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Description

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.

Family

• Brothers of James and son of Zebedee.
• For further details, see notes accompanying the James podcast.

Ministry

• Training with Jesus. Focus: Luke 9:46-55 (John's lack of humility and love towards outsiders).
• Preaching with Peter Acts 3-5). Focus: Acts 4:13,19-20 (powerful preaching, significant knowledge of God and his word). Uneducated, yet courageous.
• Later he is described as a pillar in the Jerusalem church (Galatians 2:9).
• Later life (traditional, uncertain)
  • Ephesus (Asia Minor): home, ministry, Mary.
  • Taught Polycarp of Smyrna, who in turn taught Irenaeus (late 100s).

Death

• Traditionally he died a peaceful death. In contrast, at least 7 of the apostles died a martyr's death.
• John 19:26ff -- assuming he is "the disciple whom Jesus loved" -- suggests he was one of the last to die.
• If so, he and his brother James bracket the apostles: James being the first to die, John being the last.

Miscellaneous

• The Isle of Patmos, a few hours by boat off the west coast of Turkey, belongs to Greece. It is a beautiful place, and much larger than I'd ever imagined. Still, the loneliness of exile must have been bittersweet for John the Revelator.
• As for Da Vinci's Last Supper mural painting, the beardless figure beside Jesus is not a woman (Mary Magdalene, according to Dan Brown of Da Vinci Code fame). It was conventional in the Renaissance to depict young men without beards, thus accentuating their boyishness.

Writings

• Anonymity of authorship, except for Revelation 1:4.
• Strength of position for traditional authorship of the 5 Johannine writings.

Lesson for  you and me:

• The apostle of love reminds us of an urgent need: love for insiders (zealous fraternal loyalty) and for outsiders (the mission of Christ).
• People change. The "son of thunder" in time became known as "the apostle of love."
• Stay faithful to the very end, whenever that comes.