I was going to post about this a while back but there was quite a lot going on in the forum with church matters and so it didn't seem right at the time to carry on as normal with our interesting Bible discussions.
Anyway.
It wouldn't be like Christ to give people frivolous cutesy names just for the sake of it, but He surnamed James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder. The only interpretation I can see from this is that thunder is the noise that comes along after the great flash of light of lightning, but it usually does come along a while after the flash has ended.
Mark 3 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him. 14 And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: 16 and Simon he surnamed Peter; 17 and James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder: 18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 19 and Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed him: and they went into an house.
Isaiah 9 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light:
they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
upon them hath the light shined.
Matthew 4 Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)
12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13 and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15 The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16 the people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
Thunder echoes right throughout the land and when it happens you don't tend to miss it readily. I'm sure Jesus explained to these two why He had named them as such.
