Biblical Influence & Life Application: A Profile of The Apostle John Author of One of The Gospels, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John and Revelation

John the Apostle, son of Zebedee and Salome, and younger brother of James

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” (John 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.^{^[1]}

Thunder evokes fear and images of a pending storm. We use thunder to describe a deafening sound, such as in “thunderous applause;” approaching danger, as in “thundering herd;” and explosive anger, as in “thundered response.” So, we would expect someone nicknamed Son of Thunder to be powerful, loud, and unpredictable.

“Sons of Thunder,” that’s what Jesus named two of his disciples—Zebedee’s sons, James and John (Mark 3:17)—for he knew their tendency to explode. Sure enough, when Jesus and the Twelve were rebuffed by a Samaritan village, these rough fishermen suggested calling down fire from heaven to destroy the whole village. Jesus had to calm down the outspoken brothers and explain that vengeance was not his way (Luke 9:52–56). Just before that incident, John had told Jesus that he had tried to stop a man from driving out demons “because he is not one of us.” Jesus had explained that he didn’t have an exclusive club, “for whoever is not against you is for you” (Luke 9:49–50 NIV).

In addition to being forceful and angry, James and John also seem to have been quite self-centered. They implored Jesus “to do for us whatever we ask.” Then they requested seats of honor and power in the kingdom. When the other disciples heard about what James and John had said, they became indignant (Mark 10:35–44).

Yet Jesus also saw potential in these thundering brothers—he knew what they would become. So, Jesus brought both, with Peter, into his inner circle, allowing them to see him transfigured on the mountain (Mark 9:2–13). And as Jesus was dying on the cross, he entrusted Mary, his mother, to John’s care (John 19:26–27).

John was following in his father Zebedee’s footsteps as a fisherman when Jesus called him (Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:19–20). His mother was Salome (Matthew 27:55–56; Mark 15:40). His brother, James, was also one of the Twelve and the first apostle to be martyred (Acts 12:2). They fished on the Sea of Galilee with Peter and Andrew.

One might predict that someone with a personality like John’s would self-destruct. Certainly, this person would die in a fight or in a clash with the Roman government. At the very least, he would be discarded by the church as self-seeking and power-hungry.

But such was not the case. Instead, John was transformed into someone who was strong but gentle, straightforward but loving, and courageous, but humble. There is no dramatic event to account for John’s transformation—it must have come from being with Jesus, being accepted, loved, and affirmed by the Lord, and then being filled with the Holy Spirit. So overwhelmed was John by Jesus that he did not mention himself by name in the Gospel that bears his name. Instead, he wrote of himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:20, 24). What a humble change for one who, at first, had wanted power and recognition.

John stands as a great example of Christ’s power to transform lives. Christ can change anyone—no one is beyond hope. Jesus accepted John as he was, a Son of Thunder, and changed him into what he would become, the apostle of love.

John’s ministry. John was a Palestinian and a Galilean. He was not from Jerusalem but from the country. This is why John shows such familiarity in his writing with the geography of the area and perhaps why John singles out the system of religious leaders who were in control in Jerusalem.

Many believe that John was first a disciple of John the Baptist. His mentor pointed him to Jesus when Jesus passed by. Then Jesus and John spent the day together (1:35–39). At that time, John must have become a part-time disciple, for later we find him back fishing with his brother, James, and their father, Zebedee. But the next time Jesus called them, John and James left everything, father and boat included, and followed him. This was after Jesus had turned water into wine (2:1–11), had cleared the temple the first time (2:12–25), and had been visited by Nicodemus at night (3:1–21). It was also after Herod had imprisoned John the Baptist (Luke 3:19–20), Jesus had spoken with the woman at the well (4:1–26), and Jesus had been rejected at Nazareth (Luke 4:16–30).

In the Gospels, John is mentioned by name when he was selected as one of the Twelve and called a Son of Thunder (Mark 1:19; 3:13–19) when he saw Jesus transfigured (Luke 9:28–36) when he told Jesus about stopping a man who was driving out demons (Luke 9:49) when he asked Jesus about calling down fire on the Samaritan village (Luke 9:52–56) when he asked Jesus about sitting next to him in the kingdom (Mark 10:35–44), and when he was sent with Peter by Jesus to make preparations for the Last Supper (Luke 22:8). But as a member of the Twelve, John was an eyewitness to the miracles, an “ear-witness” to the parables and confrontations with the Pharisees and other leaders, and a student of Jesus’ special words of instruction. John was at the Last Supper and in the Garden of Gethsemane. And he was the only one of the Twelve at the cross. John also saw the empty tomb and was in the upper room, on the beach, and at the Ascension.

We read more about John in the first chapters of Acts. There he is numbered among the Twelve (Acts 1:13) when they chose a replacement for Judas. Then we see him ministering with Peter at the temple (Acts 3:3–11) and in the confrontation with the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1–31). During the growing persecution, after many believers had been scattered, Peter and John were sent by the other apostles to verify the validity of the conversions in Samaria (Acts 8:14–25). John is mentioned only one other time in Acts (in 12:2), as the brother of James, who was executed by King Herod.

Beyond being a leader in the Jerusalem church (as mentioned in Galatians 2:9), little is known of John’s ministry. When John wrote his epistles to Gentile congregations (1 John), “the chosen lady” (2 John NIV), and Gaius (3 John), he simply identified himself as “the elder.” So, it is thought that John must have been the only surviving apostle at that time. He wrote those letters from Ephesus about A.D. 85–90, just before writing his Gospel. In about A.D. 94, John was banished to the island of Patmos during the reign of Domitian. There, this wise and elder apostle received the dramatic vision of the future from Jesus, given to us as the book of Revelation. John probably returned to Ephesus during Nerva’s reign A.D. 96–98, and then died there during the reign of Trajan, around A.D. 100.

John provides a powerful example of a lifetime of service to Christ. As a young man, John left his fishing nets to follow the Savior. For three intense years, he watched Jesus live and love and listened to him teach and preach. John saw Jesus crucified and then risen! John’s life was changed dramatically, from an impetuous, hot-tempered youth, to a loving and wise man of God. Through it all, John remained faithful, so that at the end of his life, he continued to bear strong witness to the truth and power of the gospel.

How strong is your commitment to Christ? Will it last through the years? The true test of an athlete is not at the start but at the finish. So too with faithfulness to Christ—how will you finish that race?^{^[2]}

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?^{^[3]}

Strengths and accomplishments

· One of John the Baptist’s disciples before following Jesus

· One of the 12 disciples and, with Peter and James, one of the inner three that were closest to Jesus

· Wrote five New Testament books: the Gospel of John; 1, 2, and 3 John; and Revelation

Weaknesses and mistakes

· Along with James, shared a tendency to outbursts of selfishness and anger

· Asked for a special position in Jesus’ Kingdom

Lessons from his life

· Those who realize how much they are loved are able to love much

· When God changes a life, he does not take away personality characteristics but puts them to effective use in his service

Vital statistics

· Occupations: Fisherman, disciple

· Relatives: Father: Zebedee. Mother: Salome. Brother: James.

· Contemporaries: Jesus, Pilate, Herod

Key verse

· “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3 NKJV).^{^[4]}