The Cup of Suffering
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants. Psalm 116:15.
As James was led to the executioner, did he remember his conversation with Jesus? He and his brother John had sought seats beside Jesus when He reigned in His kingdom. But Jesus had said to them, “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” Jesus had been focused on what was about to happen—his arrest and crucifixion. “We can,” they’d answered, not knowing they were volunteering to drink from the cup of suffering (Matthew 20:20-28).
James was among the three in the innermost circle of disciples: Peter, James, and John. He was probably a powerful leader, but the
Scriptures don’t reveal much about his personality except that Jesus called the two brothers “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17).
Nevertheless, James had run away terrified when soldiers came to arrest Jesus. His fear disappeared later when he saw the risen Jesus Christ. Because the Holy Spirit now lived within him, James had the courage to face his own death. He’d wanted to be great and do powerful and glorious things for God. Instead, he was martyred.
Herod Agrippa I arrested and persecuted those who later were called Christians (Acts 12:1-2). Stephen was the first Christian martyr. He’d died publicly after giving an incredible defense which covered the Old Testament from Abraham to the prophets (Acts 6:8-7:60). But James, the first apostle to be martyred, died away from public view.
An account by Clement recorded by Eusebius, an early church historian, says that the one who led James to the executioner was so moved when he saw him bearing his testimony that he confessed he was a Christian too . . . thus they were both beheaded at the same time.”*
Since then, the cup of suffering has been given to many who were martyred because of their faith. Various ages. Various countries. These deaths are precious to God because they demonstrate unwavering faith even in the face of suffering and death.
We need to pray for one another, especially for our leaders who are in the front line of the spiritual battle. May our faith remain strong.
DIG DEEPER:
The name James was popular in Jesus’s time. Read Matthew 10:2-3 and 13:55. Who were the three men named James in the life of Jesus? Which one became a believer after Jesus’s resurrection, became a leader in the early church, and wrote the book of James? See 1 Corinthians 15:7 and Galatians 1:18-19.
Read Mark 10:35-40. James and John were zealous, ambitious. They wanted to become great and to sit next to Jesus when He took the throne in His kingdom. Not all of this is bad. What does their desire say about their faith in Jesus? Jesus did not condemn zeal or passion, if used properly. How is Jesus’s zeal described in John 2:17 quoting David in Psalm 69:9?
Read John 15:18-21 and 17:14-26. What warning did Jesus give to His disciples and to us, and what did He promise? What does this say to people-pleasers?
Those in the inner circle were closer to Jesus and witnessed things that the other disciples didn’t. What did they see of Jesus’s power in Mark 5:37, of Jesus’s glory in Mark 9:2-8, and His agony in Mark 14:33?
Nancy J. Baker
This devotion is part of a series on the Book of Acts.
*Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, quoted in John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men, (Nashville, TN: The W Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2002), p.93.