Expert: Marilyn - 3/18/2004

Question
who is Zebedee? I read his name many times yet I have no idea who it is. One reference is matthew 20:20. Thanks for your time!

Answer
Hello;

Zebedee appears in the following scriptures:
Matthew 4:21; 10:2; 26:37; Mark 1:19 & 20; 3:17; 10:35; Luke 5:10; John 21:2.  
His wife appears in the following scriptures:
Matthew 20:20; 27:56

The mere mention of his name indicates he was an important person in God's sight.  From the information we can glean from these verses we can deduce the following:

Zebedee was a prosperous fisherman.  He had workers other than his sons in his employ and his wife was able to leave town and follow Jesus contributing to His ministry, likely financially as well as personally taking care of the Lord.

Zebedee recognized Jesus as Lord.  Though it probably was going to put him in a bind to lose his sons from his business, he did not protest to Jesus when the Lord asked James and John to get out of the boat.  Based on other of his actions we can deduce, he was also believer in the Lord: allowing his wife to tag along with Jesus and probably contribute financially and so on.

Zebedee was a good father.  His sons are good men.  John becoming the beloved Apostle, probably because of his tender, responsive heart and spiritual nature.  He is the author of the books of John and Revelation.  

Very loyal and fearless, John is the only Apostle named to be standing at the foot of the cross.  While Jesus hung on the cross, John is the Apostle the Lord asked to care for His mother, Mary.  Without John, the son of Zebedee, we would lack the mystical, wonderful and spirit-filled books he wrote.  The Gospel of John is simple enough a child can understand, yet once we begin peeling away its layers, it reveals a treasure trove of information and revelation.  The father and mother of an individual deserve some credit for how he turns out.

Zebedee, unique for his day, apparently viewed women as equal, co-laborers in the earth.  Salome, Zebedee's wife, had the liberty to follow Jesus and work with His ministry.  From this we can deduce that Zebedee, unlike many men of his day, treated his wife with respect and gave her liberty to make her own decisions.  

Zebedee shows there are many ways to serve the Lord, one of them being staying home and running the business, thereby producing financial means.  From the evidence I also extrapolate that Zebedee was a respected leader in his community.  The very fact his name is mentioned at all reveals this and his importance to the Lord.  God does not name names lightly in His Word.

May the Lord bless you and increase your knowledge and wisdom,

Marilyn