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Among the ranks of the disciples, there was a definite order and level of authority and rank. In the lists of the twelve, the disciples are divided into groups of threes with their names rarely moving out of their place. The top three are usually given as "Peter, James, and John" and throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ these three are singled out to experience a greater revelation of God's power and it becomes obvious that these three were the leaders among the disciples. While James became the first martyr and Peter the spokesperson of the group, many Bible scholars argue that it was John who attained the highest level of spiritual authority of the twelve because it was John who sat literally at Jesus' right hand at the Last Supper. Without a doubt, John is special and unique in every way, and he is definitely a character of scripture that is worth knowing more about.

John was the brother of James and as the sons of Zebedee, much of what we have studied about James applies to John as well. Zebedee, their father was a wealthy and well-known fisherman who never became a believer in Jesus Christ. Their mother, Salome, on the other hand was one of the most faithful followers of Christ from the beginning. Like James, John left the fishing nets and sure fortune of his father's business to follow Jesus. Like James, John no doubt suffered much persecution from his father and his father's friends for that decision. Like James, John never looked back.

In almost every instance of scripture the order of the brothers' names are "James and John" and Bible scholars agree that John was the youngest of the two. John was also one of the youngest disciples to follow Christ and it is provable from history that he did not die until 100 A.D. or after and some sources point to a death as late as 110 A.D. (It is provable that he did not die until around 100 A.D. because we know that he died during the reign of Trajan who began his rule in 98 A.D.). From the math, counting backwards, most historians believe that John was no older than 19 or 20 at the cross which would have made him about 16 or 17 years of age when he first heard the call of Christ to "follow me."

John, along with Andrew, was first a disciple of John the Baptist and was the unmentioned disciple who was directed towards Jesus by the Baptist in John 1:35-40. One of the most notable facts about the Gospel of John is that the only "John" mentioned by name in it is John the Baptist and that John never uses the term "the Baptist" but simply says "John." The disciple John never mentions himself by name in his gospel but refers to himself by an ambiguous title like "the other disciple" or "a certain disciple." If you were to read the Gospel of John without benefit of the other three Gospels it would be like the only John in the kingdom of God was the Baptist. Despite his high position among the disciples, John the brother of James, refused to "toot his own horn" and his great respect for John the Baptist, the man who led him to Christ, shows in how that the disciple makes his mentor the only "John" mentioned in his Gospel.

John wrote more books than any of the other twelve -- four: the Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John which were letters to churches and individuals, and the prophetic book of Revelation -- and his books were the last four books of the Bible written chronologically. History records that John only wrote his Gospel at the bidding and encouragement of the church people of the end of the century. We are thankful that he obliged because his gospel "fills in the blanks" left by the other Gospels and lets us in on the characteristics of many of the other disciples: our present study would be impossible without the Gospel of John. But strangely enough, the glimpses into John's life within his own gospel are few, yet enough remains that we can come to a better understanding of this young man who became the oldest living of the twelve and who became one of the greatest followers of Christ.

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In our study, let's get right to the main point early. What makes John so unique among the disciples is the phrase with which he calls himself over and over again at the end of his gospel. The phrase is "the disciple whom Jesus loved." John first uses this phrase about himself during the Last Supper in chapter 13 of his gospel:

Unfortunately, I must put in a word here that from the weird wording of this phrase, some carnal minds have tried to make John a homosexual or effeminate person. Nothing could be further from the truth. This was a man who had grown up working hard labor in a fishing business and was an outdoors type who along with his brother, James, was surnamed "Boanerges" or "sons of thunder." The misunderstanding comes from the lack of knowledge that in New Testament times meals were eaten not sitting at a table but rather in a position of lying on the side towards a raised area of flooring that held the food. The phrase that John was "reclining on Jesus' bosom" simply means that he was placed at the meal next to Jesus to the side that Jesus faced. It tells us something of John's preeminence and honor among the disciples to be in such a place of honor, but it does not suggest anything towards effeminacy.

In the story, Simon Peter got John's attention to ask Jesus about who it was that betrayed Him, because John was the closest to Jesus at the "table." This placement along with the phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved" shows us the special position of John among the disciples. The next time the phrase is used is when Mary came to tell Peter and John about the empty tomb at Jesus' resurrection:

The phrase here is "the other disciple whom Jesus loved." And then when Jesus appeared to the disciples that had returned to fishing in the 21st chapter of John, we find that it was John who first recognized Jesus:

And finally, as they are on the seaside enjoying the meal that Jesus had prepared for them and listening to Jesus ask Peter if he loved Him, we find this:

And as the book ends, we find that John finally reveals himself as the one whom Jesus loved:

We can understand his humility and respect for John the Baptist as to why John used phrases to refer to himself, but this title of "one whom Jesus loved" suggests a greater love of Jesus towards himself and a higher level of love that he attained. This fact, has bothered many Bible scholars who realizing the implications of what John was saying, yet know that God loves everyone. Yet, these phrases are an indication that Jesus' love of John was special and of a greater quality than it was for some of the other disciples. John, alone, is given the title "the disciple whom Jesus loved."

