The Feast of St. James the Great
The Feast of St. James the Greater
Written by Blake Plympton
When was the last time you met someone extremely passionate about selling you something? Was it a person in the store trying to sign you up for a membership somewhere? Maybe it was at Costco on your way out asking about your AC unit or water treatment system. For all I know, it very well could have been Billy Mays telling you about the extraordinary powers of Oxy Clean! In a world driven by consumerism, it is unsurprising that we encounter these kinds of people. Everywhere we go, someone or something is pushing us toward a specific product or plan that will change our lives.
Although salesmen are indeed in our faces trying to sell us something, we might say that religious people are the same way. For instance, there is a popular figure on social media right now who is on the streets trying to convert people to Islam. Here in Arizona, we might also find passionate Mormons going door to door asking people if they know about Jesus in a disguised attempt to bring people into their cultish religion. As Christians, we might be accused of the same kinds of manipulation or coercion as some of these other groups. However, there is something that should separate us as Christians from the rest of those in the examples and so many others.
As I was reading about James the Great, it came across to me that he was a man of zeal. For starters, he and his brother John were given the nickname “Sons of Thunder” in scripture (Mark 3:17). Of all the nicknames in the Bible, that has to be the coolest. Although this sounds super cool, it’s a bit more insulting than one might think. It is believed that James and John were given this name because of their tempers. One source put it nicely and said they were given this nickname because of their “zeal and dedication.”
One example of their zeal was when Jesus and his disciples were not allowed to enter a village of the Samaritans. Upon being rejected, the two brothers asked, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:54) Talk about a strong response! Jesus, though, ends up rebuking them for their behavior and words before moving on and away from the village.
The other example of them expressing their zeal for the Lord is found in Matthew 20. Jesus finishes his parable about the laborers in the vineyard and then addresses his twelve disciples about his coming death on the cross. In response to this, the brothers’ mother rushes them up to Jesus and asks if her two sons could sit on either side of Jesus in his kingdom. (I wonder where the brothers got their zeal from?) Not only did their mom do this, but when Jesus asked them if they could drink from his cup, they replied with a resounding “Yes”. (v. 22)
Both these men had a zeal for the Lord that was unmatched. This is why the other disciples were indignant with them when they asked about sitting at his right and left hands. Their mother may have instigated this power play of sorts, but it was the brothers who ultimately wanted a higher position than all the other disciples. Talk about great zeal! But the reason I mention these two examples of them expressing their zeal is to show that although can be great to have a zeal for something, if it is expressed or brought forth in the wrong way, it can lead to a path of pain.
Let's stop and think of a historical example to bring it home. During the Crusades, it was common that after conquering a land, the Christian knights would demand that people either be baptized or die by the sword. By doing this, they in turn, “converted” the nations into becoming “Christian.” This kind of silly logic reminds me of being in elementary school and claiming that I was married to a girl just because I thought she was cute. That is absurd! Although we want to see the gospel spread around the globe to all nations and people, we do not want to force people to follow our beliefs and traditions without them first coming to that conclusion themselves.
But James the Great helps us, in some ways, to have a better understanding of what zeal can look like. If we are following Jesus well, why would we not be upset about people turning away from him? It should evoke feelings of sadness and anger when people deny Christ to our faces or on social media. We should want to speak up against the evil in this world and fight for goodness and truth. But those understandable reactions do not make it right to turn around and punch someone in the face for rejecting Christ.
Instead, our zeal should drive us to better worship, evangelism, discipleship, and prayer. It should drive us to speak up for the lost, broken, poor, widow, and orphan. At the same time, our zeal should not cause us to sin. We should not find ourselves acting out of anger and slandering or gossiping about our neighbors. Our zeal should not drive a wedge between us and our neighbor and end up in fights that cause us to sin more than what we already do.
Cultivating a zeal and passion for Jesus should be part of our discipleship. Everywhere we will express what zeal we already have and learn to have a greater zeal for the Lord. So, may we learn how to cultivate a well-balanced zeal for Jesus so that others might be able to hear about the saving Grace that we experience and so that we can together fight back against the powers of evil and darkness.
A Prayer for St. James the Great (BCP 2019, p. 630)
O gracious God, your servant and apostle James was first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ: Pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service, by which they may have true authority among your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
1. Who are some people in your life that have a real zeal for the Lord?
a. What would you say it is about them that makes you think they are zealous?
b. Do these people all have the same personality time or can zeal look a lot of different ways?
2. In what ways would you like to be more zealous for God?
a. When has your zeal been corrupted by sin and/or led you to sin?
3. What are some things you are afraid of when it comes to having more zeal?
4. What are some ways that you can partner with Jesus in the fight against evil and darkness?
Resources
2. https://www.acelamirada.org/news/2020/7/25/the-feast-of-st-james-the-great
3. https://aleteia.org/daily-prayer/monday-july-25/
4. https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-james/