Matthew Matthew 10:4 Meet the Disciples ~ John

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1 Matthew Matthew 10:4 Meet the Disciples ~ John L egends are always fun. There are a number tied around the cross. Of course if all the splinters of the cross were collected you could build an ark. Then there is the silver chalice. But one of the more interesting series of legends ties to never dying. For example there s the case of the Wandering Jew or the immortal warrior. Often this is described as God s punishment of the centurion who pierced Christ s side. These make fun stories. And, we run into one of these related to John. In fact it is John himself who records the basis of this. Jesus answered, If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me. Because of this, the rumor spread among the brothers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true (John 21:22-24). Of course, who listens to John, after all he was only there. The Orthodox Church has always believed that John never died. John returned to Ephesus and stayed in the house of Domnus. He converted many and performed miracles. One morning, before dawn, he took some of his followers to a place to pray. Then he ordered them to dig a grave as deep as his height in the form of a cross. He had them cover him with earth to the neck. They kissed him for the last time and placed a napkin over his face, wept bitterly and then covered him entirely. Others soon after, on hearing about this, dug up his grave and found nothing. 1 Eternal life is one thing, but as Detective Amsterdam often expresses, eternal life here isn t all it s cracked up to be. Meanwhile, keep an eye out for John. VII The Extension of the Kingdom 8:1-10:42 B. The Calling of Workers for the Harvest 9:35-10:4 1. The Calling of the Twelve Verse 1 2. Meet the Twelve Verses 2-4 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve designating them apostles that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. These are the twelve he appointed: Simon (to whom he gave the name Peter); James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder); Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him (Mark 3:13-19). 1

2 Introduction: Clearly we know less about some of the disciples than others. We know the most about Peter, James and John. Last week we looked at Peter and this week we will examine John. As I noted last time, these biographical studies are intended to only be cursory, and if you want to learn more there are plenty of resources out there. Next week, because it is Easter Sunday, there will be no class. In the following few weeks we will consider the rest of the disciples but each won t get their own week because of the limited information on each. a. Background: As we noted last time the inner circle of disciples was made up of Peter, James, and John. James and John were brothers and accordingly there is obviously some overlap in describing the two. I want to discuss John first because after Paul, the New Testament includes more of his writings than anyone else. He wrote a gospel and three epistles. He was also the one greatly blessed to record the Spirit s visions of the resurrected and soon coming Christ, the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Much of what follows is adapted from the NIV Bible Dictionary and John MacArthur s Twelve Ordinary Men. JOHN, THE APOSTLE The son of Zebedee, and brother of James the apostle It may be reasonably inferred that his mother was Salome (cf. Matt 27:56 with Mark 15:40) and that she was the sister of Mary the mother of Jesus. Jesus and John would then have been cousins. The family lived in Galilee, probably at Bethsaida. The father and the two sons were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1:19-20). 2 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee s sons. Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40). When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him (Mark 1:19-20). Now John was one of the disciples who had previously followed John the Baptizer, and after hearing John s words about Christ, this John left and became one of Christ s followers. What s interesting here, is if John was a cousin to Jesus, he was also probably related to John the Baptizer as well. I suppose, considering how small Israel really was, we should be surprised this was a family affair. The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, Look, the Lamb of God! When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, What do you want? They said, Rabbi (which means Teacher), where are you staying? Come, he replied, and you will see. So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour (John 1:35-39). 2 Douglas, J. D. and Merrill C. Tenney, editors, NIV Bible Dictionary, The Zondervan Corporation, ) 310 (

3 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men. At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he 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 (Matthew 4:18-22). b. Personality: While we don t read that John had multiple names, Jesus did name he and James, Boanerges (see Mark 3:17), which means Sons of Thunder which apparently spoke to their temperament. What I find interesting is John is know as the disciple of love because he spoke so much of love in his writings. But this is at odds with his personality, at least in his early years. MacArthur notes, speaking of both James and John: Unlike Peter s name, which was obviously intended to help encourage and shape Peter s character toward a rocklike steadfastness, Boanerges seems to have been bestowed on the sons of Zebedee to chide them when they allowed their naturally feverish temperaments to get out of hand. Perhaps the Lord even used it for humorous effect when employing it as a gentle admonishment. it is clear from the Gospel accounts that John was capable of behaving in the most sectarian, narrow-minded, unbending, reckless, and impetuous fashion. He was volatile. He was brash. He was aggressive. He was passionate, zealous, and personally ambitious just like his brother James. They were cut from the same bolt of cloth. 3 Consider the following examples. The first demonstrates all of the above negative qualities. Master, said John, we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us. Do not stop him, Jesus said, for whoever is not against you is for you. As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village (Luke 9:49-56). While this request may have been drawn from Elijah s example (see 2 Kings 17), the purpose of Jesus ministry was to offer healing, salvation, not judgment, at least not then. And as for ambition Then the mother of Zebedee s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. What is it you want? he asked. She said, Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom. You don t know what you are asking, Jesus said to them. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink? We can, they answered. 3 MacArthur, John, Twelve Ordinary Men, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN, 2002, p ) 311 (

