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Nobody Knew Jesus better than John
Posted by Derrick
on
13:04
Something that was said to me at Spring Harvest was enough to think about this post. I'm hoping to give this as a talk one day. Hopefully it will go down well
I have a question for you. What did Jesus look like? Now I am sure that there may be two answers winging their ways to your mouths: we don’t know and he didn’t look very special. Now, that’s all very biblical and correct but I bet you have an idea in your head about what he really looked like. Was he tall or short? Bearded or clean-shaven? Blue or brown eyes? We then usually consider his personality. What was he like? Perhaps he was gentle and meek but given to the occasional bout of anger. I am sure that we all have our own preferences but what I have been thinking about lately concerns the view of Jesus held by someone else we all probably may know lots about. Or perhaps not…
Who is your favourite disciple? The list of the disciples is usually easy to remember up to a point. I’m sure we all remember Peter and Andrew, James and John, Matthew, and Judas Iscariot. After that my mind starts to strain. Philip and Nathaniel definitely. Oh and doubting Thomas which is nine. James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and finally who is the last one? Thaddeus brings us to 12. Then we must remove Judas Iscariot (I assume he is nobody’s favourite) and replace him with Matthias.
We all know what happened to Judas. Peter was crucified upside down as was Phillip. Andrew was crucified in Greece. James son of Alphaeus was stoned in Jerusalem. James son of Zebedee was beheaded. Thomas was speared to death and the fates of the others are just as gruesome. These men died in the Middle East, in Europe and even as far away as India. Probably the only one who died a non-violent death was John.
John is the same John who wrote some of the most amazing verses in the Bible. Let’s listen to the sublime words at the beginning of John’s gospel:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth
This magnificent opening to the Gospel according to Saint John is written by someone who clearly understood what Jesus was like. Someone who loved Jesus and knew who He was.
John was not one of my favourite disciples. I always struggled with his Gospel to be honest. It’s not as clear as the other three and it goes its own way in so many different examples. The Jesus in John’s gospel is still remarkable and wonderful but there is something about it that to me makes it more difficult to understand. Give me Luke with his good historian’s skills. Give me Mark with his quick-fire pace (nearly a quarter of all occurrences of the word immediately in the NIV New Testament are in Mark).
I always thought that I identified more with Peter. He was the failure. The one who let Jesus down so often. I felt that he was the one who was closest to the person I was. I wish I had known more about John, the disciple I think I should have wanted to be more like. After all, nobody knew Jesus better than John.
John was almost always with Jesus during His public ministry. John was one of the first disciples called. In Mark we see that he and his brother James were called just after Peter and his brother Andrew. We see the same in Luke’s gospel as well. When he is called, John leaves his work immediately. He practically bounds off to follow Christ.
So we see John among all of the lists of the disciples. He was probably among the Seventy Two disciples we see being sent out by Jesus in Luke 10. I can imagine them all sitting there, listening to the team briefing. There was Jesus talking in the wonderful language of the day (Seventeenth Century English of course) and saying ‘carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes’ and most of the disciples wondering what they would find on their journey. (Personally I would have been wondering what on earth a scrip was and would probably have missed most of the important details). So off John must have gone and he must have come back with such wonderful stories of what had happened on his long journey. Stories of the healings and miracles. Perhaps there were also stories of rejection but there were certainly stories of acceptance. This John knew what Jesus was really like. He lived the life of a disciple and did his bidding.
So, nobody knew Jesus better than John.
Ok, we might argue that there were at least 71 others who knew Jesus as well as John but John was also one of the Twelve. He is mentioned in every list that the gospels contain. Here was the man who listened to the stories that Christ told. The Good Samaritan, the Lost Son, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard and so many others. Here was the man who witnessed the healing of unnumbered people who came to Jesus. He saw the miraculous feeding of thousands at a time. He saw Jesus’ mastery of creation and He was there right at the very start, the miracle at Cana. John sat and listened to Jesus as He preached the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain. Imagine that, being there at all of those events. Imagine being there when Jesus spoke those parables for the first time. What must he have learned? How much he must have known. This is the John who sat at Christ’s feet and soaked it all in. This is the John who had the Messiah himself, kneel and wash his feet at the Last Supper. This John followed, literally, in the footsteps of Jesus and went wherever Christ went. This was a man who did all that was asked of him (except perhaps keep himself awake in Gethsemane).
See, nobody knew Jesus better than John.
So maybe there may have been 11 who knew Jesus as much as John but he was also one of the inner circle. He was one of the three. It was only Peter, James and John who went with Jesus into the home of Jairus, It was only those three disciples who witnessed Him call his daughter forward and raise her from the dead. Likewise he was one of the three who witnessed the transfiguration. Here he saw Moses, Elijah and Jesus shining with the Glory of God. John was there (although he couldn’t stay awake) as Jesus went through agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Only Peter and John were sent into Jerusalem to make preparations for the Last Supper. Again I ask how much must he have learned in these moments? I imagine that there would have been many many more moments when Jesus was alone with his best friends. Even John admits, in the magnificently understated ending to his Gospel, that there were so many other things that Jesus did, some of these things must have been shared between just Jesus and his closest disciples.
