<p>3:17<em> And James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James he surnamed Boanerges, which means, sons of thunder</em>- James and John were to be the &ldquo;sons of thunder&quot;, a Rabbinic phrase, used of the young trainee Rabbis who stood at the left and right of the Master of the Synagogue during the Sabbath services (hence the later appeal for confirmation as to whether they would <em>really </em>stand at the Master&rsquo;s right and left in His Kingdom). These uneducated men were to take the place of the learned Scribes whom they had always respected and lived in fear of... truly they were being pushed against the grain. See on Mt. 16:19. The Lord was establishing a new Israel with a new synagogue system.</p>