Fishermen by trade, James and his brother John, the Evangelist, left behind their nets and their father Zebedee to follow Jesus. The brothers revealed their quick tempers and fierce loyalty to and protectiveness of Jesus when they offered to “call down fire from heaven to consume” a Samaritan village that would not welcome Jesus and his disciples (Luke 9:54-55). For this behavior Jesus gave them the nickname “Sons of Thunder,” and corrected their response to the Samaritans. The Gospels also paint a picture of the Sons of Zebedee as having high ambitions, which led to infighting among the apostles.
Despite James’ character flaws, he was among the apostles who witnessed the Transfiguration, the raising to life Jairus’ daughter, and the agony in the garden. Acts 1 reports that James, the brother of John was “killed by the sword,” becoming the first apostle to be martyred. When the Sons of Thunder requested that they have seats of honor in Christ’s Kingdom, Jesus asked them, “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” They replied that they could, and Jesus told them: “My cup you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father” (Matthew 20:22-23). The martyrdom of Saint James the Greater confirmed that he could, indeed, drink the cup of sacrifice and also fulfilled Jesus Christ’s prophecy that he would.
According to tradition, following his martyrdom, Saint James’ followers carried and buried his remains in Compostela, Spain. Some believe that, in the ninth century, his remains were discovered and moved to a tomb in Santiago de Compostela. Saint James the Greater is the Patron Saint of Spain, Chile, Nicaragua, laborers, and those with Rheumatism. Saint James the Greater, pray for us!
