The Apostle James a flawed but fearless man

Mar. 13—Like most of the disciples, James, brother of John and one of the sons of the fisherman Zebedee, was an assertive man who was at times irascible.

Often referred to as "James the Greater," indicating that he was older or taller than the disciple called "James the Lesser," he was in Jesus's inner circle with Peter and John and was privileged to see Jesus's transfiguration with Moses and Elijah on top of a mountain, possibly Mount Tabor.

Clergymen Aubrey Jones, Gian Carlo Villatoro and Doug Doyle say Jesus called James and John "Boanerges," or "sons of thunder," because they wanted to call down fire from Heaven to incinerate a village of hostile Samaritans.

"We also know that James was present when Christ raised a little girl from the dead," said the Rev. Jones, pastor of Chapel Hill Baptist Church. "He could certainly be short-tempered."

Noting that James and John left their father's boats on the Sea of Galilee to answer Jesus's call, Jones said, "The disciples were manly men.

"James wasn't management. He may have been the boss's kid, but he was on the boat with everybody else. Jesus was looking for those with courage, those who had strength, not just physical strength but inner strength. James would get along with our guys in the oilfield." While Peter became the most prominent apostle after Christ's ascension to Heaven and John was the last apostle to die and the only one who wasn't martyred, Jones said, James "might not have had the flash of Peter, but he was an irritant to the leadership of his day because King Herod had him beheaded.

"That tells us he was faithful and didn't back down," the pastor said. "We don't know a lot about him, but we know more about him than most of the other apostles. We know that he did what he was called to do and served as he had the opportunity."

Jones said the disciples, later named apostles, were following the Son of God and were reverent to him, but in another sense they were a group of men who interacted as men typically do.

"Yes, it's Jesus and yes, they're disciples, but they might not have always been very flattering to one another," he said. "It was a group of guys. James certainly made his mark for the kingdom. That's all that is asked of us, to be faithful."

The Rev. Villatoro, pastor of Victory Church, said James "was very passionate in his commitment to the cause.

"Being passionate doesn't mean you are wise or right, but it is such a strong force in people that anyone, even Christians, can be passionate about something that isn't right," Villatoro said. "I've seen people who were so passionate about one person, whether their mom, dad or child, and James was that kind of person.

"You have to learn how to handle your passion and it was Jesus's meekness and patience as a mentor that changed him. Wisdom is the key and James got his wisdom from Jesus.

"We cannot succeed without a strong mentor in front of us."

Villatoro said James's other most important trait was trustworthiness. "The Lord Jesus had Peter, John and James in his inner circle to see his transfiguration, which happened near the end of the three years of Jesus's ministry," he said. "So that tells us he was trustworthy and a leader."

Villatoro said James didn't seem jealous of John's more favored position, reclining against Jesus at the Last Supper and asking which disciple would betray him. "We don't see arguments between them because they are devoted to the same cause," the pastor said.

"It's beautiful that they learned they needed to surrender to God's will. James was ready to go all the way."

Doyle said James "was in the privileged group at the transfiguration and he is present in the Garden of Gethsemane before the crucifixion.

"At critical times, he is one of the ones who is there," the West University Church of Christ preacher said. "He got closer to the teacher than the other students because he was more interested, more committed and more dedicated."

As one of the Sons of Thunder, Doyle said, James "was willing to jump in quicker than the others.

"People get nicknames in recognition of what they are and he could sometimes be misguided," he said. "We don't have all the details, but we have enough to flesh out the character of James."

Noting that James's and John's mother asks Christ in Matthew 20:20-21 if they can sit on his right and left in Heaven, Doyle said, "They're competing for the plum positions.

"They have a lot to learn, but he chooses them and they follow him. When you pick 12 people, you get a widespread group of personalities, strengths and weaknesses."