John Son of Zebedee in the Synoptic Gospels - Essay Example

?John , Son of Zebedee, in the Gospels Introduction The New Testament includes three men d John. There is John son of Zachariah and Elizabeth, cousin once removed to Jesus, and most often known as John the Baptist, as in Matthew Chapter 3 where his mission in the desert is recorded. In the book of Acts we meet another John, John Mark, sometimes referred to by Luke as Mark, a young man from Jerusalem who accompanied Paul for a time. His mother’s home was a base for Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 12 v 12). It is possible Mark was present in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14 v 51) Ist study Who was John? Our study is about a third John, John, brother of James, the son of Zebedee, a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, and the person many think is the author of the fourth Gospel, as well as the three letters which bear his name, and the book of Revelation . ? John, a Judean Jew, was the son of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21)and brother to James. He was probably James’ younger brother as they are always listed as ‘James and John’. If Mark 15 v 40-41 and John 19 v 25 are compared it could be assumed that Salome, a women follower, was mother to James and John and also sister to Mary, mother of Jesus, which would make the brothers his cousin. His mother had certainly followed Jesus from Galilee in order to care for his needs ( Matthew 27 v 56). On the cross Jesus is therefore asking John to take Mary into her sister’s home, a very natural thing to do. Also, since Jesus and John the Baptist were also cousins, this would also make him a cousin to John the Baptist, whose mother, Elizabeth, was a close relative of Jesus' mother (Luke 1:36). Lea and Black state ( 2003, page 8 ) that the New Testament is a theological history. That doesn’t mean that it is not historically accurate, but only that it interprets matters from a theological point of view, so when we read John did this or that this is likely to be correct. Mark 1: 16-20 is a passage explaining the call of the two brothers James and John. Matthew They were from Capernaum, a fishing port not too far from Jesus’s family home in Nazareth, less than 30 miles away. We don’t know if they knew him beforehand, but it could be that he had at least seen them before, or even that they were already friends. Mark 1 v16- 18 records the call of two other brothers, Peter and Andrew who were told ‘Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.’( Bible New International Version (2008) . They responded immediately we are told, just leaving their nets where they were. A little further on Jesus meets the Zebedee brothers, James and John, this time together with their father and some hired men. Again the response is immediate. Did they know what they were getting into? Did they perhaps think this was only a short term arrangement? Jesus calls both brothers after having called Simon and Andrew to become his disciples. They did not hesitate and followed him at once leaving their fishing nets. This was at the time of the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry, after his baptism. At this early stage were they aware of Jesus’s spiritual authority? Mark reports their call as being immediately before the visit to the synagogue in Capernaum where Jesus began to teach the people, who we are told were astonished by his authority. In Mark 3 v 17 we have the appointment of the twelve to be with him. Matthew Henry (1706) makes the comment that first Jesus goes up a mountain,. Something he did in order to pray , and reminds us that ministers must be set aside after much prayer. Sometimes it is said that they followed him because they had already heard John the Baptist preaching about the coming Messiah, but John was preaching much further south. Would they have heard him? In Luke’s gospel ( 4 v 14) we are told that after his baptism and the temptations in the desert, ‘Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit’(Bible , N.I.V.) and news about him spread throughout the whole region and also how he declared( Luke 4 v 18) ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor The four disciples accepting the call marks the first event to happen with the start of the ministry of Jesus. This event follows teaching at the synagogue and entry into Capernaum. In his gospel, St. Luke puts the teaching in Synagogue later, after he had put a record of the events that happened as Capernaum and Nazareth. Study 2, Why did John become a disciple? The reason that James and his brother John are so ready to come forward when it comes to following Jesus can perhaps be explained by reading the 1st chapter of John’s Gospel, where John the Baptist is preaching about the coming of the Messiah. In this version of events John the Baptist explains how he saw his cousin Jesus at his baptism:- John 1 v 32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One. ( Bible , New International Version, 2008). In the verses that follow it is explained how two of John the Baptist’s disciples heard him say ‘Look, the Lamb of God.’, a Messianic title, one of many in the Old and New Testaments. By using this title John the Baptist is linking Jesus back to the Pascal Lamb of Exodus 12, as well as the Messianic Lamb of Isaiah 53. The two, one of whom was Andrew ( John 1 v 40) brother of Simon Peter. Having met Jesus Andrew immediately goes off to find his brother and bring him to Jesus too. Andrew and Peter came from Bethsaida, and together with James and John were fishermen, so it is highly likely they knew James and John and passed on the good news. It has been suggested by some scholars that the unnamed disciple in this passage – the other of John’s disciples who followed John ( John 1 v 40). Gradually other men were called to be disciples, but by the time of the raising of Jairus’ daughter in Mark, 5:37 and Luke 8:51 the brothers are part of an inner circle within the band , together with Peter, and it is only these three whom Jesus takes with him to the home of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue. So John was very privileged and saw and experienced things that the majority were not invited to see. That John had an important place among the disciples was known and is reflected in his mother’s request that her sons would be allowed to sit next to Jesus when he came into his kingdom. ( Matthew 20 v 20 -27) :- 20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. 