  WITH THE REDEEMER "Modesty is a shining light; it prepares the mind to receive knowledge, and the heart for truth." "Humility is the solid foundation of all the virtues." Modesty. In the first chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, we read that two disciples of John the Baptist heard their master bear witness to the divinity of Jesus. Said the Baptist, referring to Jesus walking alone in the distance, "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." One of the two disciples who heard this testimony is named; he was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.[ These two instances, and others that might be named indicate to us a prominent trait in St. John's character; viz., an unassumed modesty that won him the respect and love of all who knew him. Fearlessness. But John was the son of Salome and Zebedee, and the younger brother of James, with whim he was called "Boanerges," or son of Thunder. This gives us a little insight into another phase of his character. Like his brother James, he was evidently fiery in his zeal in whatever he undertook to do, and fearless in doing what he thought was right. ST. JOHN AND THE LAMB. ST. JOHN AND THE LAMB. Love. A modesty that made him shrink ever from praising himself or unduly pushing himself forward; a fearlessness in defending what is right, and a love for his Master that gave him the highest place in the Savior's heart—these are three traits of John's character which stand out distinctly in the fragmentary accounts of his life. He lived, and was probably born in Bethsaida, the home of Peter and Andrew and Philip. He was a fisherman by trade, and worked with his father and brother James. His father, Zebedee, owned his own ships, and employed servants; so we conclude that he was well to do financially.[ A Seeker After Truth. He was a seeker after true learning, and especially after those things which would tell him about God and the hereafter. He kept his mind and heart pure, so that he could appreciate the truth when he heard it. When, therefore, John the Baptist came out of the wilderness preaching repentance and declaring that the "Kingdom of Heaven was at hand," John was one of the fearless young men who believed the Baptist and followed him. Thus he was prepared to accept John's testimony of Jesus after the latter was baptized in Jordan, and was one of the two who had the first interview with the Savior of the world at the beginning of His ministry. Follows Jesus. On the same occasion when Simon Peter and his brother were called as disciples of Jesus, "James the son of Zebedee and John were with their father mending their nets," and when Jesus called them, they immediately left the ship and their father and followed Him.[ A First Lesson. Luke tells us[ Youngest of the Twelve. From this time on to the end of his eventful life, he was always in the ministry. When Jesus chose his disciples, John was chosen one of the special three, although he was the youngest member of the Twelve. Memorable Experiences. From that time, John was in the close companionship of Jesus, and witnessed some of the most remarkable and divine incidents recorded in the history of Christ's ministry. He was one of the three apostles permitted to remain in the room when the little daughter of Jairus was restored to life.[ With Peter, James and Andrew, John was present on the Mount of Olives when Jesus taught them concerning the destrucion of the temple, and of Christ's second coming. How the memory of such occasions must have filled his soul in after years, with rejoicing and sweet content! To him and Peter was entrusted the duty of making preparations for the Passover.[ Close to Jesus. At the solemn moment when the Savior said "One of you shall betray me," it was John the "disciple whom Jesus loved" who received the answer indicating who the traitor was. In Gethsemane. When the gloom of Gethsemane began to weigh heavily upon the spirit of Jesus, John was one of the three unto whom He said, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death; tarry ye here and watch."[ In the House of the High Priest. Later that same night, when the traitor gave the kiss of betrayal, and the soldiers arrested Jesus, and bore Him away a prisoner, all the other disciples fled, but John accompanied his Master to the house of the high priest and later admitted Peter, who, you remember, had "followed afar off." A Terrible Ordeal. Though we are not told, yet we can imagine what this beloved disciple's feelings were as he listened to the false and wicked accusations against his Lord, and how his heart must have ached as he saw Jesus beaten and scourged, and a crown of thorns put on His head. If he had wanted to call down fire from heaven and consume the Samaritans who refused shelter and accommodations to his Lord, what must have been the state of his fiery soul when he beheld the Jews and their judges persecuting the Christ to death! A Last Request. How his soul must have been rent in agony as he saw his Savior nailed to the cross, and yet what peace must have come to him as he received from the dying lips of his Master one of the dearest commissions ever given to mortal man! As the three Marys and John stood by the cross, Jesus looked down upon them and said to his mother, "Woman, behold thy Son!" and to John, "Behold thy mother!" "And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home." On the Sunday morning following the crucifixion, John was with Peter when Mary Magdalene came running to them, saying: At the Tomb. "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid Him." As soon as the apostles heard this, they ran for the spot where Jesus had been buried. John being the younger outran Peter and was the first to see the empty tomb; and "looking in, saw the linen clothes lying, yet went he not in." A moment later, however, he followed Peter into the tomb, made a careful examination of the linen clothes and napkin that was about the head; but not yet realizing that Christ was to rise the third day, each returned to his own home. His Testimony. John was with the ten and later with the Eleven when Christ appeared to them in the upper room. Of this and other glorious experiences he bears testimony in his Gospel. "That ye might believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through His name." |
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