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John , believed to be the youngest of Jesus' twelve disciples, wrote the Gospel
which emphasizes that Jesus is the Son of God and that Jesus and God are One
as stated in John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. (KJV)
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John was a brother to James and a son of Zebedee. They were all three fishermen
by trade. When Jesus called John and James to follow Him they both chose to do
so. John was an apostle and a member of the inner circle of three whom Jesus
chose to experience some events which the other disciples did not experience
such as the transfiguration.
In Mark 3:17 Jesus calls John and James Bonanerges which means The sons of
Thunder. This suggests they were energetic and in Mark 10:35-37 they are also
ambitious, seeking a higher position than the other apostles. In Mark 9:38 John
is intolerant to someone who is not a part of their group. In Luke 9:54 he is
even vindictive wanting to call fire down from heaven to destroy people.
As time progressed John's personality changed. According to Luke 22:8
Jesus considers him trustworthy enough to send him to prepare the Passover
meal. John was confident that Jesus loved him as stated in John 13:23. Jesus
chose him to be the one who would care for Mary, the mother of Jesus, after
Jesus went back to His Father.
Later, John worked with Peter, healing the sick and preaching the Word. They
spent some time in prison. After being released they continued preaching in
such a way that the people marveled because they were considered to be unlearned
and ignorant men.
By the time John writes the first epistle of John, he is tender and
loving. This epistle encourages us to love one another, because if we don't,
we cannot love God whom we cannot see.
May we be encouraged to give ourselves over to God, who is able to
change us into people He can use to grow His Kingdom.
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