JOHN---THE BELOVED DISCIPLE ( from thunder to love )
After Jesus
Called Peter and Andrew
He continued
To walk beside the Sea of Galilee
He saw another set of brothers
James and John---the sons of Zebedee
They were with their Father
When Jesus called them
And they immediately left their boat
And their Father
And followed Jesus
John is one of the 3 Apostles
Considered to be the closest to Jesus
He is the author
Of the 4th Gospel
Three letters
And though disputed
The final book of Revelation
John was present---along with Peter and James
At the Transfiguration
And again---in the Agony of the Garden
We must remember
That John---along with the other Apostles
Had that same selfish sinful spirit
That we ALL have
John and his brother James
Once went to Jesus and asked,
“Teacher, we want you to do for us
Whatever we ask” Mark 10:35
“What do you want me to do for you,”
Jesus asks Mark 10:36
They said,
“Let one of us
Sit at your right hand
And the other at your left
In your glory” Mark 10:37
I can just picture Jesus
Rolling his eyes---looking up at the sky
And saying---“Father
This is what you give me to work with”
I know
That is what I would have done
They just didn’t get it
Until after the Resurrection
As we often
Still don’t get it today
But John did eventually---GET IT
As I am sure you and I will get it---someday
As Jesus hung there dying on the cross
He looked down
To see his precious Mother---standing beside John
“Dear woman,” he said, “here is your son”
And to John he said,
“Here is your Mother” John 19:26 & 27
From that point on
John took care of Jesus’ Mother, Mary
As if she was his very own
HOW GREAT IS THAT
In his Gospel
John teaches us
That Jesus IS the Son of God
He teaches us
That we are not only to love God
But to love one another as our neighbor
And in the letters of John
He teaches us
That God is LIFE
That God is LIGHT
And that God is LOVE
He teaches us
That true love
Will manifest itself in actions---NOT just words
He teaches us
That PERFECT LOVE drives out fear
And that the love that God has for us
Is CERTAIN and UNCONDITIONAL
And in Revelation
On the island of Patmos
John teaches us
About the ULTIMATE TRIUMPH
Of GOOD over evil
John once said,
“It is the Word of the Lord
And if you KEEP it
You do enough”
So we know
That if we TOTALLY love God
And if we TOTALLY love one another
We are like John---the Beloved Disciple
And we too---are Disciples
THE DISCIPLES WHOM JESUS LOVES
Robert P. Wallman
12-18=11
Ps John’s feast day is today---December 27th
And there are many many other great Saints named John---including
---but NOT limited to
John the Baptist
John of God---patron of hospitals and the sick
John of the Cross---poet and mystic---Doctor of the
Church---and co-founder of the Discalced Carmelite
Order
rpw
12-27-14and 12-27-19 and 12-27-20
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