE YOU READY...to step into your calling? • God blesses this availability and those who don’t have quite as much formal education but who are willing to serve often are used in marvellous and magnificent ways in the work of the kingdom. • Jesus chose what was available. These men were willing, and that’s a prime requisite in kingdom service.
Background • James, son of Zebedee (d. 44) or Yaakov Ben-Zebdi/Bar-Zebdi • James, the English version of the Hebrew name Jacob • James and his brother John were fishermen because their father was a fisherman, • In those days the sons usually followed the same vocation as that of their father
• He is also called James the Greater to distinguish him from James, son of Alpheus, who is also known as James the Less. • James is described as one of the first disciples to join Jesus. • James was the older brother of the two. Just as in the case of Andrew compared to Simon Peter, James was the lesser known of the two. • He was a willing servant.
His call to follow Christ Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20. Mar 1:16 And walking along beside the sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Mar 1:17 And Jesus said to them, Come after Me and I will make you fishers of men. Mar 1:18 And immediately they left their nets and followed Him. Mar 1:19 And when He going farther from there a little, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. Mar 1:20 And immediately He called them. And they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and went after Him. Mar 1:21 And they went into Capernaum. And immediately on the sabbath day He entered into the synagogue and taught.
The immediacy to remove himself from the family was his
priority
ultimate
At that time he knew that: Jesus takes precedence over livelihood and family. Change in his lifestyle was leaving his fishing nets for another type of fishing “Fishers of men” When Jesus called him, he left everything and immediately followed Jesus. He was serious about his calling He knew that Jesus had to be number 1 in his life... The natural leaders was- Simon Peter, John (James’ brother) and him. As he obeyed the call to follow Christ, we then find him in the “inner circle” of the core group, and the one who had the closest fellowship with Jesus.
During the earthly ministry of Jesus, he often took his core group (which includes James) to places that other disciples were excluded having been present each time, with only John and Peter, at The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1), the raising of Jairus's daughter (Mark 5:37-43), and in the garden of Gethsemane The Fateful Night (Mark 14:33)
His Family
Father - Zebedee He is the son of Zebedee not only in the flesh, but in the meaning of the name. Zebedee means giving or given, and James gave himself to Christ by his martyrdom, and was given to us by God as a spiritual patron.... Zebedee, their father, was a well to do fisherman. Mark 1:20 says, he had other hired-hands who helped them with their fishing business. Simon Peter and Andrew were fishing partners with Zebedee. By the time Jesus appeared into the scene, Zebedee and his sons (James and John) were living better economically than most people. They had a comfortable lifestyle.
Mother - Salome She became a follower of Christ The sister of the mother of Jesus, Mary Mat 27:56 among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. That would make James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John cousins to Jesus. James was the first cousin of Jesus the Messiah and had been acquainted with Him from infancy. (not knowing that in his future he would be a disciple / apostle. Imagine how happy Salome must have been when she realized her sons were recruited to be disciples by the Son of God and later became part of the “inner circle,” of the apostles.
• Like all mothers of the world she wanted the best for her sons so she went to Jesus with a request that she thought would make her children happy, who in Matthew 20 asked Jesus if he could put her sons to sit at his right and left hand. • Matt 20:20-21 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him [Jesus], with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” • WHAT COURAGE IT MUST HAVE TAKEN SALOME TO ASK THIS FROM THE SON OF GOD? • But God the Father had already made the assignment of those places.
• In Mark 15:40, Salome is named as one of the women present at the crucifixion: • Matthew 27:56: "Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.”
• In the Gospel of Mark, Salome is among the women who went to Jesus' tomb to anoint his body with spices. Mark 16:1 - The next evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James when out and purchased burial spices to put on Jesus’ body. They discovered that the stone had been rolled away, and a figure in white then told them that Jesus had risen, and asked them to tell Jesus' disciples that he would meet them in Galilee.
• What we can learn from Salome is that we need to surrender to the will of the Father and not try to impose our will on Him. • God’s time is always the best in everything. AMEN!
Personality & Weakness Jesus referred to James and his brother John as “sons of thunder” (Boanerges), because of the sonority of his preaching which:
He wasn’t ashamed of the Gospel, terrified the wicked, aroused the slothful, and won the admiration of all by its loudness....
The phrase may refer to their father, Zebedee, or it may be a way of saying their temperaments were like lightning, a reflection of their character namely a quick judgmental spirit - at one point they joked about calling down fire from heaven. Mar 9:38; Luke :54 LUKE 9:51-56 (NLT) 51: as the time drew near for his return to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52: He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. 53: but they were turned away. The people of the village refused to have anything to do with Jesus because he had resolved to go to Jerusalem. 54: When James and John heard about it, they said to Jesus, �Lord, should we order down fire from heaven to burn them up�? 55: But Jesus turned and rebuked them 56: So they went on to another village
• Their zeal for Christ was that they were greatly offended because they witnessed the mistreatment that their Lord received from the Samaritans. • We must have knowledge as well as zeal. Zeal without knowledge is an army without a general, a ship without a rudder. • We must pray that we understand how to apply Scripture correctly. The Word is undoubtedly a light to our feet and a light to our path. But it must be the Word rightly handled and properly applied.
• Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. • Proverbs 19:2 It is dangerous to have zeal without knowledge, and the one who acts hastily makes poor choices. • It is a prideful person who thinks that this proverb applies to other people, except him/her. • Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
• James had a violent temper. Like many of us, James got mad at the wrong things. He got mad at people instead of causes. That’s an easy trap to fall into... • HOW MANY PERSONS CAN YOU NAME WHOM YOU REALLY RESENT? PEOPLE AT WHOM YOU ARE MAD AT?
