Have you ever considered that Jesus may have called James and John the ‘sons of thunder’ because their father Zebedee, a businessman and owner of a Galilean fishing fleet may have best described as thunderous?
And He appointed the twelve:
Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter),
and James, the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James
(to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”)
Mark 3:16-17 NASB
Zebedee’s story
In the introduction to our fictional story about this real father of two of Jesus’ Disciples, Zebedee had thoughtfully asked:
“Where shall I send my sons to learn the faith of our fathers?”
and
“What is the will of the Lord God for my sons James and John?”
Now we progress further into Zebedee’s first century considerations for his two beloved Jewish sons, both young men sent to learn more of the Lord God through known mentors of the faith.
A History of our Faith
Some thoughts of Zebedee
I know that we no longer have the faith of Abraham and Moses. We’re just a reconstructed people, continually broken by our own unfaithfulness to the Lord. My daily life on the Sea of Galilee centers on trade with men from every direction and faith, including Jewish merchants from far away.
After Solomon’s sons separated Israel from Judah, many kings and most men refused to listen to God’s Prophets, so we became a divided people. Jerusalem’s two tribes distant to us now look away from our ten tribes of families here.
Our Israel long ago cut-off from Judah, our own fathers and the generation of my father reap the consequences sown by Israel’s long forgotten faith in the LORD.
Between Two Temples
Our faith remains, but never the same since Israel’s defeat some seven centuries ago and later in 586 BC when Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem and destroyed our Temple.
Few of the faith even remembered our Hebrew language and traditions, though at one time some of Jerusalem recovered the Law buried in the rubble of the Temple.
In general, it is of the greatest importance to remember in regard to this Eastern dispersion, that only a minority of the Jews, consisting in all of about 50,000, originally returned from Babylon, first under Zerubbabel and afterwards under Ezra.
THE JEWISH WORLD IN THE DAYS OF CHRIST – THE JEWISH DISPERSION IN THE EAST – ALFRED EDERSHEIM
Ezra, a Scribe of the Law of Moses from Babylon, restored some of our faith to a new Temple in Jerusalem. But after later Prophets like Micah, our faith disintegrated into little more than discussion.
Alexander III of Macedon helped preserve our Hebrew Law in the great library at Alexandria. But because all the world has gone after their culture, philosophy and gods, our religion is translated into Greek. At least some Jews who know longer know Hebrew can hear some of the Law and understand it in our Synagogues.
The Israel of Zebedee
My dilemma instructing James and John really lies in the diverse schools of Judaism in our captive land ruled by Rome.
When we had no Temple we practiced our faith without the LORD’s prescribed sacrifice. Now we learn the faith of our ancestors through study, obedience and prayer only.
Many of my Jewish brothers speak only Aramaic and cannot even read Hebrew. Even our everyday language was imported from the east or Greek from the Roman language from the west.
Who is King of the Jews?
David and Solomon once sat on the Throne of the LORD in Jerusalem. We were then a United Israel under the King anointed by the LORD. Now the question of King depends on who you ask.
Who is King of the Jews since the LORD dethroned our former kings of Israel and Judah?
After King Josiah of Judah died Jerusalem became subject to Egypt. Then Nebuchadnezzar II defeated them and destroyed the first Temple.
Babylonians took charge in the east, allowing some Jews to return to Jerusalem with their language and culture to rebuild our second temple. The Law was unearthed at the site of our Temple, only to have Jerusalem’s second temple destroyed once more.
Now they have a third grand enough for a Roman Jerusalem, but here in the north we cling to a distanced faith in the LORD.
Zebedee’s Galilee, Samaria & Judea
Our forefathers who had remained in Samaria (as my ancestral lands were called by others) were hated by Babylonian Jews when they returned to Judea with their eastern ways.
Three centuries ago Jerusalem and our land surrounding the Galilee capitulated to Alexander of Macedon. Our fathers were like the rest of the world around us now dominated by this man some still worship as ‘Alexander the Great.’
But after Alexander died, Jews populating the entire world were still caught strategically in the middle of all the changing empires. Egypt ruled us again. Seleucids dominated our land just a couple of hundred years ago, before Rome defeated them.
The Maccabees once led a revolt to retake Jerusalem from the Seleucid idolaters. Then we held a measure of independence for about four generations.
But now that less-than-pure Herod has again rebuilt the Temple under the thumb of his friends in Rome.
Zebedee’s family perspective
My grandfather told us stories of Herod coming into power after the Roman Pompey appointed our High Priest.
