What Happened to Zebedee?

 WHAT HAPPENED TO ZEBEDEE?

“And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” - Matthew 4:21-22

Most of humanity lives and dies in obscurity. Yes, we have a circle of friends and acquaintances, but over 99% of the world has never heard of us. They never will.

Some find this disturbing. We'd like to think that we are having a positive impact upon our sphere of influence, but that impact may not be as great as we'd like. Beyond such a limited boundary, we are unknown.

Even in Biblical times, many lived and died without being named. Even now, as we see the genealogy passages of Scripture, we are tempted to skip the long list of names. At best, we just skim through these verses. Yet each name represented a real person.

Jesus prayed before choosing His disciples. He called twelve men. Most of these men were just common people. They weren't highly educated. They didn't come from an elite family background. They weren't wealthy or influential. They were just regular guys.

Among the twelve that Jesus chose were James and John. The Bible says, “And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” The Bible tells us that these two young men left their father, Zebedee, and followed Jesus.

I raise this question: What happened to Zebedee? After Jesus calls Zebedee's sons, we hear nothing about him. Why didn't he follow Jesus? What became of him?

Obviously, the Bible gives us little insight about the future of Zebedee. He owned and operated a fishing boat. In addition to his sons, Mark 1:20 shows us that Zebedee actually had hired servants working for him. Luke 5:1-3 indicates that his business actually included two ships. Yet to have your sons leave your business would be a personal loss.

We have no Biblical record of Zebedee's faith. We know that his wife, Salome, was a believer. She is the one who came to Jesus and asked that her sons be seated on each side of the Lord in His kingdom --- a request that Jesus denied. She is mentioned among the other women who came to the tomb of Jesus the morning He was risen.

As we ponder Zebedee's situation we may easily wonder why he didn't leave his ship and follow Jesus like his sons did. To this, I have an answer. First of all, Zebedee wasn't chosen to be an apostle, but his sons were. Only twelve men would be chosen to take that role. Many men were not chosen. Secondly, because he wasn't chosen, he wasn't called. Jesus called the sons, not Zebedee. Even today, while there are some who are called to preach the Gospel, many are not. A son may be called while his godly father is not. The choice and calling of the apostles was a decision the Lord made.

Some believe that Zebedee was a believer, but there is no Biblical basis to accept or reject that assumption.

I do believe there are some lessons to learn from Zebedee. First of all, not everyone is called into public ministry. Most never achieve great status or serve in the limelight.

Secondly, some believe that possibly Zebedee's fishing business may have helped finance some of the Lord's ministry. Again, there is no record of this. But if it is true, it is a reminder that serving in the secular world is nothing to be ashamed of. There is a need for believers to work in the public sector. It is an honorable thing to have a job and support a family. Supporting Christian ministries is a blessing that many lay church members participate in.

Next, Zebedee remained focused on his business. Many believers dream of serving in a great ministry some day. Yet you may have a great ministry right where you are at. Your home, your job and your community may be the ministry you need to focus on. Don't get distracted. Remain focused. Serve where you are planted.

Finally, we must realize that Zebedee fades into oblivion in the Gospels, because the hero of the story is not Zebedee. It is Jesus. In this age of technology, it is easy for believers to use social media to attract followers to their page. We need a sobering reminder that life is not about ourselves … it all about Jesus.

Are you following Jesus today?