21 “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.22 “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. 23 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.”24 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— It is clear from this passage that both brothers still had a lot to learn. Jesus explains that just as he will suffer, so will they. Also they need to learn to serve, rather than expect to be served by others. This incident Mark, who wrote down his gospel according to what Peter told him, is placed immediately before Jesus preached in his own home town, and where his specialness was not recognized ( Mark 6 v 6). At this stage even the disciples had much to learn. The same trio, Peter, James and John who had been present at the healing of Jairus’ daughter were also present at the Transfiguration, forming a kind of inner circle among the larger group (Matt. 17:1–9:- 17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. So John is entrusted with the greatest of secrets. He is also given important tasks as when he and Peter are asked to go and prepare for the Passover ( Luke 22 v 8-13), and then after their last supper together in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36–46) John is invited to even witness Jesus’ most private moment of agony:-. 36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Even among this trio John is prominent because he was the only disciple who was with Jesus Christ right from the start of his earthly ministry, was also present at his crucifixion, if he is linked to being ‘the disciple whom he loved’ and also witnessed the resurrection. He remained loyal, and must have been loved and trusted by Jesus who entrusted his mother, presumably widowed by this time, into John’s care, (John 19 v 25-27) Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[a] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Yet this isn’t just a mild and gentle young man. In Mark 3 v 17 we are told that Jesus gave the brothers the name ‘Boanages’ which means ‘Sons of thunder’. This could refer to their temperaments, but could possibly also mean that they had loud voices, or possibly upon how keen and zealous they were. John Wesley commented (circa 1754) that it may have been because of the power of their word. Others would say that Jesus saw the disciples as ‘works in progress’ and we see in the gospels how they grew in faith and understanding. They were certainly ready to call down storms on others as when, when travelling to Jerusalem (Luke 9: 51-56) Jesus sent messengers ahead of himself into a Samaritan village so that they could prepare for him. The Samaritans did not want to know and when John and his brother James saw this they asked Jesus if they should order fire to come down from heaven and burn them up. Jesus however had not come to destroy, but to fulfill, as he told the crowds in his Sermon on the Mount. ( Matthew 5 v 17.). Luke ( 8 v 22-25) records the storm on the Sea of Galilee, a storm which Jesus miraculously calmed to the astonishment of John and his companions. A t this period it seems they did not yet understand fully just who Jesus was for they ask in fear ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’( Bible N.I.V.2008). In Matthew 14 v 22-33 another amazing incident is recorded as having taken place on the lake. On this occasion Jesus had gone off by himself to pray while the disciples went ahead of him by boat. Matthew records how, during the fourth watch of the night, that is in the very dark period before dawn, the disciples were scared when they saw a figure walking towards them on the waters of the lake. They thought it was a ghost and cried out in fear once more, but Jesus reassured them. After this of course Peter tries to walk on the water too and has to be rescued by the Lord. Even his faith is less than was needed by a disciple (Keener, 1997) Jesus and Peter climb into the boat, the waves calm down, and John, along with the other disciples worshipped Jesus, proclaiming him to be the Son of God, a Messianic title which would be given to Jesus many times within the pages of the New Testament.. Despite being told off at times, and an earlier lack of understanding, John remained a loyal disciple. He was still present in Jerusalem after the resurrection. On the first Easter morning John ran with Peter to the empty tomb after Mary Magdelene reported the empty tomb ( John 20 v 1-9):-. 20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) He saw the risen Christ walking on the shore of the Sea of Galilee (John 21 v 1-2). and at Pentecost (John 21:1-2 and Acts 1 v 12-14). So John was there from the beginning. He is recorded as having been present at the first miracle described in the gospels, the miraculous filling of the wine jars at the Cana wedding ( John 2 v 2-11), although it seems that at this stage of his ministry it was Jesus’ mother Mary was the only one of his followers who was really aware of what Jesus could do. She also encourages him to act. When there is no wine she tells him, and then tells the servants ‘Do whatever he tells you ( John 2 v 5 , Bible N.I.V.2008). So there at the first recorded miracle , and also present at the birth of the church, as described later by Luke in the book of Acts, so John is consistent in his discipleship, but at the same time is developing in his understanding. John is the only one of the twelve named male disciples who lived a long life, although there were of course many other followers, including many women such as Mary Magdalene. He seems to have died naturally at a great age, despite early persecution. Some think that he can’t be the same person mentioned in Mark by Jesus as sharing his cup, but he was imprisoned and tortured. According to early church tradition he preached in the city of Jerusalem, and later he took on the position of bishop of Ephesus, which lay south of modern day Izmir in western Turkey, and worked among the many churches of Asia Minor. At some point towards the end of the Ist century C.E., possibly during the reign of either Nero (C.E.54-68) or Domitian (C.E.81-96), he was banished to a small Greek island, Patmos, which is believed to be where the book of Revelation was written. 