It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
-Acts 12:1-2

I am intensely interested in the story of Peter, James and John. The more I delve into the rich drama that unfolded during their walk with Jesus, the more I begin to see the various layers of complexity and meaning woven into the scriptures about who they were and their relationship to the King.

Recently, as I was reading in the book of Acts, it hit me: Wow, James was killed by Herod Agrippa I. Although I had read this before, it really impacted me this time.

Immediately, I reflected upon the circumstances surrounding James' first encounter with Jesus; which, incidentally, was also Peter and John's first encounter. Remember, all three of them left behind two full boat loads of fish in order to follow Jesus.

It was a few short years later, in 44 A.D., that James was violently put to the sword; presumably a young man. This was the same James who saw Jesus transfigured. This was the same James that Jesus rebuked on occasion. I wonder if James would still have followed Jesus had he known his fate. How about you? If you knew that following Jesus meant that you would be persecuted to your death, would you still do it?

I am reminded of all of the faithful in China and other countries hostile to the Gospel. They do, in fact, have a pretty reasonable expectation that they will, in some way, be the recipient of various acts of persecution and violence. It is just part of the deal. Jesus=eternal life, pain and suffering. And yes, many of them share James' fate: martyred at the end of a sword. Can we even pretend to imagine such things? Is it any wonder that they view the Christian experience so differently? Even in our most invested moments, the level of our faith and zeal exhibits palor compared to theirs.

James' light burned very shortly. But oh, he witnessed many things and touched many people as he embarked on the journey of all journeys with the Lamb of God. Who wouldn't trade a lifetime of catching fish for the eternal life that awaits in Jesus? Rest assured, brothers and sisters, James died, fully aware of where he was going.