James was one of Jesus Christ’s closest disciples. He was the first disciple to be killed for his faith. Early on, James thought Jesus was there to overthrow the Romans and free Israel. He asked for a high political position next to Jesus in his limited view of what Christ would do on earth. What James came to see was that God’s Kingdom was eternal and to serve Christ was to set one’s sights on God's grander plan unfolding through Christ the Church- even when it leads to his martyrdom.