Exploring The Chosen: The Sons of Thunder
No exploration of The Chosen or the Gospels can be complete without studying two Apostles in Jesus’ innermost circle: James and John, both sons of Zebedee, and sometimes referred to as the Sons of Thunder. The show refers to James, son of Zebedee, as “Big James,” and we’ll continue that here to differentiate from another of Jesus’ Apostles named James (the son of Alphaeus), and Jesus’ brother James (who was not an Apostle) who wrote the Epistle of James in the Bible. The terms “Big James” and “Little James” are not used in the Bible, but the terms “James the Greater” and “James the Lesser/Younger” have been used in church history to differentiate between the two Apostles named James (and the Bible also uses “James the Less” to differentiate). (The Gospels can get confusing because many characters share the same names. We have at least eight Simons (Simon Peter, Simon the Zealot (another Apostle), Simon the Cyrene (who carried Jesus’ cross), Simon the Leper, Simon the Pharisee, Simon the Sorcerer, Simon Iscariot (Judas’ father), and Simon the Tanner), multiple Jameses, and at least six Marys to contend with!)
What We Know About The Apostles James The Greater and John
James and John were brothers and were partners in the fishing business on the Sea of Galilee with brothers Simon Peter and Andrew (Luke 5:10), who Jesus called to become his followers and Apostles. James, John, and Peter became part of Jesus' innermost circle of disciples, were the only three that witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-9, and Jesus again took only these three with Him when He went further into the Garden of Gethsemane to pray before being betrayed by Judas leading to His crucifixion (Mark 14:32-42).
Scripture indicates that John and Jesus had a particularly close relationship, and throughout John’s Gospel, John refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). Furthermore, while hanging on the Cross, Jesus entrusted the care of His mother Mary to John (John 19:25-27). Many biblical scholars believe that John was the only Apostle who was at the Cross during Jesus’ crucifixion.
Why Are They Called “Sons of Thunder?”
James and John are introduced in Mark 3:17 as, “James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them He (Jesus) gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder.” While it is not stated in this passage why Jesus gave them this moniker, we get some indication from other encounters they have with the Savior.
In Luke 9:54, the brothers suggest calling down fire from Heaven to a Samaritan village who rejected Jesus, which Jesus quickly rebukes. The Chosen portrays this moment with a bit of humor and shows how Jesus corrected the hatred James and John harbored toward Samaritans (all Jews hated the Samaritans). In another situation, the brothers vie for a position of power and honor in Jesus’ Kingdom, asking that one be seated on His right hand and one on his left (Mark 10:35-45). Indeed, it is clear from Scripture that James and John were a bit impulsive, impetuous, aggressive, and prideful, yet this was transformed into zeal for the Lord after following Him.
What The Chosen Adds
Fewer subplots in the show have featured James and John thus far, and therefore, there is less extrabiblical material to cover. We don’t know that Jesus asked James and John to plow a field, but we do know they harbored resentment toward Samaritans that Jesus rebuked (Luke 9:54-56). We also don’t have all recordings of the debates about leadership among disciples that The Chosen includes, but we know these types of debates did occur and that James and John desired to be honored above the rest. (Matthew 18:1-4; 20:20-28; Mark 9:33-35; 10:35-45; Luke 9:46-48).
The Future of James and John
The Chosen opens Season Two with the disciples gathered back in Jerusalem from their missionary work for James the Greater’s funeral. While we don’t know that all the disciples gathered together at this time, we do know that James was martyred for his faith by King Herod (Acts 12:1-2). Many scholars believe James was the first Apostle to be martyred for his faith.
John went on to pen five New Testament books: The Gospel of John, The three Epistles of John (1 John, 2 John, and 3 John), and Revelation. The Book of Acts indicates that John spent much of his ministry in Jerusalem with Peter, and was a pillar of the Jerusalem church (Galatians 2:9; Acts 3:1, 4:13; 8:14). He was exiled to the island of Patmos for his faith, where he received the visions about the End Times recorded in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 1:9). Many biblical scholars believe (and Church History teaches) John is the only Apostle not to be martyred for his faith (although he did die in exile, suffering as he was cut off from those he loved and treated brutally).
What to Learn from James and John
There’s no question that James and John were extremely influential in the spread of Christianity. Beyond just John’s writings in the New Testament, there is much we can learn from their story.
God can mold our shortcomings to become assets for His Kingdom. James and John possessed boisterousness and boldness that led Jesus to call them the “Sons of Thunder,” and they certainly demonstrated strong-headedness, anger, passion, ambition, and pride in the Gospels. Yet, through Jesus’ transforming work in their life, those shortcomings were changed to boldness and zeal for Christ, the Truth and the Gospel. And John’s writings include much about love and compassion.
Families aren’t always a good influence. Jesus called two sets of brothers to be Apostles: Simon Peter and Andrew, and James and John. Andrew and Simon Peter demonstrate how families can be instrumental in bringing others to Jesus, as Andrew immediately told Simon Peter about Jesus after Andrew saw Jesus with John the Baptist (Luke 1:35-42). On the other hand, James and John’s own mother named Salome is shown to influence them to sin by asking Jesus if her sons can sit in the position of power and honor on Jesus’ right and left hands (Matthew 20:20-21). (Although it may have been that James and John set Salome up to ask Jesus for them when we read the same account in Mark 10:35-45). Salome became a very devoted follower of Jesus and was with Jesus at the foot of the Cross (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40) and brought spices to anoint Jesus after His crucifixion (Mark 16:1-8). Many biblical scholars also believe that Salome was Mother Mary’s sister (John 19:25), and while this is not clear from the Bible, it does fit well within the Scripture we do have. It that is the case, then John, James the Greater, and Jesus were cousins. James, John, and Salome all show that Jesus can transform us and work in and through each of us as Christians, even though we are all sinners.
Jesus loves us individually. The Gospels show that Jesus had an individual relationship with the disciples, which is especially evident with John. This is something I think The Chosen shows very well. Jesus loves all humankind, but He also loves each of us individually. He loves all the things that make you you, and He wants to have a personal relationship with you. So how often are you speaking to Jesus, and asking Him to continue to transform you into the person He made you to be? How well are you representing Jesus to others? Do others see Jesus working in your life? All you have to do is ask Him and be willing and available for Him to utilize!