Nobody knew Jesus better than John.
Peter and James may also have been in the inner circle but only John stood at the foot of the cross. He was the one of the 72 who didn’t desert Christ as He was nailed to that piece of wood on a stark Friday so long ago. He was the one of the 12 who stayed till the end. He was the one of the 3 who was there until Jesus gave up his spirit.
Nobody knew Jesus better than John.
But there is more. Here we may have to leave the realm of mostly certainty and begin to speculate a little bit. At the Cross there was a wonderfully evocative scene. Jesus, in one of His last acts, commits his mother to the care of John. We know from Luke’s gospel that Mary kept the stories about Jesus close to her heart. Whilst she and John were caring for each other she must have shared some of these stories. When he was looking after the mother of his dear friend and leader, John must have asked what Jesus was like as a child. He must have heard so many stories.
Yet there is even more. There is every chance that John and Mary were actually aunt and nephew. John’s mother was called Salome and this was the name of the sister of Mary. Jesus and John were quite possibly cousins. As a child, John may have known Jesus. He could have seen him many times and come to know him well. They may have worked together as John grew up. Perhaps that is why John leapt so quickly from his boat when Jesus called him. Here was someone whom he already knew so well.
Whatever we speculate or whatever we know; nobody knew Jesus better than John.
So what did John know? He knew that Jesus was the Risen Son of God. He knew that Jesus died for our sins on the cross. He knew how high and wide and deep was the love of Jesus. He knew that no matter how abandoned Jesus felt He never abandoned anyone who needed him. He knew that Jesus loved him more than anyone else ever had or would. Do you know this Jesus?
Do you know this Jesus? This is someone who wants you to get to know Him. If you do not please ask someone to help you get to know Him. He knows you and He loves you. Getting to know Him is the most amazing and wonderful experience.
What about those of us, including myself who would say that we do know Jesus? Some of us think that we know Jesus well. We know these things that John did. We may have qualifications that show we have studied the Bible. We may have spent years learning about this Jesus. I have a question for us.
What happened when John last saw Jesus?
He fell on his face at the feet of his best friend. At the beginning of the book of Revelation, John sees Jesus again. He sees the man he had known for so long.The man who was his best friend and his teacher. He sees the man who did so many miracles and loved John so much. And John falls down at the feet of Christ.
It’s important not to lose focus of this Christ. We know all these things about Jesus and yet when was the last time that we fell down at His feet? I haven’t done it in a long time but after learning more about this wonderful disciple and how he reacted to his best friend I am going to try and spend a lot more time at the feet of Jesus. Will you join me?
I have a question for you. What did Jesus look like? Now I am sure that there may be two answers winging their ways to your mouths: we don’t know and he didn’t look very special. Now, that’s all very biblical and correct but I bet you have an idea in your head about what he really looked like. Was he tall or short? Bearded or clean-shaven? Blue or brown eyes? We then usually consider his personality. What was he like? Perhaps he was gentle and meek but given to the occasional bout of anger. I am sure that we all have our own preferences but what I have been thinking about lately concerns the view of Jesus held by someone else we all probably may know lots about. Or perhaps not…
Who is your favourite disciple? The list of the disciples is usually easy to remember up to a point. I’m sure we all remember Peter and Andrew, James and John, Matthew, and Judas Iscariot. After that my mind starts to strain. Philip and Nathaniel definitely. Oh and doubting Thomas which is nine. James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and finally who is the last one? Thaddeus brings us to 12. Then we must remove Judas Iscariot (I assume he is nobody’s favourite) and replace him with Matthias.
We all know what happened to Judas. Peter was crucified upside down as was Phillip. Andrew was crucified in Greece. James son of Alphaeus was stoned in Jerusalem. James son of Zebedee was beheaded. Thomas was speared to death and the fates of the others are just as gruesome. These men died in the Middle East, in Europe and even as far away as India. Probably the only one who died a non-violent death was John.
John is the same John who wrote some of the most amazing verses in the Bible. Let’s listen to the sublime words at the beginning of John’s gospel:
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth
This magnificent opening to the Gospel according to Saint John is written by someone who clearly understood what Jesus was like. Someone who loved Jesus and knew who He was.
John was not one of my favourite disciples. I always struggled with his Gospel to be honest. It’s not as clear as the other three and it goes its own way in so many different examples. The Jesus in John’s gospel is still remarkable and wonderful but there is something about it that to me makes it more difficult to understand. Give me Luke with his good historian’s skills. Give me Mark with his quick-fire pace (nearly a quarter of all occurrences of the word immediately in the NIV New Testament are in Mark).
I always thought that I identified more with Peter. He was the failure. The one who let Jesus down so often. I felt that he was the one who was closest to the person I was. I wish I had known more about John, the disciple I think I should have wanted to be more like. After all, nobody knew Jesus better than John.
John was almost always with Jesus during His public ministry. John was one of the first disciples called. In Mark we see that he and his brother James were called just after Peter and his brother Andrew. We see the same in Luke’s gospel as well. When he is called, John leaves his work immediately. He practically bounds off to follow Christ.