• IF THERE IS ONE SINGLE PERSON IN ALL THE WORLD AGAINST WHOM YOU’RE HOLDING A GRUDGE, YOU’RE OUT OF FELLOWSHIP WITH JESUS..... • Matt 6:15 - Jesus said if you’re not willing to forgive your brother his trespasses, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your trespasses.
Another example of his zeal without knowledge is in Mark 9. Mar 9:35 And He sat down and called the Twelve and said to them, If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all. Mar 9:36 And He took a child, and embraced it, and set him in their midst. And He said to them, Mar 9:37 Whoever receives one of such children on My name receives Me. And whoever receives Me does not only receives Me, but Him who sent Me. Mar 9:38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out demons in Your name, and he does not follow us. And we forbade him, because he does not follow us. Mar 9:39 But Jesus said, Do not forbid him. For there is no one who shall do a work of power in My name who can lightly speak evil of Me. Mar 9:40 For he who is not against us is for us. Overconfidence in one’s self may literally lead to death.
His Strength & Persecution • martyr (Greek: μάρτυς, mártys, "witness"; stem μάρτυρ-, mártyr-) is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce a belief, usually religious. • In Christianity, martyrs are considered to follow the example of Jesus in offering up their lives as a sacrifice to bring about the Kingdom of Heaven
• But though he knew the intimacy of the Saviour, James was not destined to the visible recognition given to Peter and John. His life for His Lord was to be a short one. In Acts 12:1-2, about 14 years after the death of Christ on the cross, James suffered as the first of the apostles to die of martyrdom. Herod had James executed with the sword. As such, he entered into the presence of God sooner than all the rest. • James was hated by Herod Agrippa for his fervent belief, the King hoped to squash the Christian movement with James' death, an outstanding leader. Instead the word of God grew and multiplied
• James, more likely, died because of his zealous passion for Christ. And it is safe to assume that by the time of his death he, more likely, had gained and possessed powerful saving knowledge of Christ that he lacked before. • Now, it wasn’t simply a mere passion, but now passion and zeal with saving knowledge. And when truth and passion become one, such power becomes unstoppable.
• What Jesus said in Mark 10 about James came to its fulfillment, namely James indeed drank the cup of death and baptized with death. • Mar 10:35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to Him, saying, Master, we desire that You should do for us whatever we shall ask. • Mar 10:36 And He said to them, What do you desire that I should do for you? • Mar 10:37 They said to Him, Grant to us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left hand, in Your glory. • Mar 10:38 But Jesus said to them, You do not know what you ask. Can you drink of the cup that I drink of, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? • Mar 10:39 And they said to Him, We can. And Jesus said to them, You shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of, and with the baptism that I am baptized with you shall be baptized.
• Mar 10:40 But to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but to those for whom it is prepared. • Mar 10:41 And when the ten heard, they began to be indignant with James and John. • Mar 10:42 But Jesus called them and said to them, You know that they who are accounted rulers over the nations exercise lordship over them. And their great ones exercise authority on them. • Mar 10:43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever desires to be great among you, let him be your servant. • Mar 10:44 And whoever of you desires to become first, he shall be servant of all. • Mar 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. • Will you be able to drink the cup?
• It is believed that within this 14 year period, James visited the Jewish colonist and slaves in Spain to preach the Gospel. He was a missionary to Spain before he returned to Jerusalem to be executed • It has been said that when the apostle James was led out to die, a man who had brought false accusations against him walked with him to the place of execution. He had doubtless expected to see James looking pale and frightened but he saw him, instead, bright and joyous, like a conqueror who had won a great battle. The false witness greatly wondered at this and became convinced that the Savior in whom the prisoner by his side believed must be the true God or He could not impart such cheerfulness and courage to a man about to die. The man himself, therefore, became a convert to Christianity and was condemned to die with James the apostle (both were consequently beheaded on the same day and with the same sword.)
• How is that, the man who persecuted James, gave his life to Jesus because of what he saw in James’ life? • How will your reaction be when your day of persecution comes? • Will you be joyous like a conqueror who had won a great battle like James was?
• His remains are said to be buried in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain). Saint James is the patron saint of Spain and is related to the reconquista in the role of moor-slayer. His burial town, Santiago de Compostela, is considered the third most holy town of Catholicism (after Jerusalem and Rome). The pilgrimage to the grave of the Saint has become the most popular pilgrimage for Western European Catholics from the early middle ages onwards; making him one of the patron saints of pilgrimage.
• At the time of his death James was probably in his late thirties or early forties but he proved to us, as Jesus did, that it’s not how long you live that matters. It’s how you live that really counts. • We must sacrifice selfish wants, but we are largely unwilling to deny ourselves, our lust and desires for someone or something else. • We must be faithful, and we must be willing to die for Jesus’ sake if called upon. But even more, we must be willing to live for Jesus the here and now. • • Joh 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
we learnmost from James? James was livingWhat close tocan Jesus sharing of the important times in Jesus’ ministry He was a faithful servant, until death – He sacrificed his life for Jesus He was willing to leave everything, even his family acting immediately to his call He changed his lifestyle, from being a fisherman to become a fisher of men Even though he was the lesser known of the two brothers it still didn’t keep him away of preaching the Kingdom of God. Nothing stopped him – He was serious about his calling I believe we must first see his amazing transformation from a man willing to go off the deep end for no reason to a man full of zeal for Jesus Christ. We also must learn to have an undying belief in Jesus that will sustain through all things. It is in that kind of faith that we will not only live life well but also live death well, leaving a lasting legacy behind.