James

AI summary: James matters because the cross references place him among the closest witnesses to Jesus' public ministry and suffering. He appears in the apostolic call, among the three present at Jairus's house, the transfiguration, and Gethsemane, and is remembered for boldness with John as one of the "sons of thunder." His death under Herod Agrippa gives the early church its first apostolic martyrdom. Taken together, the material presents this James as a privileged witness whose path from intimate discipleship to violent death reflects both the nearness and cost of following Christ.¹

The son of Zebedee and Salome; an elder brother of John the apostle. He was one of the twelve. He was by trade a fisherman, in partnership with Peter (Matt. 20:20; 27:56). With John and Peter he was present at the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1; Mark 9:2), at the raising of Jairus’s daughter (Mark 5:37-43), and in the garden with our Lord (14:33). Because, probably, of their boldness and energy, he and John were called Boanerges, i.e., “sons of thunder.” He was the first martyr among the apostles, having been beheaded by King Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1, 2), A.D. 44. (Comp. Matt. 4:21; 20:20-23). ³