Matthew 17:1-6 presents the Transfiguration of Jesus. Verses 1-2 really hits me: “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.”
Peter, James, and John were part of what we might call the “inner circle” of the disciples. Question: Why was James selected to be a part of this close group?
Why was he privy to private, intimate times with Jesus? It’s puzzling when we consider that James was the first of the Twelve to be martyred (Acts12:2)! We know absolutely nothing of what he accomplished for the kingdom; he didn’t write anything down nor is there any testimony as to what he did for the cause of Christ. The only thing we know for sure is this: He was the most feared of the Twelve!
This explains why Herod, in his desire to curry the favor of the Jews by attacking the church, singled out James for execution (A.D. 44). James was the most feared and hated of the early Christians and posed the greatest threat to the religious and moral corruption of his day
Perhaps you recall that Jesus gave James (and his brother John as well) the name Sons of Thunder! James was zealous for Jesus, intolerant of evil. He feared no man, only God. In fact, in church tradition, he is known as James the Great to distinguish him from James the Less, the son of Alpheus (one of the Twelve).
Perhaps James accomplished much that we know nothing of! God’s ways truly are not our ways; He works His will, often hidden from our view and understanding. Heaven will be filled with “unknown” saints who did much for the kingdom of God.
“Why James?” is a reminder that God works, God allows, God orchestrates events and circumstances in our life that sometimes seem random and meaningless. Well, they’re not! “My times are in Your hands,” says the psalmist (31:15). Paul confidently boasts, “We know God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).