God can use overzealous and ambitious people for His glory.

Like Peter and Andrew, James and John were fishermen. One day as Jesus walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee, He saw them in a boat with their father Zebedee and some hired servants. When Jesus called them to follow Him, they immediately left the boat and went with Him ( Mark 1:19- 19 And going on a little further, he saw James the `son' of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending the nets. 20).

James and John were zealous and ambitious men—so much so that Jesus nicknamed them "Boanerges," which means, "Sons of Thunder" ( Mark 3:17 17 and James the `son' of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and them he surnamed Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder: ). At times their great zeal got the better of them. In Luke 9:54 54 And when his disciples James and John saw `this', they said, Lord, wilt thou that we bid fire to come down from heaven, and consume them? for example, after a Samaritan village had rejected some of the disciples, James and John asked Jesus for permission to call down fire from heaven to incinerate the whole village! On another occasion they sent their mother to ask Jesus to give them the most prominent places in His kingdom (Matt. 20:20-28). They wanted power, prestige, and honor, but Jesus promised them suffering and, in James's case, a martyr's grave.

James was probably the eldest of the two brothers. His name is listed first whenever their names appear together in Scripture. Perhaps he was also the most zealous and passionate of the two since that he was the first apostle to be martyred. When King Herod decided to persecute the early church, he had James put to death with a sword ( Acts 12:2 2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. ). When he saw how much that pleased the Jewish people, he had Peter arrested but didn't kill him. Apparently James was a bigger threat than Peter. That tells us something about the powerful ministry he must have had.

Like James and John, some Christians have a zeal that prompts them to run ahead of the Holy Spirit. If that's true of you, be thankful for your zeal but also be careful to allow the Spirit to govern what you do and say. However, if you've slipped into spiritual complacency and your life isn't much of a threat to Satan's kingdom, you need to repent and become more zealous for the Lord!

Suggestions for Prayer

Ask God to give you a holy zeal that's motivated by love and governed by His Spirit.

For Further Study

Read John 2:12-22 12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and `his' brethren, and his disciples; and there they abode not many days. 13 And the passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables; 16 and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, Zeal for thy house shall eat me up. 18 The Jews therefore answered and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 The Jews therefore said, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou raise it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he spake this; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said. .

• How did Jesus demonstrate His zeal for God's house?
• Why were His actions necessary?

From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.

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