James was of Bethsaida, in Galilee, and was a fisherman. He was busy at his trade when Jesus called him to the ministry. When the call came, James and his brother were sitting in a boat mending nets. Their father and hired servants were also there. Of course, James had seen Jesus before this, and had undoubtedly heard Him; for when Andrew had hurried off to find Simon Peter, after having met the Lord, John had hurried to find his brother James.
Accepts Call.
So James, too, had found the Messiah, and was already converted to the Gospel. Therefore when Jesus stopped that morning by the seashore, and said, "Come, I will make you fishers of men," they immediately left their father with the hired servants, and followed Christ.
One of the Twelve.
When the Twelve were chosen, James was chosen next to Peter, and was one of the three who constituted what we might call the Presidency of the Twelve. In this position, he became closely associated with the Redeemer, and was an eyewitness to some of the most sacred incidents in His Lord's ministry. Thus, with Peter and John, he was present in the room when the little daughter of Jairus was restored to life.
On the Mount.
He was also one of the favored three on the Mount of Transfiguration; and was one of those chosen to accompany the Master to the secluded place in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Christ suffered those bitter agonies preparatory to His betrayal and sufferings on the cross.
A Son of Thunder.
James was called a son of Thunder; and there is one incident in the Bible which gives us a little insight into a part of his nature which probably called forth that name. When the time came that Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem to be offered up as a sacrifice, he "sent messengers before His face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him."[[1]]
James was one of these messengers.