The Word of life

The Standard September 23, 2023

Brothers James and John were preparing their nets by the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called them. Immediately the “Sons of Thunder” left their father Zebedee and followed the Lord. Along with Simon Peter, they became part of Jesus’ inner circle. These three close friends were at the Transfiguration and with Jesus when he went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane.

James was the first of the disciples to be martyred and the second one to die, after Judas. His brother John, on the other hand, outlived all of the eleven disciples and passionately served God into old age. His last year and a half or so were spent in exile on the Greek island of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation. John’s gospel is the most unique of the four.  In it, he does not identify himself by name, but refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He reveals his authorship subtly in John 21:24. He also authored the letters of 1, 2 and 3 John.

John, an eyewitness to the remarkable love, teachings and miracles of Jesus, begins his gospel in a way similar to that in which he starts his first epistle. This letter was to be circulated among several Gentile congregations in the province of Asia, within 100 miles of Ephesus.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all humankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” “The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 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.  (John 1:1-5;9-14)

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”  (1 John 1:1-3)  John’s bold and thorough proclamation of Jesus as God in the flesh, eternal and life-giving, continues to change the world.