“James and John, the sons of Zebedee”
In the gospel reading, besides Jesus, the two main characters in the story are the brothers James and John. James and John are very important to the Church and to Christ.
Who are James and John? James and John were both members of the twelve apostles. There are two James’ in the twelve apostles, so this James is also known as “James the Greater”. Why? It’s not because he was “holier” than the other James, but because “simply to state the different importance they receive in the writings of the New Testament and, in particular, in the setting of Jesus’ earthly life.” [1]
John, whose name means “the Lord has worked grace”, was working on his fishing nets on the shore of Lake Tiberias when Jesus called him and his brother to follow him. [2] Like his brother, “John was always among the small group that Jesus took with him on specific occasions. He was with Peter and James when Jesus entered Peter’s house in Capernaum to cure his mother-in-law; with the other two, he followed the Teacher into the house of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue whose daughter he was to bring back to life; he followed him when he climbed the mountain for his Transfiguration.” [3] John was always by Jesus’ side, even to the point of Jesus’ crucifixion, where he stood at the foot of the cross with Mary of Magdala and Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Why did James and John ask for prestige and not any of the other apostles? In Matthew’s Gospel, the mother of James and John go up to Jesus and not the two brothers. [4] Either way the request was raised to Jesus of placing James and John on His right and left. The main reason for this request was, as mentioned in the first lesson, to be placed in a seat of power and honor. “As we know, Jesus answered by asking a question in turn: he asked whether they were prepared to drink the cup that he was about to drink. The intention behind those words was to open the two disciples’ eyes, to introduce them to knowledge of the mystery of his person and to suggest their future calling to be his witnesses, even to the supreme trial of blood.” [5]
Do James and John understand what Jesus is saying to them after their request? No, they do not fully understand what Jesus was asking of them. However, each of them, especially John, “…finds himself face to face with suffering and humiliation; he sees with his own eyes how the Son of God humbles himself, making himself obedient unto death. The latter experience was certainly an opportunity for him to grow in faith, to adjust the unilateral, triumphalist interpretation of the former experience: he had to discern that the Messiah, whom the Jewish people were awaiting as a victor, was in fact not only surrounded by honor and glory, but also by suffering and weakness. Christ’s glory was fulfilled precisely on the Cross, in his sharing in our sufferings.” [6]
What happened to James and John after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension? “We know James was a martyr. We read in Acts that King Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the Great, “laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the Church. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword.” [7]
One traditions holds that James visited Spain to evangelize, but another tradition claims that it was only after his death that his body was taken to the city of of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. “As we all know, that place became the object of great veneration and is still the destination of numerous pilgrimages, not only from Europe but from the whole world. This explains the iconographical representation of St. James with the pilgrim’s staff and the scroll of the Gospel in hand, typical features of the traveling Apostle dedicated to the proclamation of the ‘Good News’ and characteristics of the pilgrimage of Christian life.” [8]
MOVIE – The Way Movie Trailer
The movie is about a father walking the Camino de Santiago in honor of his son. He walks one of the oldest pilgrimages in the world to the grave of St. James.
“John was busy at work for the Church with Peter soon after the Resurrection. “In the Church of Jerusalem, John occupied an important position in supervising the first group of Christians. Indeed, Paul lists him among those whom he calls the ‘pillars’ of that community.” [9] After several attempts to kill John, including one tradition holds the roman emperor Dometian tried to dunk John in boiling oil and nothing happened to him, John was put into exile on the island of Pathmos. There he wrote much of his works. John is attributed to writing the Gospel of John, his three epistles and the Book of Revelation. He would be the last apostle to die around the year 100AD of natural causes. [10]
What example do James and John leave behind? “Thus James the Greater stands before us as an eloquent example of generous adherence to Christ. He, who initially had requested, through his mother, to be seated with his brother next to the Master in his Kingdom, was precisely the first to drink the chalice of the passion and to share martyrdom with the Apostles.” [11]
For John, “It is precisely this frankness in confessing his faith that lives on as an example and a warning for all of us always to be ready to declare firmly our steadfast attachment to Christ, putting faith before any human calculation or concern.” [12]
How do we relate to James and John? “The Apostles were Jesus’ traveling companions, Jesus’ friends. Their journey with Jesus was not only a physical journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, but an interior journey during which they learned faith in Jesus Christ, not without difficulty, for they were people like us. But for this very reason, because they were Jesus’ traveling companions, Jesus’ friends, who learned faith on a journey that was far from easy, they are also guides for us, who help us to know Jesus Christ, to love him and to have faith in him.” [13]
“And, in the end, summarizing everything, we can say that the journey, not only exterior but above all interior, from the mount of the Transfiguration to the mount of the Agony, symbolizes the entire pilgrimage of Christian life, among the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God, as the Second Vatican Council says. In following Jesus, like St. James, we know that even in difficulties we are on the right path.” [14]
[1] Benedict XVI, The Apostles pg. 65
[2] cf. Mt. 4:21; Mk. 1:19
[3] Benedict XVI, The Apostles pg. 75
[4] cf. Mt. 20:20-21
[5] Benedict XVI, The Apostles pg. 76
[6] Benedict XVI, The Apostles pg. 66
[7] Acts 12:1-2
[8] Benedict XVI, The Apostles pg. 67
[9] Benedict XVI, The Apostles pg. 76
[10] cf. http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=228
[11] Benedict XVI, The Apostles pg. 67
[12] Benedict XVI, The Apostles pg. 77
[13] Benedict XVI, General Audience, August 9, 2006
[14] Benedict XVI, The Apostles pg. 67-68