Letters From the Beloved - Who Was John?

I am excited to begin this blog series based on the three letters of John the Apostle that bear his name (e.g., 1 John, 2 John and 3 John).

 First, let’s dive into this man, John. Who was he? What kind of person was he?

 When we think about John, we likely think about love. He calls himself, the “disciple whom Jesus loved” at least 4 times in his gospel [John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20]. It is important to note, as I recently heard speaker Beth Moore say in a podcast, that no one else calls John that.

He was at Jesus feet during the crucifixion, when none of the other disciples were anywhere to be found

 Today, before we dive into his letters, I want us to think about the John that Jesus called and loved. The John before the Holy Spirit. The John who Jesus gave a nickname other than “disciple whom Jesus loved”. We don’t want to be tempted to think of him only as an old man, confined to an island prison, writing the book of Revelation. John was a bold, maybe even brazen, young man when Jesus called him and his brother, James, away from their father’s fishing business to become “fishers of men”. [Matthew 4:21-22]

 1.      John was aggressive, assertive:

a.      Jesus surnamed James and John “sons of thunder”. [Mark 3:17]

b.      He and his brother, James, offered to “command fire to come down from heaven and consume” the Samaritans who would not receive Jesus, “just as Elijah did”. [Luke 9:52-56]

2.      He was a bit self-important. He and James asked Jesus if He would designate them to sit “one on Your right hand and the other on Your left, in Your glory”. One has to wonder if the brothers would have bickered over who got to sit on the more prestigious right hand had Jesus agreed to this request.

3.      He was bold and brave:

a.      He boldly went into the place where Jesus was being (falsely) tried and convicted, even though the high priest knew him. There is no indication that he denied Christ, but we don’t know why – maybe because no one accused him. [John 18:16]

b.      He was at Jesus feet during the crucifixion, when none of the other disciples were anywhere to be found. [John 19:26]

4.      He was responsible. Otherwise, Jesus would not have placed His mother, Mary, into John’s care. This is especially significant since Jesus had brothers who should have taken on that duty. [John 19:26-27]

5.      He was in Jesus’ inner circle. Although Jesus was with all 12 disciples every day, there were times when He singled out Peter, James and John for special situations, including for the healing of a little girl thought to be dead [See Mark 5:35-41], for His transfiguration [See Mark 9:2], and on the night before His crucifixion [See Mark 14:33].

 That’s our John, the beloved. Next week we will begin diving into the teachings and admonitions important to John in the three short letters to the churches that have been preserved for us as part of the New Testament cannon.

 Are you excited? I am! Can’t wait to share the teaching of this complex and disciple.

 I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org