In brief
Zebedee is a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, father of the apostles James and John. As Jesus walks along the shore, his two sons are mending nets in the boat with him; they leave him, with the hired men, to follow Jesus. He is the husband of the woman Matthew calls the mother of the sons of Zebedee, who asks Jesus for the places of honor for her sons and who stands near the cross. Zebedee appears in person only in this scene of the call; elsewhere, the Gospels name him to identify his sons.
What does the name Zebedee mean?
Zebedee is generally linked to a Hebrew expression meaning gift of the Lord or the Lord has given. The Bible does not explain his name; the Gospels almost always cite it to designate his sons: James the son of Zebedee and John his brother (Matthew 4:21).
The story of Zebedee
A fisherman in his boat
Matthew 4:21Jesus has just called Simon and Andrew. A little farther on, he sees two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them. Zebedee is there, at work with his sons, on an ordinary day on the lake. It is in this boat that Jesus' call reaches them.
His sons leave him to follow Jesus
Matthew 4:22The response is immediate: at once they left the boat and their father and followed him. Matthew names two things left behind: the tool of their trade and their father. Zebedee watches his two sons go off after a rabbi from Nazareth, with no recorded word of protest. The text says nothing of his feelings; it notes only that Jesus' call comes before family.
The hired men and the partners
Mark 1:19-20Mark adds a detail: leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, they followed him. So Zebedee employs workers; his fishing is a real business, and Luke specifies that his sons were partners with Simon (Luke 5:10). James and John's departure does not leave Zebedee alone, but it costs him his two sons and heirs.
The request of the mother of the sons of Zebedee
Matthew 20:20-23Later, the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to Jesus with her sons and asked that they sit at his right and left in his kingdom. Jesus answers that they do not know what they are asking, and asks whether they can drink the cup he is about to drink. They will drink his cup, but the places are reserved by the Father. Zebedee's wife follows Jesus with her sons, carrying for them a sincere but misplaced ambition.
Service rather than the places of honor
Matthew 20:24-28The other ten disciples are indignant at the two brothers. Jesus gathers them: the rulers of the nations lord it over them, but whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant. And he gives the measure: the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Zebedee's family learns that greatness in the kingdom is received by serving.
What Zebedee teaches us
- God may call your children to a path you had not planned; like Zebedee, learn to let them follow Jesus.
- Jesus calls people at work, in their boats; your ordinary life is the place where he can come looking for you.
- Following Jesus has a real cost: James and John left their father, the boat and the family business.
- Ambition for your own, however sincere, must pass through Jesus' cup: greatness in his kingdom is service.
- A quiet father can have descendants who mark the history of the Church: a family's faithfulness counts.
Key verses
James and John are in the boat with Zebedee, their father, when Jesus calls them. At once they leave the boat and their father: Jesus' call outweighs everything.
Zebedee stays in the boat with the hired men. This detail shows a prosperous business, and the price the father pays in seeing his two sons leave.
The mother of the sons of Zebedee asks for the places of honor for her sons. Jesus does not reject her, but he redirects her desire toward the cup and service.
Greatness according to Jesus: to be a servant, a slave, after the pattern of the Son of Man who came to serve and give his life as a ransom. Zebedee's family receives this lesson live.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about Zebedee
- Mark 1: The Irresistible Grace That Makes You Follow JesusMark stresses what the disciples leave behind: Simon and Andrew their nets, James and John their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, the whole business. They do not merely decide to believe, they follow him.
- Luke 5: Jesus Sees Something Else in Your Empty BoatAt the miraculous catch, Simon Peter falls at Jesus' knees; James and John, sons of Zebedee and his partners, are seized with fear as well.
- God Is Also Like a Mother to UsIn Matthew 20, the mother of the sons of Zebedee approaches Jesus to intercede for her children, even without grasping what her request implied.
- John 19: "It Is Finished," the Work That Gives LifeComparing Matthew and Mark, the sister of Mary near the cross could be Salome, the mother of the sons of Zebedee; the pastor stays cautious and says we cannot know for certain.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Zebedee in the Bible?
Zebedee is a Galilean fisherman, father of the apostles James and John. He appears in a single scene: his sons are mending nets with him in the boat when Jesus calls them, and they leave him with the hired men to follow Jesus (Matthew 4:21-22; Mark 1:19-20). Everywhere else, his name serves to identify his sons.
Who was Zebedee's wife?
Matthew calls her the mother of the sons of Zebedee: she asks Jesus for the places of honor for her sons (Matthew 20:20) and stands near the cross (Matthew 27:56). By comparison with Mark 15:40, many identify her as Salome, but the Bible does not make that link explicitly; it remains a cautious inference.
Where can I find Zebedee in the Bible?
Zebedee himself appears only in the call of his sons: Matthew 4:21-22 and Mark 1:19-20. His name then recurs to identify James and John (Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:17; Luke 5:10; John 21:2) and his wife, the mother of the sons of Zebedee (Matthew 20:20; 27:56).