It All Started at the Lake

When you look at the people of deep faith in the Bible, if it is someone in the New Testament, then it is more often than not the Apostle Paul who we are very impressed and enamored with.  I know that I love and respect Paul much, but now that I have finished teaching the whole book of Revelation over the last 18 months, my love and respect for the Apostle John has immensely grown.

For John, this journey of faith with Christ started at a lake one day when Jesus stepped into His life called him to follow Him.  John immediately took up the offer and off he went on what would be the longest faith walk of the 12.  John alone of the 12 would die of natural causes as everyone else was martyred along the way.  Here is how it started for John... 

Matthew 4:18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them.22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

As Jesus hung on the cross, John was the only one of the 12 who stood near and watched Jesus die.  He beheld Jesus last words and breath.  He was also given the great task of taking care of Mary.

John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

John's life with Jesus led to so much boldness and the thing that made the most difference was that he had been with Jesus - it marked his life until he died.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 

            Characteristics

·      Inner Circle of Jesus – He, Peter & James

·      Great Writer – clear, bold, a man of absolutes, loved the local church and the evidence is seen in the 50 Chapters he wrote in the New Testament that have come to the church.

                                    Gospel of John        21 Chapters

                                    1 John                         5 Chapters

                                    2 John                        1 Chapter

                                    3 John                        1 Chapter

                                    Revelation               22 Chapters

John MacArthur – “It is also thought by some scholars that the gospel of John and the epistles of John were written before 95 A.D. because in 95 A.D. there was this massive persecution by Domitian, a massacre of believers. And the reason some scholars believe these were written before that is because there is no reference to that in these epistles”.

John wrote so much on loving God and loving one another and the importance of loving one another enough to forgive one another.  John was moved by love and he naturally wrote much on loving God, one another, and forgiving one another.

            His Ministry in Latter Years

It is most likely that from  AD90-95 most of John’s ministry would have been in the overseeing  and ministering to the churches of Asia Minor.  It is possible had had been in or knew some of the Pastors and members of the churches listed in Revelation 2-3.  There is no doubt those churches would have known of John.  The fact that Revelation came to him makes total sense for he was the last remaining Apostle and would have the most credibility to deliver its' critical message to the churches for he was the most credible man of faith alive at the end of the 1st century.

            Still Effective in Writing and Preaching

Though John would have been very old at that time he wrote Revelation, his influence upon the 1st century church would have still been profound because of who he was as one who knew and literally walked with Jesus.  

His obvious gifts of preaching and writing would have still been profound and that very reason could be why he was exiled to Patmos.  He would have still been a very influential man and Emperor Domitian would have wanted to rid the empire of John's leadership.  If he was just a "used up old man" who was ineffective, he likely would not have been sent to Patmos.

Near 96AD on Patmos, the Revelation of Jesus Christ came to John and he wrote it down..   

It is also likely true that for the last 25-30 years of his life he would have been the sole person still around who knew Jesus in a deeply human to God-Man relationship.  No one alive would have the insight John would have had concerning Jesus. 

He would have been the most unique person to speak with in at least the last 3 decades of the first century.  He would have been around for the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem.  His was an amazing life.

One last thought on John and it takes us all the way to Revelation 21...

21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

As John looked at the 12 foundations of the eternal city, they had names written on them of the 12 Apostles, simply meaning John would have seen his name on one of those 12 foundations.  Can you imagine what he must have felt and thought in that moment? 

He likely thought back in that moment to the lake that day as he sat in his father's boat and Jesus called him to leave it all behind and follow. 

From a boat to his name on one of the foundations of the heavenly city, they "bookended" his life of faith and what a life of faith it absolutely was.  

Jesus does this you know, He often steps into a life and the call radically alters the course of a life and we are never the same.

I am grateful He did it to me all those years ago.