So we see John among all of the lists of the disciples. He was probably among the Seventy Two disciples we see being sent out by Jesus in Luke 10. I can imagine them all sitting there, listening to the team briefing. There was Jesus talking in the wonderful language of the day (Seventeenth Century English of course) and saying ‘carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes’ and most of the disciples wondering what they would find on their journey. (Personally I would have been wondering what on earth a scrip was and would probably have missed most of the important details). So off John must have gone and he must have come back with such wonderful stories of what had happened on his long journey. Stories of the healings and miracles. Perhaps there were also stories of rejection but there were certainly stories of acceptance. This John knew what Jesus was really like. He lived the life of a disciple and did his bidding.
So, nobody knew Jesus better than John.
Ok, we might argue that there were at least 71 others who knew Jesus as well as John but John was also one of the Twelve. He is mentioned in every list that the gospels contain. Here was the man who listened to the stories that Christ told. The Good Samaritan, the Lost Son, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard and so many others. Here was the man who witnessed the healing of unnumbered people who came to Jesus. He saw the miraculous feeding of thousands at a time. He saw Jesus’ mastery of creation and He was there right at the very start, the miracle at Cana. John sat and listened to Jesus as He preached the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain. Imagine that, being there at all of those events. Imagine being there when Jesus spoke those parables for the first time. What must he have learned? How much he must have known. This is the John who sat at Christ’s feet and soaked it all in. This is the John who had the Messiah himself, kneel and wash his feet at the Last Supper. This John followed, literally, in the footsteps of Jesus and went wherever Christ went. This was a man who did all that was asked of him (except perhaps keep himself awake in Gethsemane).
See, nobody knew Jesus better than John.
So maybe there may have been 11 who knew Jesus as much as John but he was also one of the inner circle. He was one of the three. It was only Peter, James and John who went with Jesus into the home of Jairus, It was only those three disciples who witnessed Him call his daughter forward and raise her from the dead. Likewise he was one of the three who witnessed the transfiguration. Here he saw Moses, Elijah and Jesus shining with the Glory of God. John was there (although he couldn’t stay awake) as Jesus went through agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Only Peter and John were sent into Jerusalem to make preparations for the Last Supper. Again I ask how much must he have learned in these moments? I imagine that there would have been many many more moments when Jesus was alone with his best friends. Even John admits, in the magnificently understated ending to his Gospel, that there were so many other things that Jesus did, some of these things must have been shared between just Jesus and his closest disciples.
Nobody knew Jesus better than John.
Peter and James may also have been in the inner circle but only John stood at the foot of the cross. He was the one of the 72 who didn’t desert Christ as He was nailed to that piece of wood on a stark Friday so long ago. He was the one of the 12 who stayed till the end. He was the one of the 3 who was there until Jesus gave up his spirit.
Nobody knew Jesus better than John.
But there is more. Here we may have to leave the realm of mostly certainty and begin to speculate a little bit. At the Cross there was a wonderfully evocative scene. Jesus, in one of His last acts, commits his mother to the care of John. We know from Luke’s gospel that Mary kept the stories about Jesus close to her heart. Whilst she and John were caring for each other she must have shared some of these stories. When he was looking after the mother of his dear friend and leader, John must have asked what Jesus was like as a child. He must have heard so many stories.
Yet there is even more. There is every chance that John and Mary were actually aunt and nephew. John’s mother was called Salome and this was the name of the sister of Mary. Jesus and John were quite possibly cousins. As a child, John may have known Jesus. He could have seen him many times and come to know him well. They may have worked together as John grew up. Perhaps that is why John leapt so quickly from his boat when Jesus called him. Here was someone whom he already knew so well.
Whatever we speculate or whatever we know; nobody knew Jesus better than John.
So what did John know? He knew that Jesus was the Risen Son of God. He knew that Jesus died for our sins on the cross. He knew how high and wide and deep was the love of Jesus. He knew that no matter how abandoned Jesus felt He never abandoned anyone who needed him. He knew that Jesus loved him more than anyone else ever had or would. Do you know this Jesus?
Do you know this Jesus? This is someone who wants you to get to know Him. If you do not please ask someone to help you get to know Him. He knows you and He loves you. Getting to know Him is the most amazing and wonderful experience.
What about those of us, including myself who would say that we do know Jesus? Some of us think that we know Jesus well. We know these things that John did. We may have qualifications that show we have studied the Bible. We may have spent years learning about this Jesus. I have a question for us.
What happened when John last saw Jesus?
He fell on his face at the feet of his best friend. At the beginning of the book of Revelation, John sees Jesus again. He sees the man he had known for so long.The man who was his best friend and his teacher. He sees the man who did so many miracles and loved John so much. And John falls down at the feet of Christ.
It’s important not to lose focus of this Christ. We know all these things about Jesus and yet when was the last time that we fell down at His feet? I haven’t done it in a long time but after learning more about this wonderful disciple and how he reacted to his best friend I am going to try and spend a lot more time at the feet of Jesus. Will you join me?
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