The Narrow Path Ministries

My pastor taught this last night at a Saturday night service. I had never heard that James and John were closer related to Jesus than John the baptist.

I did some digging on my own, and at first it seems to be possible but confusing. The women present at the cross are named differently in the four gospels. Mary Magdalene, Mary of Cleophas, Salome wife of Zebedee, Mary mother of Jesus, etc. Somehow Mary of Cleophas and Salome are the same person, wife of Zebedee, and sister of Mary the mother of Jesus.

It starts making sense when you look at James and John's mother asking Jesus to give her sons seats on either side of Him in the coming kingdom. It also sheds light on Jesus asking John to care for his mother while on the cross.

But, is it true or just speculation?

Hi Terry,

While this is certainly a reasonable possibility, I don't think it could be demonstrated conclusively from scripture. I found the post and visitor comments at the following link helpful in my study on this topic.

http://www.forerunner.com/blog/jesus-co ... s-and-john

Is there a specific portion of the arguments in favor of this view which you find particularly troublesome?

I find nothing troubling about it. Oh, except that after being a believer for 40 years, and intently studying the word and theology for 20 of that, that I'd never heard this before. My first reaction was that my pastor was just parroting something from a trendy new book. (We were all in with The Circle Maker a few years back).