James The Son of Zebedee

Moore's Corner Church

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So the Apostle of the Week for this Sunday is the Apostle James.

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He's often referred to as James, the son of Zebedee. John was his brother, and together,

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Jesus gave them the nickname, Sons of Thunder, which likely referred to their hot temper.

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James is also called James the Greater, or as some people say, Big James, to distinguish him from the other

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Apostle named James, who people called James the Less. So two different Apostles named

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James, just like there's two different Apostles named Judas and two different Apostles named

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Simon. But to prevent confusion, think of it this way. The Apostles, when referred to, are always mentioned in a certain order.

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There's like groupings of four. So the first four Apostles in any list are the four fishermen.

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So Peter and his brother, Andrew, James, and his brother, John. They were the most significant of the 12.

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And then it goes to the next group of four, which are Philip, Thomas, Matthew, and Nathaniel, who

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Nathaniel's also called Bartholomew. And then the final group of four, arguably the least significant, or so it seems, would be

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James the Less, Simon the Zealot, Thaddeus, and then Judas Iscariot.

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Thaddeus was also named Judas, Judas not Iscariot. I don't mean to confuse you with all the details, but that's just the way it is.

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So whether James is called James the Greater because he was older or taller or just more influential, we're not exactly sure.

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But we do know that he was part of Jesus's inner circle, right? Three Apostles always seem to be named together,

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Peter, James, and John. They got to see things and hear things that the other

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Apostles didn't. For example, James was privileged to see the

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Lord transformed on the mountain, the Mount of Transfiguration. James is also described as one of the very first disciples to join

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Jesus. But another first that James is known for, he was the first Apostle to be martyred for the faith.

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In fact, he is the only Apostle in Scripture where his death is recorded, with the exception of Judas, who may or may not count depending on your opinion.

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So Acts chapter 12, verse two, says that Herod the King killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.

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And then it says, and because Herod saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize

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Peter also. But Peter, if you know the story, he was eventually delivered by an angel.

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So why the Lord allowed Peter to live and James to die, we do not know, but here's what we do know.