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The Life and Happenings of the Apostle John

· John had an earnest heart of compassion for the children of God to know their Father

All thru his writings we see the love of God portrayed to build up the body of Christ

And these things we write to you that your joy may continue to be fulfilling.
1 John 1:4

· The Apostle John had a close, personal relationship with Jesus and his writings reflect this.

Look at the wording John uses in 1 John 1:4.
- He is all alone in a cave writing this letter and he uses the word “we”
- Who else is with him? I think John was writing this knowing Jesus was right there with him.
John’s writings show the love of God and the Father’s desire for a family.
The Apostle John and the Prophet Daniel were both given the Revelation of the end times
- and both were called the “beloved of God”, Dan 10:11, Jn 13:23, 19:26, 21:7, 20

More than any other writer, John portrays the relationship of God the Father and us as His children

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
1 John 3:1

John was a fisherman by trade

· The Apostle John was born around 10AD
· John was one of the sons of Zebedee and a fisherman by trade who was in partnership with his brother James (He was not John the Baptist)

These two men were called by Jesus, “Sons of Thunder”, Mk 3:17. Fire from heaven, Lk 9:54.
- John was not a weak, cowardly man that is usually portrayed in popular paintings
- He was a man’s man. A son of thunder. A working man full of the love of God.

Jesus calls John and James

· Most likely a disciple of John the Baptist

John and his brother James were like many in that time, looking and expecting the Messiah
They were followers of John the Baptist, being taught of the Messiah

When Jesus asked John and James to follow Him, this wasn’t the first time they had heard or met Jesus

John lays his head on Jesus bosom

· John had a close relationship with Jesus during the three year ministry

John referred to himself as the one whom Jesus loves, Jn 13:23, 19:26, 21:7, 20
John laid his head on Jesus’ bosom at the last supper, Jn 13:23, 21:20
- Peter asked John to find out from Jesus who the betrayer was, Mk 3:17.

Jesus chose John to take care of His mother Mary after His departure, Jn 19:25-27.
John was always part of the chosen disciples, the “inner circle” to closely follow Jesus, along with Peter and his brother James
- At the healing of Jairus’ daughter, Jesus permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John, Mk 5:37.
- Mount of transfiguration, Mk 9:2.
- The Olivet Discourse, Mk 13:3.
- The Garden of Gethsemane, Matt 26:37.

Behold your mother

Jairus daughter

Mount of Transfiguration

Olivet Discourse

Garden of Gethsemene

The Jerusalem Council 50AD

· After the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, John resides in Jerusalem proclaiming the Gospel, Acts 3:11, 4:13.

When the Apostles heard that Samaria received the Gospel, Peter and John were sent to Samaria to preach, Acts 8:14.
We know John was still residing in Jerusalem in 50AD because he was at the Jerusalem Council
- Paul identifies him as a pillar of the church, Acts 15, Gal 2.

Nero's Circus and Christian Martyrs

· Great persecution and famine in Jerusalem

There was a terrible famine that started in 46AD along with great persecution from Rome and the Jews
- This was recorded by Josephus and prophesied by Agabus, Acts 11:28
- Nero reigned from 54 – 68AD, persecuting Christians
- Paul collects a contribution to support the church in Jerusalem because of the famine and hardship during his 3rd missionary journey from54-58AD, Rom 15:25-26, 1Cor 16:1-4.
Sometime after the martyrdom of Peter and Paul in 66AD at the hand of Nero, and before the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD, the Apostles residing at Jerusalem were disbursed.
- according to Eusebius, John was given Asia and resided in Ephesus, Euseb 3.1.

I. [1] SUCH was the condition of things among the Jews, but the holy Apostles and disciples of our Saviour were scattered throughout the whole world. [2] Thomas, as tradition relates, obtained by lot Parthia, Andrew Scythia, John Asia (and he stayed there and died in Ephesus),
John was not in Ephesus before 63AD because Paul would have mentioned him living in Ephesus in his letter to Timothy, 2Tim 4:9-19.

Sometime after the death of the Apostle Paul in 66AD, John became the pastor/elder at the church of Ephesus
John was the last surviving Apostle and the only Apostle that did not suffer martyrdom

John 21:20–22-20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, … 21 … said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”

Was there enough power in that statement to sustain John’s life as the longest living apostle and never suffer martyrdom?
- Tertullian, a 2nd century historian, tells us in his book, “The Prescription against Heretics” that John was plunged into boiling oil, unhurt, then exiled to the Isle of Patmos.

The Cave at Patmos

John was exiled to Patmos by Emperor Domitian in 81AD, where he remained for 15yrs until 96AD
- After the death of Domitian, John was released and went back to Ephesus
- John lived another 4 years and died in the year 100AD in Ephesus.

The Writings of the Apostle John

The Apostle John’s writings make up 20% of the New Testament
This makes him the third most prolific writer only to Luke and Paul
- Luke wrote 27.48%
- Paul wrote 27.07%
- John wrote 20.35%
  - The Gospel of John
  - The three epistles- 1,2,3 John
  - Revelation
All five books were written within the last decade of the 1st century, between 90—100AD
- It is generally accepted that Revelation was the first of his writings while in Patmos
  - Then his gospel
  - Then the three epistles
- There is some debate as to whether he wrote all five books in Patmos
  - It is possible that he wrote his gospel and the three epistles after his release from Patmos in 96AD
  - But it is more probably that these were written in exile
  - I am fully convinced that John wrote the epistles after his gospel

Unique words and phrases only used in John’s writings
If we didn’t have John’s writings, we wouldn’t have the following in our Christian doctrine

The Lamb of God

Behold the Lamb of God!

