Articles
Person Of The Week: James, The Apostle
The apostle James is to be distinguished from the author of the New Testament book by that name. The apostles James and John were brothers, partners in a fishing business and among the first disciples of Jesus (Mark 1:19-20). They also had personalities that were forceful and uncompromising and were nicknamed by Jesus as “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17).
This take-charge mentality is seen in an incident where James and John appealed to Jesus for top leadership positions in the new kingdom (Mark 10:35-45). This self-exalting request naturally created strife and demonstrated a lack of understanding in James and John of the nature of the kingdom Jesus was establishing.
James boldly affirmed that he could withstand the suffering to befall Jesus (Mark 10:38-39), but then he fled when Jesus was arrested (Mark 14:50). However, James was given another chance to prove himself; he was the first apostle to die a martyr for Christ (Acts 12:2). He did not get the kind of honor he once desired, but he was willing to pay the ultimate price for Jesus when the time came. Some live long; others die young. All to God’s glory.
