From the sound, one might think that "Sons of Thunder" is one of those armies in Old Testament times—maybe one whose warriors went undefeated in every battle. But the nickname "Sons of Thunder" belonged to two of the New Testament's most important men. Two men who played great roles in Jesus' ministry. They weren't great fighters; they were simple fishermen. Yet the "thunder" they were known for would end up resounding the message of the gospel's good news.
The gospels mention that all 12 disciples—Simon, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot—were called after Jesus was baptized and emerged from His temptation in the wilderness. One wonders if, during those 40 days, God revealed to Him who He should call to be His disciples. Jesus could have worked with anyone and molded them into gospel ministers, but were there character traits that God wanted to use to support Jesus' mission?
The gospels give different details about when Jesus called the sons of thunder to follow him. In Matthew and Mark's gospels, Jesus calls Simon and Andrew from their fishing boat to join Him.
Then, "going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were preparing their nets in a boat with their father, Zebedee. Jesus called them, so they left the boat and followed him (Matthew 4:21:22, Mark 1:19-20).
Luke's gospel details the miracle fish catch that "caught" the heart of Simon and amazed Andrew, James, and John—who immediately followed Jesus as well. Surprisingly, John's gospel mentions Simon, Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael, but not John and James. Perhaps, since John was the author of this gospel, he didn't feel the need to talk about Jesus recruiting him and his brother. Or maybe, since John wrote his gospel some 60-70 years after Jesus' death, he preferred to concentrate on calling himself "the one whom Jesus loved" and felt "Sons of Thunder" had a negative connotation.
The term "Sons of Thunder" would likely have to do with personality traits like how loud and boisterous they were. According to Matthew Henry, "perhaps they were remarkable for a loud commanding voice, they were thundering preachers; or, rather, it denotes the zeal and fervency of their spirits, which would make them active for God above their brethren. These two . . . were said to be special eminent ministers of the gospel, which is called a voice shaking the earth, Heb 12:26."
Could there have been other reasons for them to have this powerful nickname? Maybe they were "puffed up" or arrogant because Jesus had given the disciples the ability to heal the sick and cast out demons. We already know that John was called the "disciple that Jesus loved" who was next to him at the Passover meal. Was he a teacher's pet who, with his brother, thought they had the power to ask Jesus to do amazing things for them, regardless of who else the power affected? Was it because Jesus involved them in amazing miracles like the Transfiguration?
Some have theorized that when Jesus was on trial, and John attended because he knew the High Priest, may mean that Zebedee had money and influence. If so, the privilege may explain their audacity.
Two main stories focus on James and John and their attitudes that would have made "Sons of Thunder" a very apt description. The first is a story in Luke when Jesus and the disciples were about to head to Jerusalem for the last time. Jesus sent messengers to a Samaritan village to prepare things for him. The townspeople were callous when Jesus came, which angered James and John. They asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" (Luke 9:54) The fact that Jesus immediately rebuked them likely confirms that "Sons of Thunder" was not a term of endearment.
In the second instance, their mother, Salome, made a very bold request of Jesus. In Matthew 20, we read:
"She said, 'Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom.' 'You don't know what you are asking,' Jesus said to them. 'Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?' 'We can,' they answered. Jesus said to them, 'You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father. When the 10 heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers." (Matthew 20:20-25)
It wasn't bad enough that they sent their mother to ask, but it is obvious that no one on the scene except Jesus knew what it would mean to "drink the cup I am going to drink." The cup of salvation—the cup of His blood shed for the world's sins–is what they claimed they could drink. The fact that they wanted to be seated in heaven's greatest places of power was arrogant enough that it's no wonder that the rest of the disciples were indignant.
As Jesus was crucified, John, "the disciple that Jesus loved," was the only one of the remaining 11 disciples to witness the crucifixion. As he stood with Mary, the mother of Jesus, Jesus gave them to each other as mother and son—meaning John would take care of her. After Jesus' resurrection, the disciples became foundational members of the early church. They soon began to suffer for their faith: James was the first apostle to be martyred (Acts 12).
John traveled with Peter to witness the good news and heal those in need (Acts 3-4). Later, he wrote the gospel of John (between 90-100 AD) and three epistles. In his last years, when he was exiled to the island of Patmos, John wrote the book of Revelation. He is believed to be the only one of the 11 disciples who did not die by martyrdom. Tradition maintains that he died of old age on Patmos.
James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”), Mark 3:17
The Sons of Thunder
Jesus calls upon twelve men to become His apostles in Mark 3. Amid the twelve are “James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”)” (Mark 3:17). This is the sole location in the Bible that references the name of Zebedee's sons as the "Sons of Thunder."
You don’t get a nickname like Sons of Thunder for no reason. But that is how Jesus’ disciples, James and John, were known. They were rough-hewn guys—amazing, colorful characters. They would not back away from a confrontation. In fact, they might even have looked forward to one. They could be very aggressive. And they also could be very insensitive.
Transformed by God
On one occasion, when the people in a village of Samaria were not responsive to the message of Jesus, it was James and John who wanted to call down fire from heaven on them (see Luke 9:54). When Jesus spoke of His own impending death, about how he would be betrayed and then handed over to the Gentiles to be mocked, spit upon, scourged, and ultimately killed, James and John blurted out, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask. . . . Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory” (Mark 10:35, 37 NKJV). Was that a good time to bring this up? It would be like saying, “Really? Could I have your car?” to someone who just found out they had one week to live. These guys just said what they thought. And they were just like us: hopelessly human and remarkably unremarkable.
But God transformed them. And at the end of their lives, these men, who were known as Sons of Thunder, became known for something else. James was the first apostle to be martyred. And John became known as the apostle of love. He was the author of the Gospel of John as well as the epistles of 1, 2, and 3 John. God made James and John into different people than they were before—and He can do the same for us.
Taken from “Sons of Thunder” by Harvest Ministries (used by permission).
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Trifonov_Evgeniy
Mary Oelerich-Meyer is a Chicago-area freelance writer and copy editor who prayed for years for a way to write about and for the Lord. She spent 20 years writing for area healthcare organizations, interviewing doctors and clinical professionals and writing more than 1,500 articles in addition to marketing collateral materials. Important work, but not what she felt called to do. She is grateful for any opportunity to share the Lord in her writing and editing, believing that life is too short to write about anything else. Previously she served as Marketing Communications Director for a large healthcare system. She holds a B.A. in International Business and Marketing from Cornell College (the original Cornell!) When not researching or writing, she loves to spend time with her writer daughter, granddaughter, rescue doggie and husband (not always in that order).
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
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