James and John. Boanerges.
Jesus Appoints the Twelve
13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. 16 These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter), 17 James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot 19 and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
15th October 2024: Horsham
James and John were fishermen. When Jesus called them to follow him, they were working on a boat which was owned by their father Zebedee (Mark 1:19-20). Their mother was Salome, who was close to Jesus’ mother, Mary.
We don’t know how many people had answered the call to follow Jesus in those earliest days, but there came this moment when he decided to appoint a group of twelve to be his closest followers. We call them the Disciples. In that group were James and his brother John. In Mark’s Gospel they are referred to by a nickname, apparently used by Jesus. They are ‘the Boanerges’.
It’s a strange name. It doesn’t work well in Aramaic (the language which Jesus would have talked), or in Greek (the language in which the Gospels were written). It’s meaning is unclear, but it’s usually translated into English as ‘Sons of Thunder’. That’s quite a name.
Jesus rebuked James and John because they wanted to call down fire from heaven on a village which wouldn’t give Jesus food and lodging (Luke 9:54). These were strong characters, and were probably leading the conversation about ‘who is the greatest’ (Mark 9:34-35). These are the guys who upset the other disciples when they told Jesus that they wanted to sit at his right and left hand in Heaven (Mark 10: 35-45). They sound like strong characters. Men who will make their feelings known. They sound like Sons of Thunder.
Yet these guys weren’t always making a noise. Along with Simon Peter, they seem to have been Jesus closest friends. They were physically closest to some of the greatest miracles, even when most of the disciples were excluded (eg Mark 5:37). They were there at the Transfiguration (Luke 9). They were with him as he prayed in Gethsemane just before his arrest (Mark 14:32-42).
After the death and resurrection of Jesus, James was probably the first of the twelve to face a martyrs death (Acts 12:2). John lived to reach old age, and probably died in Ephesus, although we can’t be sure how he died.
End Piece
I’ve done lots of reading about it but I still don’t know for certain what Boanerges actually means. I do sense that James and John were extraordinary men. From the time they set aside their nets on the shore of Galilee to follow Jesus, they were determined and faithful. When others turned back, James and John remained steadfast to the end. Jesus saw their potential as leaders and His teaching took root in their hearts. When the time came, after his death on the cross, they stood firm. Drenched in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they were empowered and remained faithful to the end. In life and in death, James and John were foundational pillars in the establishment of the early Church.
James and John. The Boanerges.