3rd Study, John’s Gospel Scholars are divided as to whether John, son of Zebedee, was actually the author of the gospel which now bears his name, although he is certainly linked with it. It could be that it was written by another church member, but was based on John’s recollection. The Gospel of John claims to be an eyewitness account. Despite this the IVP New Testament Commentary (Whiteacre, 2007) says about John 21 v 24 :- The word ‘wrote’ does not necessarily mean John actually did the writing. Indeed, one tradition of the church names his scribe as Prochorus. There is also the fact that John was quite old by the time his gospel was written down in the form we now have, and that it was common practice for an author to dictate to a scribe. This can clearly be seen in Paul’s writing , as when in Romans 16 v 22 it says “Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.” So in John 21 v 24 it seems that perhaps one person wrote down another’s story:- This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true. There is also the fact that in Revelation John clearly identifies himself. In Revelation 22 v8 we read :-“ I John am the one who heard and saw these things.” But in John’s gospel the phrase used is “the disciple Jesus loved.” It is hard to say after all these centuries where the truth lies. It was common practice at the time for an admirer to add the name of someone famous to his own work, and some scholars do see differences between the Greek used in the gospels and that used in the letters which carry John’s name. Irenaeus, writing some years after the events recorded in C.E. 180, said the fourth Gospel was written by the apostle John, who had been the teacher of Polycarp as described by Roetzel ( 1991). What does John’s writing tell us about his character? Firstly it shows his belief . The gospel was written to prove that Jesus was the Son of God. Lea and Black ( 2003, page 156)describe the language used as simple in both style and vocabulary. This however does not mean simple ideas. In his very first words we have Jesus described as the Word ( Logos in Greek) who was with God from the very beginning. He also describes Jesus as light in the darkness, but born into a world which did not understand him. The gospel shows John as an eye witness to the power and love shown in the miracles of Jesus, referred to by John as signs. In John 2 v 11 he says about the miracle at Cana:- This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him. John being of course one of those disciples. The main theme in the Gospel of John is the revelation of God to his creation, man. It uses Jesus Christ, the Word, who became man so that we might see him and believe. There are about three dozen miracles recorded in the various gospels, but John chose just seven, but through these he is able to show both the power and the nature of God. John was aware of Christ’s deity which he shows, as when John the Baptist declares “This is the Son of God.” ( John 1 v 34). Through this Gospel we witness the everlasting power and nature of the Creator God. There are also of course passages such as John 3, when Nicodemus, a Pharisee came to Jesus at night. John was presumably a witness to the conversation which followed and so he heard from the lips of Jesus himself, of the love of God, and his the offer of eternal life to all who believe through his Son, Jesus Christ.( John 3 v 16). Throughout the Gospel Christ's deity is shown. An example can be seen in John 2 v 19 after the Jerusalem Jews had asked for a miraculous sign which would give proof of Jesus’ authority. He responds “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days”( John 2 v 19, Bible N.I.V., 2008). John then makes it clear in verse 21 that Jesus is actually referring not to the Jerusalem temple building, but to his own body. He is therefore saying that Jesus had power over life and death, something proved later in the gospel with the description of the resurrection and the appearances of Jesus after that ( John 20 and afterwards). In John chapter 4 a conversation is recorded which John did not hear first hand, when Jesus tells the women at the well, :- Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John. 4:13-14, Bible N.I.V., 2008). This statement shows Jesus power over eternal life. John wouldn’t have included it if he hadn’t believed the truth of it. Jesus had sent the disciples into town to buy food, but they do arrive as recorded in John 4 v 27 and were astonished to find Jesus talking to a woman, so John was very much a typical first century Jewish man of his time, with the restrictions that imposed upon communications with the opposite sex. The disciples however, although they had their own thoughts, do not openly question Jesus about the incident. The miracles recorded by John reveal Jesus’ divine power and love, but John makes it clear that these are only a few selected examples out of many in the final verse of the Gospel( John 21 v 25, Bible N.I.V. 2008) :- Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them was written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. Finally, John’s life continued far beyond the gospels. He appears very early in the book of Acts ( 1 v 13). In Gal 2: 9 Paul considers John as a pillar of the Christian community, together with James and Peter. John together with Peter goes out from the Jerusalem church in order to give strength to the newly converted Samaritan people They prayed for the people so that the Samaritans could also receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8: 14-15). Not just in Samaria , but wherever he went John son of Zebedee was a man of faith in his Lord Jesus Christ and he spent the rest of his life telling people the good news that would bring them to salvation . References Bible, New International Version, London, Hodder and Stoughton, 2008 Henry, M.,An Exposition of the Old and New Testaments, London, John Ogle Robinson, 1706 Keener, C. Matthew, IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Leicester, InterVarsity Press, 1997. Lea, T. and Black, A., The New Testament: Its Background and Message, Tennessee, Broadman and Holman Publishers, 2003. Roetzel C. The Letters of Paul, Louisville, Kentucky, John Knox Press, 1991. Wesley, J, Explanatory Notes on the Bible, about 1754, Wesleyan Heritage Publishing 1993 Whiteacre, R., John, IVP New Testament Commentary Series, Leicester, InterVarsity Press, 2007 Read More