He was the father of two sons who became a part of Jesus’ inner circle of disciples, James and John.

We don’t know a lot of information about Zebedee, but he is mentioned in the Bible in a couple places. Matthew 4:21 tells us that Jesus saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Today, in our world, fathers face a great challenge to spend time with their children. In Zebedee, we see him spending time with his sons. He is also spending quality time with them. They are working together. Zebedee was an industrious fisherman, who no doubt taught his sons how to work as fishermen and therefore, prepare them to become responsible adults.

The other thing that Zebedee does is release his sons to Jesus. When our children want to follow Jesus, it might involve a mission trip overseas or some type of service away from home. A father who wants the very best for their children does not demand their children to follow in their own footsteps, but rather encourages them to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Zebedee is a hero of faith who inspires parents to prepare their children to follow Jesus.