|
John |
|
Being loved is the most powerful
motivation in the world! Our ability to love is often shaped by our
experience of love. We usually love others as we have been loved.
Some of the greatest statements about God’s loving nature were written by a man who experienced God’s love in a unique way. John, Jesus’ disciple, expressed his relationship to the Son of God by calling himself "the disciple Jesus loved" (21:20). Although Jesus’ love is clearly communicated in all the Gospels, in John’s Gospel it is a central theme. Because his own experience of Jesus’ love was so strong and personal, John was sensitive to those words and actions of Jesus that illustrated how the one who is love loved others. Jesus knew John fully and loved him fully. He gave John and his brother James the nickname "Sons of Thunder," perhaps from an occasion when the brothers asked Jesus for permission to "order down fire from heaven" (Luke 9:54) on a village that had refused to welcome Jesus and the disciples. In John’s Gospel and letters, we see the great God of love, while the thunder of God’s justice bursts from the pages of Revelation. Jesus confronts each of us as he confronted John. We cannot know the depth of Jesus’ love unless we are willing to face the fact that he knows us completely. Otherwise we are fooled into believing he must love the people we pretend to be, not the sinners we actually are. John and all the disciples convince us that God is able and willing to accept us as we are. Being aware of God’s love is a great motivator for change. His love is not given in exchange for our efforts; his love frees us to really live. Have you accepted that love? 1- Strengths and accomplishments
2- Weaknesses and mistakes
3- Lessons from his life
4- Vital statistics
5- Key verses "Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment, for it is an old one you have always had, right from the beginning. This commandment—to love one another—is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. This commandment is true in Christ and is true among you, because the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining" (1 John 2:7, 8). John’s story is told throughout the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation.
|
|
(1) John the Apostle Son of Zebedee, and brother of James. James and John were fishermen, but when the Lord called them, they forsook all and followed Him. The Lord surnamed them BOANERGES, ‘sons of thunder.’ John, Peter, and James were the three selected to be with the Lord on the mount of transfiguration, and in the garden of Gethsemane. In the Acts of the Apostles John was with Peter when the lame man was healed, and they were both cast into prison. They boldly declared that they could not but speak the things they had seen and heard. John was associated with Peter in visiting the Samaritans, who had received the word preached by Philip, and through the laying on of their hands the Holy Spirit was given. #Acts 8$. John was one of the apostles at Jerusalem who, when Paul went thither, gave to him and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that they should go to the heathen. #Ga 2:9. He was afterwards banished to the Isle of Patmos, probably under the emperor Nero or Domitian; it is not known with certainty which, nor at what date. There he had the visions recorded in the Revelation. He also wrote the Gospel and the three Epistles bearing his name, which are generally judged to have been written after the other Gospels and Epistles. John in his gospel calls himself ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved;’ at the last Passover he leaned upon the bosom of Jesus, and to his care did the Lord when on the cross commend His mother. (2) John the Apostle THE APOSTLE, brother of James the "Greater" #Mt 4:21 10:2 #Mr 1:19 3:17 10:35 He was one, probably the younger, of the sons of Zebedee #Mt 4:21 and Salome #Mt 27:56 comp. #Mr 15:40 and was born at Bethsaida. His father was apparently a man of some wealth (comp. #Mr 1:20 Lu 5:3 #Joh 19:27 He was doubtless trained in all that constituted the ordinary education of Jewish youth. When he grew up he followed the occupation of a fisherman on the Lake of Galilee. When John the Baptist began his ministry in the wilderness of Judea, John, with many others, gathered round him, and was deeply influenced by his teaching. There he heard the announcement, "Behold the Lamb of God," and forthwith, on the invitation of Jesus, became a disciple and ranked among his followers #Joh 1:36,37 for a time. He and his brother then returned to their former avocation, for how long is uncertain. Jesus again called them #Mt 4:21 Lu 5:1-11 and now they left all and permanently attached themselves to the company of his disciples. He became one of the innermost circle #Mr 5:37 #Mt 17:1 26:37 Mr 13:3 He was the disciple whom Jesus loved. In zeal and intensity of character he was a "Boanerges" #Mr 3:17 This spirit once and again broke out #Mt 20:20-24 #Mr 10:35-41 Lu 9:49,54 At the betrayal he and Peter follow Christ afar off, while the others betake themselves to hasty flight #Joh 18:15 At the trial he follows Christ into the council chamber, and thence to the praetorium #Joh 18:16,19,28 and to the place of crucifixion #Joh 19:26,27 To him and Peter, Mary first conveys tidings of the resurrection #Joh 20:2 and they are the first to go and see what her strange words mean. After the resurrection he and Peter again return to the Sea of Galilee, where the Lord reveals himself to them #Joh 21:1,7 We find Peter and John frequently after this together #Ac 3:1 4:13 John remained apparently in Jerusalem as the leader of the church there #Ac 15:6 Ga 2:9 His subsequent history is unrecorded. He was not there, however, at the time of Paul’s last visit #Ac 21:15-40 He appears to have retired to Ephesus, but at what time is unknown. The seven churches of Asia were the objects of his special care #Re 1:11 He suffered under persecution, and was banished to Patmos #Re 1:9 whence he again returned to Ephesus, where he died, probably about A.D. 98 having outlived all or nearly all the friends and companions even of his maturer years. There are many interesting traditions regarding John during his residence at Ephesus, but these cannot claim the character of historical truth. |