Being a Christian is not easy, and more especially in the present age of free thinking. It is a life of suffering and trials. But it still remains the best type of living because it assures the greatest blessings and the best future. Jesus alerts all who follow him that it is a sweet experience but with a lot of bitter pains. We see this in the lives of the Apostles of Jesus, and more particularly in the life story of James the son of Zebedee, whose feast the Church celebrates today.
Special Story of James
James and his brother John were the sons of Zebedee, and their mother is identified as Salome, one of the women very close to Jesus. A tradition has it that Salome was the sister of Mary, mother of Jesus (John 19:25; cf. Matt 27:56; Mark 15:40; 16:1). James was also called James the Greater, to differentiate him from another Apostle called James (the son of Alphaeus). He was one of the three Apostles very close to Jesus in significant moments. They were called the Apostles of the Inner Circle, and these were Peter, James, and his brother John. James was one of the first disciples to be called by Jesus and became the first of the Apostles to die as a martyr.
The Gospel of today from Matt 20:20-28 recounts a special encounter between Jesus and the two sons of Zebedee, James, and John. According to the story, the mother of the two brothers had come to Jesus to request the special favor of letting her two sons occupy the most exalted positions in the kingly reign of Jesus. The evangelist Mark, in his own version, presents the two brothers as the ones who made the request directly to Jesus.
However, in the rest of the episode in both Matthew and Mark, the dialogue is only between Jesus and the two brothers. Their original idea of the kingdom of Jesus was, most probably, a material, political one, which they expected Jesus would inaugurate upon his entry into Jerusalem. Jesus warned them of the cup which he was to drink, but it is not clear if they understood that to mean a cup of suffering and death.
Nevertheless, they accepted, thereby unknowingly signing their death warrants. Following Jesus is like signing one’s death warrant, not to talk of being a principal leader in his group. Afterwards they would probably understand. James must have been so vehement in his witness to Jesus to have attracted the attention of King Herod Antipas who killed him in order to curry favor from the Jews who had become very hostile to the new movement (Acts 12:1).
Pain Mingled with Joy in Following Jesus
The story of martyrs like James is the story of gallant witnesses of Jesus who offered their entire lives to proclaiming and living out the Gospel principles that Jesus preached. They suffered terribly in doing this, but they were doing all with great joy and enthusiasm because, as the first reading of today from 2 Cor 4:7-15 says, the treasure is very great though it is carried in earthenware vessels. The followers of Jesus are imbued with the conviction that the One who delivered Jesus from death will give them a glorious life despite the sufferings and trials of the moment.
Therefore, the Corinthian text of Paul says in one of the most beautiful words of Scripture: “We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh” (2 Cor 4:8-11).
The point is that there is great suffering in being a good Christian, but such suffering is mingled with joy because the power of God accompanies the believer all the way. This should give us great courage in the midst of daily pains and troubles we undergo in trying to live according to Christian standards. May God’s power continue to abide with us as we strive to do His will by living with truth and love in our contemporary society!
