(20) Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. (21) And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”
(35) Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Him, saying, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.” (36) And He said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” (37) They said to Him, ‘Grant us that we may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory.’ New King James VersionChange email Bible version
Matthew writes that their mother, Salome, made the request, but Mark records that James and John did the asking. There are perhaps three ways we can look at this:
First, Salome may have been trying to ensure her sons received the recognition or position she thought they deserved, perhaps selfishly overlooking the others. James and John were certainly of age to speak for themselves. Why did their mother have to do it? It is something to weigh in terms of their thunderous zeal. Were they at this point hiding behind Mom?
Second, they selfishly sought the position for themselves without regard for the other disciples. Intent on securing their place beside Christ, they were arrogantly playing “climb the ladder” over the backs of their fellows. This could account for both Jesus’ reply concerning their being willing to suffer as He did and the other disciples’ displeased reactions.
Third, and more plausible, they were truly zealously dedicated to serving Christ, and they were willing to do whatever it took. Speaking of James, he appears to have been a man who was ready and willing to undertake whatever task was called for, as evidenced by his martyrdom. It also seems that he did not mind taking a back seat, perhaps to his younger brother John. Herbert Lockyer, in All the Apostles of the Bible, describes James as one who was “resolute, vigorous, active and forceful, while John was contemplative, intuitive and reflective.” James and John do not appear to have been selfish, but men of action ready to meet a challenge. Perhaps we could compare them to athletes who have the mindset that they should be the one batting in the bottom of the ninth down by a run with a man on base, two outs, and two strikes—ready for the challenge!
I was born on 6 August 1956 in San Francisco, California to Janet and (the late) Richard Hovis.
I grew up in Santa Monica, California where I attended elementary, junior high school, and high school (graduating in 1974), in addition to involvement in sports and recreation (Little League +, the Boy’s Club ++). Further, it was in elementary school – St. Augustine’s By-the -Sea Parish School that I found, and made the choice to truly journey with God.
I attended Arizona State University from 1974 to 1977 – seeking to become an architect, however, I was not accepted, and, as such, I graduated with a Liberal Arts degree.
Upon graduation from Arizona State University, I attended Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and studied City and Regional Planning at the Master’s level. I successfully completed one (1) year in a two (2) year program – I did not complete the Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning – due to personal reasons.
I returned to Santa Monica where I started (October 1979) my career as graphic designer with Exxon Company, USA. I spent five years with Exxon Company, USA.
While working with Exxon Company, USA I was accepted into architectural school – Sci-Arc in Southern California, however, I did not attend preferring to stay with Exxon..
In 1982 I married Laura Flosi and in April 1983 we had our one and only child – Lauren Alain Hovis – a gift from God.
We moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1984 from Los Angeles, where I went to work as a graphic designer with Kitchell CEM (from 1985 -1987).
From 1987 – 1995 I was an independent contractor, and a registered representative in mortgage finance, financial management, graphic design, and drafting.
Further, I attended the University of Phoenix and successfully obtained a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in 1982.
I was also a member of the Scottsdale Jaycees, where I became very involved in community events and projects.
In 1994, I accepted a cartography position with the Defense Mapping Agency in Reston, Virginia. As such, I relocated from Phoenix to Reston.
In 1998, I was accepted and worked as a Visual Information Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2002, I worked as a Support Officer until my retirement (due to a need for shoulder surgery) in September 2018.
Away from my Federal Government service, I have been involved in various organizations and activities in Northern Virginia.
In November of 2011, I married Rebecca Ouellette in Santa Monica, California. I reside in San Tan Valley, AZ with my two hamster - Jess and Timothy, our fish, our lizard - RJ Lizard., and our cats - Pearl and Grey.
As to hobbies, I enjoy playing sports, attending sporting events, mentoring individuals from financial management to hamsters, building models, photography, travel, multimedia design, managing partner for RJ Hamster, and jazz – smooth jazz to a samba or a bossa nova.
Love and God Bless,
Peter – aka RJ Hamster Jo hi
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