In It Together
In It Together
“Sons of Thunder.” That’s the nickname Jesus gave to James and John, Sons of Zebedee, in Greek, “Bonaerges.” In a very colloquial British paraphrase of the New Testament entitled “Good As New,” Simon Peter is “Rocky,” James is “Thunder,” and John is “Lightning.” If “Lightning” is appropriate for the Apostle to whom is attributed the Gospel of the Light shining through the darkness and coming into the world, then that would leave the “Thunder” which follows the lightning to James. And while the Christians in Jerusalem perhaps made a convenient enemy for King Herod, one can’t help but wonder if “Thunder” made it easy for Herod to pick him out.
And, was “Thunder” always a compliment? Probably not in today’s “Good As New” reading. On the other hand, were the other 10 apostles angry with the brothers’ request mostly because the brothers thought of it first? As far as we can tell from the story of Humanity (or History), until our own time, humans have felt more secure with hierarchy. Democracy was a brief 70 year experiment in a Greek city-state. Israel was originally a confederation of 12 tribes with a series of judges called on when serious issues needed deciding. That’s the distinction that Jesus is partly alluding to when he contrasts the Gentile hierarchies with the restored Israel represented by the 12 apostles. But even they eventually decided they wanted a king.
Even as some Jews in Jesus’s time looked forward to a messianic liberator, their ideal Godly society was also hierarchical. In their vision of the messianic banquet, the Jewish sect of the Essenes envisioned the priest first, then the messiah of Israel, then the heads of the congregation’s clans in a descending order of status. Perhaps, in a world of colliding powers, we want God to be the biggest power, and power must be appeased before any other relationship can be established.
But: “It will not be so among you.” Imperial hierarchies do not bring us closer to divine power; nor do religious ones. That’s not to say there aren’t leaders in the Church. But true leaders in the Body of Christ don’t wait for their subjects to come to them in a circle of obedience. They go ahead of an advancing line, taking the point, being the first to get shot at. In that sense, I suppose that James finally got it right as the first of the Twelve to be martyred for the One who went ahead of him, and took the first shot.
Honestly, the Church has not been immune from the temptation of hierarchy (He said sarcastically). It matters that in our Catechism, the first of the four orders of ministry is the Laity (BCP pp. 855-56). You all are the ones whom the bishops, priests, and deacons feed with Word and Sacrament then dismiss with God’s blessing. That’s why we also call the Holy Eucharist the Mass, from the Latin missa.
The Rev. Amanda Akes-Cardwell serves as Diocesan Director for Formation and Discernment, stewarding our ministries for youth, young adults, campus ministries and the priesthood ordination process. This week, she wrote about the Four Orders of Ministry, and it dovetails with the idea of Christian ministry as service rather than hierarchy:
“[L]ay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons. Each has a distinct role, but none is more ‘ministerial’ than the others. Each is sacred and important in the way they uniquely serve God and God’s world ... It’s easy to slip into mistaking ‘ministry’ as something only clergy do. The theology of The Episcopal Church reminds us otherwise. Every baptized person is already a minister, equipped at the font, [fed at the Altar and] sent out at the dismissal. Bishops, priests, and deacons exist to support, order, and strengthen baptismal ministry. Four orders, one ministry — to seek and serve Christ — and all of us in it together.”
If our fellow patron James didn’t understand that in the Gospel, I do believe he understood it by the time of the Acts of the Apostles. By his intercession, may we, all of us in it together, understand it as well.
July 26th, 2026
Patronal Feast of St. James the Apostle
The Rev. David Kendrick