4 Jesus said to them, You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father. When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers (Matthew 20:20-24). Of course, like all weaknesses, they go hand-in-hand with strengths. When the Holy Spirit used Christ s teaching in John s life, these characteristics were turned into great strengths. As you read his writings you see he is still zealous. But his zealousness is for truth, in love. His commitment has become balanced. And is ambition is for Christ and the gospel, no longer for himself. So finally he becomes know as the Apostle of Love, and the one who was blessed to live to an old age so he could receive the vision of Revelation. d. Turning events: The turning events in John s life seem to relate to his being rebuked by the Lord for the negative aspects of his zealousness. He was present at the most important events in Christ s life. With the other two in the inner circle of the apostles, he was admitted to witness the raising of Jairus daughter (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51), the Transfiguration (Matt 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28), and his agony in Gethsemane (Matt 26:37; Mark 14:33). 4 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child s father and mother (Luke 8:51). After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them (Mark 9:2). He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled (Mark 14:33). He and Peter were sent by Jesus to make preparations for the Passover (Luke 22:8), and at the Passover feast John lay close to the breast of Jesus and asked who his betrayer would be (John 13:25). When Jesus was arrested, John fled, as did the other apostles (Matt 26:56), but he recovered enough courage to be present at the trial of Jesus. Through his acquaintance with the high priest, he was able to have Peter come in too (John 18:16). 5 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in (John 18:16). He stood near the cross on which Jesus was nailed and there received Jesus commission to look after his mother (19:26). On the morning of the Resurrection, when he and Peter were told by Mary Magdalene about the empty grave, they went together to see for themselves (20:2-3). In the account of the appearance of the risen Lord in Galilee the sons of Zebedee received special mention, and it is John who first recognized Jesus (21:1-7). 6 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Tiberias. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (called Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, 4 Douglas. 5 Ibid. 6 Ibid. ) 312 (

5 the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. I m going out to fish, Simon Peter told them, and they said, We ll go with you. So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, Friends, haven t you any fish? No, they answered. He said, Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some. When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord! As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, It is the Lord, he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water (John 21:1-7). e. The Latter Years: Walking with the Lord, for the disciples, was a walk of transformation. He took real men, with real failings, and through His influence and the power of the Spirit transformed them. He took their strengths and weaknesses, and helped them gain power over the latter, and strengthen the former to His glory. John, who could, in his zealousness be far from loving became the apostle who has taught us how to be zealous for truth while demonstrating God s love to a people desperately in need of healing and salvation. John s theology is best described as a theology of love. He taught that God is a God of love, that God loved His own Son, that God loved the world, that God is loved by Christ, that Christ loved His disciples, that Christ s disciples loved Him, that all men should love Christ, that we should love on another, and that love fulfills the law. Love was a critical part of every element of John s teaching. It was the dominant them of his theology. 7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 John 4:7-12). John died, by most accounts around a.d. 98, during the reign of Emperor Trajan. Jerome says in his commentary on Galatians that the aged apostle John was so frail in his final days at Ephesus that he had to be carried into the church. One phrase was constantly on his lips: My little children, love one another. Asked why he always said this, he replied, It is the Lord s command, and if this alone be done, it is enough, Thus the fishermen of Galilee Peter, Andrew, James, and John became fishers of men on a tremendous scale, gathering souls into the church. In a sense, they are still casting their nets into the sea of the world by their testimony in the Gospels and their epistles. They are still bringing multitudes of people to Christ. Although they were common men, theirs was an uncommon calling. 8 Conclusion: As you can see with John, zealousness and intensity, we all have our failings. While some suffer from a case of Peter s Foot in Mouth, others suffer from a case of 7 MacArthur, p Ibid., p ) 313 (

6 John s intemperance. But as with these men, when focused on Christ s teachings and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we too can be greatly used. The most important thing we can take from John is, probably after the issue of salvation itself, the importance of Truth presented in love. And this is once of the most important truths the Church must live out to serve as kingdom ambassadors. O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus John 13:1 O the deep, deep love of Jesus Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free! Rolling as a mighty ocean In its fullness over me. Underneath me, all around me, Is the current of thy love; Leading onward, leading homeward, To my glorious rest above. O the deep, deep love of Jesus Spread his praise from shore to shore! How he loveth, ever loveth, Changeth never, nevermore. How he watches o er his loved ones, Died to call them all his own; How for them he intercedeth, Watcheth o er them from the throne. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, Love of ev ry love the best! Tis an ocean vast of blessing, Tis a haven sweet of rest. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, Tis a heaven of heavens to me; And it lifts me up to glory, For it lifts me up to thee. 9 9 Francis, Samuel Trevor, O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus, public domain. ) 314 (

7 Matthew Matthew 10:4 Meet the Disciples ~ John VII The Extension of the Kingdom 8:1-10:42 B. The Calling of Workers for the Harvest 9:35-10:4 1. The Calling of the Twelve Verse 1 2. Meet the Twelve Verses 2-4 Introduction: (John 21:22-24; Mark 3:13-19) a. Background: (Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40, 1:19-20; John 1:35-39; Matthew 4:18-22) b. Personality: (Luke 9:49-56; Matthew 20:20-24; see Mark 3:17; 2 Kings 17)

8 d. Turning events: (Luke 8:51; Mark 9:2, 14:33; John 18:16; John 21:1-7; see Mark 5:37; Matthew 17:1; Luke 9:28, 22:8; John 13:25; Matthew 26:56; John 19:26, 20:2-3) e. The Latter Years: (1 John 4:7-12) Conclusion: Personal Application: It what way can you identify with John? How is that positive? How is it negative? What do you want to ask God now? Prayer for the Week: Lord, may we model John s strengths and learn from his weaknesses. In Jesus name, amen.