Please listen carefully lest you misunderstand what I am about to say. It is true that God loves everyone and Jesus as God in flesh loved the very world that He came to save. But it is not true that God loves everyone equally. Some people who respond to the love of God with love and devotion of their own, by their response obtain a greater love of God. He loved us while we were yet sinners, and yet after we become His children, born again into His kingdom, His love becomes that of a Father to us.

As God in flesh, Jesus loved all His disciples in the same way, but in His humanity He was particularly drawn to and fond of the disciple John. Just as you and I "jive" and "click" with certain people and others we do not, so did Jesus in His humanity "click" with John. In John, Jesus found the characteristics of a human being that He is most drawn to, and so John could rightfully and in a special way refer to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." A word study of these passages in the original languages helps reveal a little more about what is meant. In four of the cases of the Greek word "love" it refers to a deeper level of love for John. In one, it refers to a greater "like" of John the disciple by Jesus.

Hear this preacher: it is possible to be serving God and even be one of His disciples and yet Jesus not particularly be drawn to your manner or personality. God loves us but He does not always like what we are. And there are obviously some people whom Jesus likes more because they have certain characteristics that draws Him to them. If that is true, then the greatest lesson that we can learn from John's life is that I don't just want God to love me in the general sense, but I want to have a personality and lifestyle that causes God to like me. I want God comfortable in my life. I want God to be drawn to me. If I am going to be a disciple of Christ, then I want it one day said of me "he was a disciple whom Jesus loved." Not just in a general sense, but in the sense that God enjoys his friendship and his companionship. God would rather be around him than anybody else. I want God to like who I am. Matters not what others think of me, if I am of such a temperament that God likes me, then I will have achieved my goal. How about you? You know that God loves you with sacrificial love and that He died for you while you were yet sinners, but have you ever given much thought or care to whether or not God "likes you?" To whether He loves you in a greater sense because He is drawn to your lifestyle and personality?

If you could care less what God thinks of you, then church is not for you and this sermon is not for you and I feel sorry for you because what God thinks should be the greatest driving force in your life. But if the thought rings true with you that "I, too, want to be a disciple whom Jesus loves greatly," then let me point out a few facts from John's life about how he reached such a place.

John did not step into following Christ with a particular personality trait or temperament that caused him to have such a honored epitaph. It was not until the Last Supper at the end of being with Jesus for three and a half years that John even dared to use the title about himself. John at first had his issues. Remember that he and James were both labeled "sons of thunder" by Jesus when they first came to Him and unlike Simon who used his given nickname of Peter extensively after it was given to him by Jesus, James and John never referred to themselves as "sons of thunder." It was a "name of the past" that they had to work through to overcome some harshness in their life. This hardness is typified when we remember that it was James and John who wanted to call fire down from heaven on the Samaritan village at the first part of Jesus' ministry and who were rebuked by Jesus. And it was James AND John who requested selfishly a higher position in the kingdom of God and ticked the other disciples off. Like all of the other disciples, John started out rough around the edges and in need of some refining. Jesus told them on the seashore that day "I will make you fishers of men." "Make" is not used in the sense of force, but rather of "creating" and "molding." John had to be "made" into what God wanted him to be.

What this means to us is that if you want to be a disciple whom Jesus loves greatly and whom Jesus likes and to whom Jesus is drawn to, then understand you will only get there by allowing Jesus to "make you" and by never stopping in growth or change in your walk with Him. The first characteristic of John that led to such an honor was that he never stopped letting Jesus work on him. He never resisted the changes that God's Word tried to bring about in his life. He never reached a place where he had the attitude "I'm through changing, and I've received all that I need in God." Despite his faults, John had a teachable spirit and never shied away from the correction of the Word of God. If we are to be someone "whom Jesus loves greatly" then we must for our entire life allow God to work on us and change us and transform us. To be a disciple whom Jesus likes and is drawn to, we must realize that young or old we are still not perfect and the Word of God is the standard which we should strive to make our life match. In short, becoming a disciple whom Jesus loves, is the end result of a process of staying on the potter's wheel no matter how "close to home" the Word of God seems to hit!

But the hope in this is that any of us can become such a disciple! Any of us -- no matter what personality or situation that we were born into -- can attain such a lofty status. If such an attraction by Jesus were something that you were born with then most of us would have no shot at all because we all have issues; we all have shortcomings. But the very fact that if we will continue to allow God to change us that we can become such a person gives all of us hope. Your attitude and response to the correction and instruction of the Word of God will be the greatest determining factor to whether or not God "likes you." Like John, we've got to keep a teachable spirit.