John 1:29- The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! ( John 1:36)
Revelation 5:6- And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain …
Revelation 5:8–13-8 … and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, …12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 …I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

The Word

John 1:1- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Revelation 19:13- He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
1 John 5:7- For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.

The Great I AM- יהוה

Exodus 3:14- And God said to Moses, “I AM THAT I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
John 8:58- Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
John 6:48- I AM the bread of life.
John 8:12- Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” Jn 1:4, 9, 9:5, 12:46
John 8:18- I AM the witness…
John 8:28- Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM…
John 10:9- I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
John 10:11- “I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 11:25- Jesus said to her, I AM the resurrection and the life…
John 14:6- Jesus said to him, I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 15:1- “I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
John 18:5–6-5 …Jesus said to them, I AM… 6 Now when He said to them, I AM, they drew back and fell to the ground.
Revelation 1:8- “I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Revelation 22:16- … I AM the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.

Living Water

Revelation 22:1- And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
John 7:37–38-37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
John 4:10- Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
John 6:35- And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
John 19:34- But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
John 3:5- Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Characteristics of God

God is Spirit- John 4:24
God is Light- 1 John 1:5
God is Love- 1 John 4:8

Eternal Life

The phrase Eternal Life, ζωὴν αἰώνιον, is used 44 times in the New Testament. 23 of which are used in John’s writings.
An example of this is the famous John 3:16 passage
John 3:16- For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Jesus Sent from the Father

John 6:40- And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
John 7:28–29- Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. 29 But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
John 8:23- And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 8:42- Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.

Unique to the Gospel of John

The Bronze Serpent

Water into wine at the wedding at Cana, Jn 2:1
Nicodemus- Jn 3:1-21

Born again, Jn 3:3
Born from water and the Spirit, Jn 3:5, 1Jn 5:6
The explanation of the bronze serpent of Moses as a type of Jesus, Jn 3:14

The Samaritan Woman at the Well- Jn 4:3 - 44

Living Water, Jn 4:10, 13
God is a Spirit, Jn 4:24

The Pool of Bethesda- Jn 5:1 – 15
The Bread of Life- Jn 6:22-71
The adulterous woman when Jesus writes in the dirt- Jn 8:3-11
The truth shall make you free John 8:31–32, 36
Jesus heals the blind man with mud- Jn 9:1-41
The Good Shepherd- John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The relationship between the Father and Jesus

John 10:30- I and My Father are one.”
John 10:38- … the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
John 17:21–23-21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
John 5:19- Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.
John 1:1–2-1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.

The Greek word structure of John 1:1 is astounding. If it was written any other way, our Christian doctrine would not be the same. For instance:

The use, namely the exclusion of the Greek article and the specific word order and placement of the Greek word Θεὸς (God) is the key. See the last statement in verse 1 below:
John 1:1- Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.
We know that the Word (ὁ λόγος) is the subject of the verse because of the nominative case. And we understand that the Word was in the beginning and the Word was with the Father (τὸν Θεόν). When the definite article is used in conjunction with the Greek word Θεὸς, this is referring to the Father. So when the Scripture says "the Word was with God" it is specifically referring to the Father because the definite article is used with Θεόν.

However, as the verse continues, it states that Θεὸς was the λόγος. This is where it gets fun. If John would have said ὁ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. It would mean that the Father was the Word. We know this isn't right because Jesus is the Word and the Father and the Son, even though they are One, as in they are unified, they are still two separate beings.

Therefore, the way John words this last statement is magnificent. He excludes the article in front of Θεός showing that he is not referring to the Father, but he places the Greek word Θεός at the beginning of the statement. Its emphatic position at the beginning of the statement stresses its essence or quality of being God without calling Him the Father. But if John would have placed Θεός at the end of the statement, and said ὁ λόγος ἦν Θεὸς, this would mean the Word was a god, not "the" God. By placing Θεός at the front, it stresses the emphatic position and tells the reader that this is still God not just a god, but yet He is a different person than ὁ Θεὸς.

John’s wording here is beautifully compact! It is, in fact, one of the most elegantly terse theological statements one could ever find. As Martin Luther said, the lack of the article is against Sabellianism; the word order is against Arianism.
Sabellianism states that the Father and Jesus are the same person.
Arianism states that Jesus was just a god and not the God

More that is unique to the Gospel of John

Lazarus raised from the dead- Jn 11:1-54
John always acknowledged the Passovers. This is one of the only ways to develop an accurate timeline in the harmony of the Gospels
Jesus washes the disciple’s feet at the last supper
John chapters 14 – 17 discourse- Last words of Jesus to His disciples before He is arrested

These four chapters are quite possibly the most impactful chapters in the Bible
Below are a few unique examples of this precious Word:
- I go to prepare a place for you and will come again and receive you unto Myself, Jn 14:1-3
- I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except thru Me, Jn 14:6
- I am the Vine, and you are the branches…If you abide in me and My Words abide in you, ask what you will and it will be done unto you, Jn 15:1-11
- When the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all Truth, Jn 16:13
- Whatever you ask the Father in My Name He will give it you, Jn 16:23
- In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, Jn 16:33
- Jesus’ prayer to the Father, John chapter 17 (this is truly the Lord’s Prayer, not Matthew 6)

Doubting Thomas, Jn 20:24-29
Attributes of Jesus’ glorified body- walking thru walls, Jn 20:19, 26
Breakfast on the Sea of Galilee after His resurrection, Jn 21:1-24

Lazarus raised from the dead

Jesus washes the disciples feet

Doubting Thomas

Breakfast with Jesus

The writings of John are so abundantly rich, I would encourage you to read his writings and fall in love with them as I have