From: Heidy
The Disciple Jesus Loved
Bill van Ryn
"The disciple whom Jesus loved" (Jn. 21:7) was the apostle John's preferred
designation for himself; he chose anonymity in all his narrative writing. John
wrote late in life and seems to have become a very humble man, seeking no place
for himself.
A FAMILY MAN
The following four facts illustrate the importance of family in John's life:
First, He and his brother James were inseparable; they were never named
separately during James' life, and are usually identified with their father,
Zebedee.
Second, the brothers worked with their father in the family fishing business
(Mt. 4:21-22; Mk. 1:19-20).
Third, theirs is the only mother of any of the twelve whom we see involved in
the lives of the apostles (Mt.27:55-56).
Fourth, James and John came to Jesus with their mother - maybe at her
instigation - seeking a privileged place in His future kingdom (Mt. 20:20-21).
Fishing may have brought them together with the brothers Peter and Andrew, who
became fishing partners and fast friends (Mk. 1:29; 13:3). The Zebedee boys and
Peter, on three occasions, witnessed special events not shared by the rest:
they were there when Jesus raised Jairus' daughter (Mk. 5:37; Lk. 8:51), at His
transfiguration (Mt. 17:1-2; Mk. 9:2; Lk. 9:28-29), and in His Gethsemane
anguish (Mt. 26:36-37; Mk.14:32-33).
A FIERY LOYALIST
Mark notes that when Jesus designated the twelve, He nicknamed the Zebedee
brothers "Boanerges ... Sons of Thunder" (Mk. 3:17). He evidently saw the fiery
streak in them which surfaced in Luke 9:51-56. Messengers sent to prepare
Jesus' arrival in a Samaritan village were refused. James and John said, "Lord,
do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?"
Jesus rebuked that spirit and attitude: His mission was to save lives, not take
them.
In Luke 9:49-50, John told Jesus of a man they had found driving out demons in
Jesus' name. "We tried to stop him," he said, "because he is not one of us."
Jesus rebuked the sectarian spirit: "Do not stop him, for whoever is not
against you is for you." John saw the unknown exorcist as a challenge or
threat. But Jesus wasn't jealous. He is unique, supreme, and will prevail.
He is secure, and our job is to love Him, bow to Him and never disgrace His
name.
GROWING IN KNOWING JESUS
So, we see that John, the apostle of love, was as human and flawed as we are.
The fact that he saw himself as the "disciple whom Jesus loved" shows that he
knew how to value his opportunities to get to know the heart of his Savior, and
to grow deeper in Him and in His love. We all have a lifetime to get to know
our Savior personally. Are we always "growing in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18)?
John couldn't know himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" by being
self-absorbed. He knew he was the object of love, but it was the focus on
Jesus, the Source, that filled him with the consciousness of that love. And so
should it be for us. Our natural inclination - praised as a "virtue" today - is
to be supremely self-focused, always alert to the way things affect "me" and my
fulfillment. John would be known as the "disciple who was depressed" if he had
followed that recipe.
John reclined next to Jesus, or "on His bosom," not because he was self-seeking
nor favored over the others. Jesus was no more available to John than he was to
the others. John simply recognized his opportunity. Any one of those twelve men
might have occupied that position. John's heart, responding to the love that
emanated from his Savior's heart, drew him to the nearness of Jesus.
It seems that John's experience, of a family tightly knit by love, set his
capacity for enjoying his Savior's love. Then he subordinated natural love to
the superior divine love, so that the essential element of selfishness in
merely human love, self-love, did not keep him from leaving his family to walk
in the fellowship of this higher love.
Perhaps John, more readily than the others, realized and embraced the truth
Jesus taught them all: "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and
mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters - yes, even his own
life - he cannot be My disciple" (Lk. 14:26). He was thrilled to be "the
disciple whom Jesus loved" because he had walked away from lesser love and
abandoned himself to ultimate love in Jesus, from which nothing can separate us
(Rom. 8:35-39). He had been launched from the pad of a high quality earthly
love into the orbit of flawless eternal love.
JESUS, A FAMILY MAN TOO
An incident in Mark 3 shows how Jesus Himself valued the family. His family
heard about His hectic schedule - without even time to eat - and the crowds,
and they went to rescue Him from what they thought to be mismanagement of His
life of popularity (Mk. 3:20-21). They arrived where He was teaching but
couldn't get through the crowd. They sent Him word that "your mother and
brothers are outside looking for you." What a shock when Jesus responded,
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" Then, indicating those seated around Him,
He said: "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is My
brother and sister and mother" (Mk. 3:31-35). Luke records Jesus' response as:
"My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice"
(Mk. 8:21).