He sent more than eight Legions here then made our king his Syrian vassal. What right does Rome have to appoint our king or choose the LORD’s priests?
To this day, Rome remains ruthless against most ordinary Jews, especially national zealots. Their Prefects administer our so-called Syrian provinces and our king collects their taxes.
Schools of Jewish Thought
I have several school choices where I could send my sons James and John to learn our faith. Trouble is that they vary greatly in what Jewish worship of the LORD has become in this day.
Pharisees, Sadducees & Essenes
The Ḥasidim ha-Rishonim helped bring about the revolt against the Hellenists, but years ago their school faded into a sect of the Pharisees.
I could send James or John to a well-known teacher of the Law, Philo, in Alexandria in nearby Egypt. Although there too, as with Rome and the Hellenists, they teach a different faith than that which spread back toward Galilee from the fertile crescent of Abraham.
Some Sadducees descended from Zadok are Elders teaching strict adherence to the Law, but their rich lives reflect liberal interpretations when it comes to political compromise.
In Jerusalem I have heard some good things about Gamaliel the new Elder descendant of Hillel, whose brother a trader from Babylon I have met. The religion of Jerusalem (and Herod) though are too tainted by politics away from which I hope to keep my sons.
Beit Shammai most likely would never admit sons such as mine unworthy of Jerusalem’s religious elite. They seem to be Zealots of a sort without the sicarii concealed under their tasseled cloaks.
And then there are the Essenes, who remain faithful to Scripture but hardly fit in to the day to day lives of merchants like us who must make a living by trade with others.
Historical Differences
Most jews have become proselytized Hellenists! Some four million of the seed of Abraham in the Empire now.
I trade mostly with Jews from the diaspora to the east. They too debate this and argue that, so I’m not sure who to believe from conversations with merchant Jews from all over the Empire and beyond.
‘Houses of Instruction,’ as they are now called. In which school of Jewish thought should I raise my sons James and John?
Zebedee’s Prayerful Choice of Schools
John is very young but like when we work in our fishing fleet, John will be in the capable hands of my eldest son James. I have prayed to the LORD to place them both into His care and teaching.
Alexandria and even Jerusalem seem to far from us in many ways. We still have to make our living on the sea.
The quiet places seem less likely to draw my sons away from the LORD. So after much prayer I lean toward a rabbi preaching repentance among the Essenes. This John is quickly gaining in fame and followers all up and down the Jordan.
John the Baptizer
Mark 1 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.
I had heard a story some time back from a merchant traveling back from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. My wife had also heard rumors of the words of a prophetess well-known in Jerusalem.
Prior to the Baptist’s Birth
There was a priest named Zacharias who was performing his priestly service before God in the Temple. Many witnesses in Jerusalem, including the man who told this to me, supposed that this priest saw an angel of the LORD in the Holy of Holies.
The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.
Luke 1:21-23 NASB
My wife later told me of a story that she had heard of this priest’s barren wife.
She was of the line of Aaron and even in her advanced years later had a son. And her husband commanded her to name their son, John.
The second amazing thing about this is that Zacharias had not been able to speak since that day my friend told me about him in Jerusalem. But on the day he named his son John, his voice returned!
Others have confirmed this story about John son of Zacharias, who his followers call “JOHN THE BAPTIST.”
The Lord though my own prayer has directed me to send my sons to this rabbi in the wilderness of the Jordan. For John preaches to all a calling to all faithful Jews:
“I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
John 1:23 NASB, quoting Isaiah 40
Zebedee’s Conclusion
James and John followed John the Baptist and it was not long until the Lord confirmed our choice to send them to this great teacher, who Herod now as already killed. Both of our boys told us of their God-led calling while John still preached at the Jordan.
I will tell it to you from my own son’s Good News of the Messiah.
John 1:
35 Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God!”
37 The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
(Of course my son John was one of these and he immediately told his older brother James.)
38 And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them,
“What do you seek?”
They said to Him,
“Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”
39 He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.
Zebedee – Father of Apostles
My dear wife, mother to James and John, joined me in following our Messiah Jesus, whom our sons follow.
I plea to you to hear John’s Gospel or this Good News through any others of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus the Messiah.
Beloved brothers and sisters, chosen by the Lord God, I pray that the LORD will bless you and keep you and be gracious to you as He has done for me and my family.
Amen.
God willing, we will return to John's Gospel from where we paused after the Holy Spirit in my next post. Roger
