Peter, James, and John were the disciples whom Jesus took with Him whenever something significant happened. Whether it was when He raised Jairus’s daughter, when He went up the Mount of Transfiguration—believed to be either Mount Tabor or Mount Hermon—or when He went to pray for the last time before His arrest, Jesus took only these three with Him.
At first glance, it might seem that Jesus showed favoritism toward these three. However, I would suggest a different perspective: it is better understood in light of the unique missions and roles they were given. As you know, Peter served as the leader among the disciples, helping to establish the church and even writing epistles. John was the last of the twelve disciples to survive and authored the Gospel, the epistles, and the Book of Revelation. The roles God entrusted to these two were so important that Jesus naturally drew them closer and gave them greater assurance.
James, however, followed a different path. Unlike Peter and John, he did not leave behind as much in terms of writings or visible leadership. Does this mean his role was insignificant? Not at all. There is a noteworthy detail about James in the Book of Acts:
“Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly. He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.” (Acts 12:1–2, WEB)
The Herod mentioned here is Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great and brother of Herodias. After killing James, he arrested Peter and put him in prison under heavy guard. Many are familiar with the story of the angel appearing, opening the prison doors, and freeing Peter.
Although Peter’s miraculous release and the earlier martyrdom of Stephen may overshadow James’s death, James was actually the first of the apostles to be martyred. While Stephen’s death was a sorrow to the early church, the death of James—who had lived closely with the other apostles for many years—must have been an even greater grief. In such circumstances, if James could hold firmly to Jesus through his own firsthand experiences and face death with courage, how much strength must that have given to the other apostles?
Perhaps for this reason, Jesus did not show James as many things as He did to Peter and John. Seen this way, Jesus’ actions can be understood not as favoritism, but as deep care and love for the one who would endure great suffering.