But there are some other characteristics of John that led to his receiving such a place of honor in the kingdom of God.

A chief characteristic of John is that he was faithful to Jesus without fail throughout even the darkest days of the crucifixion. We remember that Peter followed Jesus "afar off" and entered into the courtyard of the high priest' house and there eventually was accused of being a disciple and three times cursed and denied Jesus before finally leaving bitterly at the sound of the rooster crowing and as the realization of what he had done set in. We remember that, but what we forget was that John was with Peter and it was John who through his father knew Caiaphas the high priest and who got Peter into the courtyard in the first place (see John 18:15-16). Lost in the story of Peter's betrayal was that John was actually across the courtyard viewing the trial of Jesus and was no doubt known as one of Jesus' followers by Caiaphas and his friends and yet after Peter had cursed and denied Jesus, John was still there watching and faithfully refusing to desert his Master. Of the remaining eleven disciples after the betrayal by Judas Iscariot, only Peter and John followed Jesus in His arrest, and after Peter's denials, only John remained with Jesus through the night. Faithfulness.

Even more impressive is that when you read the accounts of Jesus' crucifixion, only one of the twelve is mentioned as actually being on site and standing beside the cross. The women were there -- they were faithful to Jesus when many of the men were not -- but there was one man there, one of the twelve: John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. When the others were afraid to be seen with Jesus, John braved and risked it to be there with Him. Even in His darkest hours, John did not desert Jesus. He was faithful.

And even further proof of his faithful character is found in Jesus' instruction to John from the cross to take care of His mother, Mary. Since Joseph's death many years before, it had fallen upon Jesus as the eldest son of the family to care for His widowed mother. Jesus had three other half-brothers, and yet he did not entrust the care of Mary to them, but rather to the one whom He knew would be faithful in obeying, the disciple John. It has been said that "blood is thicker than water" but this glimpse of Jesus' life proves that "spirit is thicker than blood." Jesus' half-brothers did not believe on Him until after His resurrection and so Jesus turned to His brother in the Spirit, the disciple whom He liked the most, the disciple whom He loved and loved greatly. John was given care of Mary by Jesus Christ. Faithfulness.

There simply is no substitute for a revelation of faithfulness in the kingdom of God. No great amount of money given to the church or great one time sacrifice can ever take it's place. I have said many times and it is somewhat my life's motto: "the world crowns success, but God crowns faithfulness." All the talent in the world is no good unless the talented is faithful. All of the potential in the world will lie untapped until they get a revelation of what it is to be faithful. But in the kingdom of God the youngest and most inexperienced and the untalented can become great if they grasp the concept of being faithful to God through every circumstances. Not like Peter, who "say they are faithful" and then have to eat their words. But faithful like John, who to my knowledge never actually referred to himself as faithful, but if you truly are faithful, then you do not have to announce it to others because it becomes clear by your actions. If you are truly faithful, others will notice and God will also.

We live in a world from which very few ever realize what it is to be faithful to the things of God. Everything else tends to take precedence over the house of God and prayer and the study of God's Word in most people's life. If things get hectic and frantic, then most people cut the things of God out first, rather than their own personal agendas. Faithfulness is not something that can be really taught with words, but it is a revelation that comes through witnessing other's faithfulness. I'm afraid that one day many American Christians will stand before judgment with believers from other countries and other times and will be condemned and lost because of the lameness of the excuses as to why they could not be faithful to God and His Word. We have every convenience known to man and are the most blessed people who have ever lived and yet to some that blessing becomes a curse because it provides ample excuses and opportunity for us to become distracted from the most important things in life. If we are to be saved, we must be faithful. If we are to become a person and disciple whom Jesus loves greatly, then we must become a person like John who is quietly faithful. No matter what the other disciples do, we are faithful. Not like the Pharisees who were faithful in the areas that others saw, but faithful no matter who is around. Because we love Him. Because we want to be more like Him.

The only person in the Old Testament who corresponds to John by being labeled as a man whom God especially loved in a greater sense is the prophet Daniel who was called "a man greatly beloved" (see Daniel 10:11). It's no coincidence that one of the chief most characteristics of Daniel was his faithfulness. He was faithful to God's ways and refused to become like the Babylonians. He was faithful in prayer. He worshipped only Jehovah God. He was faithful even when the enemy was circling and the lions were roaring. Faithfulness is the chief characteristic that draws God to individuals and causes Him to love them in a special way. If you want to be as John and Daniel, someone whom God loves greatly, then you must get a revelation of what it means to be faithful.

