Jesus calls upon twelve men to become His disciples. In the book of Mark, chapter three, He coins two brothers the "sons of thunder". It is the only place in the entire Bible that mentions the nickname given to these two individuals and there really isn't any explanation as to why. James and John, the sons of Zebedee are the two in reference. Jesus would not give the brothers a nickname such as this, unless it was warranted. Theologians and church leaders depict James and John as colorful characters, rough around the edges types of men who wasn't afraid of confrontation, and may have in fact welcomed it!
Mark 3:17 "And he surnamed them Boanerges, which is the sons of thunder." Jesus never says anything, just to be saying it. There is always intelligent reasoning behind what our Lord says, so He must have had a good reason for dabbing James and John "Boanerges".
It wasn't just James and John of Zebedee that Jesus gave a nickname too. He also gave one to Peter, which was Simon, which means "stone" or "rock". These three were the "inner circle" of Jesus' ministry. They seem to have had a deeper relationship with Jesus than the others, so this maybe the reasons for the nicknames. There are two recordings in scripture that may give us an idea as to why Jesus gave the two brothers the name "Boanerges".
Luke 9:54 "Lord wilt thou that we command fire to come down from Heaven, and consume them." Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem, but was met with opposition from the people simply because their destination was Jerusalem. James and John's response reveals animosity and anger that could be properly called "thunderous".
Mark 10:35-37 James and John came to Jesus saying, "Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory." Their ambition and zealously proved how much they loved and wanted to serve Christ.
Many scholars describe James and John as "resolute, vigorous, active, and forceful." Also, "intuitive and reflective." These two disciples of Jesus were men of action and ready to meet any challenge. Seeing these attributes about these two brothers, we can conclude that the nickname was probably fitting. Though John was of the "Boanerges", after walking with Jesus for a lifetime, he earned another title: Apostle of love.
Mark 3:17 "And he surnamed them Boanerges, which is the sons of thunder." Jesus never says anything, just to be saying it. There is always intelligent reasoning behind what our Lord says, so He must have had a good reason for dabbing James and John "Boanerges".
It wasn't just James and John of Zebedee that Jesus gave a nickname too. He also gave one to Peter, which was Simon, which means "stone" or "rock". These three were the "inner circle" of Jesus' ministry. They seem to have had a deeper relationship with Jesus than the others, so this maybe the reasons for the nicknames. There are two recordings in scripture that may give us an idea as to why Jesus gave the two brothers the name "Boanerges".
Luke 9:54 "Lord wilt thou that we command fire to come down from Heaven, and consume them." Jesus and His disciples were traveling through Samaria on their way to Jerusalem, but was met with opposition from the people simply because their destination was Jerusalem. James and John's response reveals animosity and anger that could be properly called "thunderous".
Mark 10:35-37 James and John came to Jesus saying, "Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory." Their ambition and zealously proved how much they loved and wanted to serve Christ.
Many scholars describe James and John as "resolute, vigorous, active, and forceful." Also, "intuitive and reflective." These two disciples of Jesus were men of action and ready to meet any challenge. Seeing these attributes about these two brothers, we can conclude that the nickname was probably fitting. Though John was of the "Boanerges", after walking with Jesus for a lifetime, he earned another title: Apostle of love.