John noted that Jesus' earthly half-brothers had little respect for Him, and
actually treated Him with cynicism and scathing ridicule (Jn. 7:1-8). How
refreshed He would be, then, by those who responded to the love, warmth and
kind words of his heavenly Father. Jesus had come into the world to obey His
Father's words and will (Heb. 10:5-7). That same disposition in men and women
united and identified them with Him, and made them His family. The thrill of a
Father's love and of a brotherly intimacy that won John's heart is offered to
us all. Let's be like John: Let's choose it and grow in it.
Perhaps in acknowledgement of John's deep personal response to Jesus' love as
well as his strong sense of family, from the cross the Savior awarded him
custody of His own (presumably) widowed mother (Jn. 19:25-27). As firstborn,
Jesus inherited the honor and duty of caring for her; now, rather than leave
her in the care of one of His younger siblings - who perhaps still did not
believe - He entrusted her to an "adoptive son" of proven love and
commitment. How this tender-hearted disciple must have cared for this precious,
remarkable woman! Might this also have been a way of recognizing and responding
to the extravagant request of James and John for a special place in the kingdom?
THE CONSTANCY OF FAITH
On resurrection morning, Peter and John were together when Mary Magdalene
excitedly reported Jesus' body as missing from the tomb. Both ran to the tomb,
but John arrived first. Peter had the greater courage and entered the tomb
first and witnessed the scene Jesus had left behind. But it was John who, when
he finally entered, "saw and believed" (Jn. 20:1-8). Belief was scarce that day.
Later, several apostles went fishing with Peter and again spent the night
catching nothing. In the gray dawn, a stranger on the shore called out to them.
John was the first to recognize Jesus, though it was the impulsive Peter who
threw himself into the sea to hurry to Him (Jn. 21:1-7). When Jesus had to deal
with Peter, and urge him to follow, Peter was more concerned about John, who
was already simply and faithfully following the Savior, obeying his heart to do
the very thing Jesus was urging on Peter.
Jesus might have said, "Don't worry about John. Just do what he is doing!" (Jn.
21:15-22)
John's steadfast adherence to Jesus may have served to balance and moderate
Peter's impetuosity, and the two were a team in the early chapters of Acts - as
in the case of the lame man they healed in Acts 3, and for which they were
persecuted together in Acts 4.
John is the evangelist who clearly presents Jesus as the Son of God, yet also
shows us His accessibility via his own relationship with Him. So we also can
experience the most intimate relationship with the very Son of the Most High
God who became man in order to bow under the wrath of the Almighty and absorb
our eternal punishment in His body!
This is the gospel according to John, the apostle of love, whose concise yet
profound expressions of the gospel we know so well: "God so loved the world
that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish but have eternal life" (Jn. 3:16); "Love one another as I have loved
you" (Jn. 15:12); "We love because He first loved us" (1 Jn. 4:19).
It was John's intimate relationship and love for his Savior that got him exiled
to Patmos, which resulted in his being blessed to receive the ultimate
revelation of the glory of Jesus Christ: "I, John, your brother and companion
in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was
on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.
On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like
a trumpet, which said: write on a scroll what you see and send it to the ...
churches." (Rev.
1:9).
=========================================
From: "suyento" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Scripture that Comes to Life
One man's advice on finding a Bible that speaks to you.
By Ben Irwin, Nashville, TN
I grew up in a Christian home surrounded by Bibles-all 400-year-old King James
Versions. One day, someone gave me one in a language I could understand, and it
transformed my life. I went to seminary, worked as a youth pastor for little
while, and then worked for Christ Bible Publishers, where I edited Christian
literature-which I love. Because of my experience, I'm passionate about helping
people engage the Bible-for the first time or all over again in a fresh way.
Many small groups members want to go deeper, but after looking at shelves upon
shelves of Bibles, are unsure of what translation to choose. Unlike a
paraphrase Bible, which is written by one or a few, a translation is edited by
a committee of scholars. Both have tremendous value to the church.
Several translations are available today, which include fantastic resources.
The New International Version is clear and accurate, while the New Living is
readable, using language similar to ours today. The New American Standard
provides detailed word study, while the New King James is an updated version of
the cadence and tradition people love.
Eugene Peterson wrote a paraphrase, called the Message, which is greatly
popular because it speaks in our everyday language. The Good News Bible is a
version that's between a translation and paraphrase, and is great for ESL
students.
To choose the one that's right for you, ask your pastors what they use, look
into small group members' Bibles, or go to the bookstore and leaf through as
many versions as possible to see which resonates with you. Be sure to choose a
Bible that helps you understand life, explains meaning, and makes you want to
go for more.
Once you have your Bible, let it come to life. Live in the text and talk about
it, especially the difficult parts. Ask what makes sense and what doesn't.
Remember, comparing different translations in the context of community makes
Scripture come to life.
Copyright © 2004 Lifetogether.
Taken from www.lifetogether.com
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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