In later years, John became characterized by his great love for people and God. He preached the importance of unselfish love for one another more than anything else. Today, John is known as the "Apostle of Love" because he referred to love more than eighty times in his writings. Let me read you an extensive passage of His writing:

It is said in several historical references that when John was much aged and near the end of his life that he would be brought to the church at Ephesus and the people would ask questions of him regarding issues in their life and that invariably the answer would swing back to this phrase from the lips of the Apostle: "Little children, love one another." When people would become impatient at hearing the same thing over and over again, it is said that John would reply "it was the commandment of our Lord, and if this alone was observed it would be sufficient for your problems." The disciple who was loved greatly by Jesus responded by loving others in return. Indeed days after Peter had denied Jesus Christ, we find John with him at the tomb, holding no ill regard to Peter because of his great mistake. Indeed, from the resurrection until Peter's death, we find John and Peter almost inseparable. John understood the power of love in restoring a brother who had fallen. John became a disciple whom Jesus loved greatly because he allowed the Word of God to continue changing and correcting him, he received a revelation of being faithful to the things of God, and he became a lover of others just as he had loved God.

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Because of his long life and later death, we have more reliable traditions about John's life after the scriptural narrative than any other disciple. From these traditions and the clues found in scripture, we can piece together the events of the life of the beloved disciple after the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

All the historians agree that John never married and devoted his youth to taking care of the aged mother of Jesus, Mary. We know that he had a house in the Jerusalem area and that Mary lived with John under his care and keeping until she died. From the Book of Acts and references throughout the Epistles of Paul, it appears that John remained in Jerusalem until after the deaths of Peter and Paul in the persecution of Nero in the years of A.D. 64-68. After this it is thought that John began to travel preaching the Gospel in other nations although we do not know exactly where. We do know that John ended up in Rome and tradition says that he was sentenced to die by being placed in a pot of boiling oil and yet when lowered into what should have been his death, God miraculously preserved John and he was able to get out of the pot unharmed. Another tradition, probably only a legend, has John sentenced to die by drinking a cup of poison but when he downed it, no evil or harm came to him.

We know from scripture that he had a place of honor and leadership in his later years in the churches of Asia and that as an older man, he was sentenced to be worked to death in the Roman marble mines of the isle of Patmos. Not only did the eighty year old plus disciple survive the isle of Patmos, but it was there that "in the spirit on the Lord's Day," that he received and wrote down the wonderful prophetic book of Revelation. It was the only book in which John mentioned himself by name and it was good that he did so because his name is the only reason that the strange prophetic books with its hard-to-understand visions was left in the canon of scripture.

After receiving a word from God for seven particular churches of Asia, history tells us that John somehow was released from the isle of Patmos and returned to live his last years in the city of Ephesus. Along with Timothy, Titus, John Mark, and other young ministers, John became a part of the second generation of leaders of the Apostolic Church. History records that while in Ephesus, John took under his wing three men, Polycarp, Papias, and Ignatius, all of whom would become famous in the early church and who would become the third generation leaders of the Apostolic Church. All three wrote extensively and all three wrote about John with glowing memories of him as an old man full of faith, love, very patient with young believers, and very humble even to his dying days.

One tradition that is written about John during these final days is a story told by Clement, and early writer of the conversion of a young man to Christianity and John's baptism and winning of the convert and then the backsliding of that young man and the backslider's transition into an "outlaw chief" given to robbery and thieving. The story tells that some years later, the young man was found by the old Apostle who confronted him and then lovingly led him back to a place of repentance and restoration and salvation.

Another interesting tradition which seems reliable is that in his last days, the old disciple found pleasure in a playful and loyal pet bird that lived with him. When some other preachers criticized his playing and training and fondness for his pet, John replied with "Every bow needs to be unbent from time to time." Such a balance speaks volumes to us about his character.

The final tradition is about John's death and states that around the very advanced age of 100 years or so, the disciple could feel death drawing near and asked to be brought to the church in Ephesus on the Lord's Day (Sunday to us). There he gave a brief final charge to the believers about guarding themselves from false doctrines and heresies and then gave his final words which were, "Little children, love one another." He died shortly thereafter and was buried in Ephesus.

John lived long enough to feel lonely and somewhat out of place but instead of growing bitter, lovingly threw himself into the development of another generation and then another. He died having seen and influenced three generations of Apostolic leadership and his writings and example still challenge us today.

Because of his special position among the disciples, and the prominence of love in his writings, John is known today most commonly as "John the Beloved." And yet such a prestigious seat in the kingdom of God is open today for us. God is no respecter of person and it is possible that we could become "a disciple whom Jesus loved" and loved greatly. If we will keep allowing the Word of God to change us and transform us, be faithful to the things of God, and allow a revelation of love for others to permeate everything that we do, there is no reason why we cannot stand with John as someone who is especially like Jesus. Let us learn well the lesson of the life of John the Beloved!