From: “John Barach”
Subject: Boanerges
BHers —
What do you guys make of the name “Boanerges” given to James (Jacob) and John? Some commentaries say that Jesus named these guys “Sons of Thunder” because they were loud and obnoxious guys. Just look at how they wanted to call down fire from heaven later on.
But it seems to me (and I’ve discovered that Van Bruggen agrees) that we have to treat the naming of James and John the same way we treat the naming of Simon. Simon’s new name “Peter” didn’t reflect something in his own character by nature, let alone something bad. Rather, that new name indicated who he was as Jesus’ disciple and who Jesus would make him. Something similar has to be said for the Sons of Thunder, too.
But what is the meaning of “Sons of Thunder”? I suspect that Van Bruggen is right when he says that the term indicates that their voice is going to echo the voice of God, whose voice is often linked with thunder (e.g., when He speaks to Jesus, the people think it’s thunder).
As a side-note, it is interesting to see (as Farrer, Horne, and Wright point out) that out of the twelve, Jesus chooses “three mighty men,” distinguished by their new names, which is another Davidic echo.
John
Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2005 15:34:00 -0600
From: “James B. Jordan”
Subject: Boanerges
At 03:34 PM 2/10/2005, you wrote:
What do you guys make of the name “Boanerges” given to James (Jacob) and John?
Simon Peter and these two guys were Jesus’ country-rock band: Rock Johnson and the Thunder Boys
As a side-note, it is interesting to see (as Farrer, Horne, and Wright point out) that out of the twelve, Jesus chooses “three mighty men,” distinguished by their new names, which is another Davidic echo.
Also Daniel and his three, and especially Job and his betraying three (remember, J.B. is king and the three are King’s Friends, not Job’s personal pals).
JBJ
James B. Jordan
Director, Biblical Horizons
Box 1096
Niceville, FL 32578
