John: Simple Love
A Character Sketch by Brenda Quinn
John is perhaps best known as the "disciple whom Jesus loved." He is also considered by many to be the "John" named at the opening of the fantastic vision that makes up Revelation. Yet early in his career as a disciple, Jesus nicknamed John and his brother James the "Sons of Thunder." We're told that one day John wanted to stop a man from driving out demons in Jesus' name because "he does not follow with us" (Luke 9:50). Another time, as they traveled through Samaria and the people refused to give shelter to Jesus and the disciples, John and James asked if they should command fire to come from heaven and consume the villagers (Luke 9:51-55). And later, the brothers had their mother ask Jesus to grant them special places of authority next to him in his coming kingdom (Matt 20:20-28).
John claimed great love for Jesus early on; yet these three scenes don't reflect a deep understanding of the kind of love Jesus taught and lived. John seemed to view Jesus as an earthly ruler. Yet, when we jump ahead to John's leadership at the church of Ephesus, where he spent his final years, his perspective had changed greatly. Now he spoke mostly of love--simple and selfless Christ-like love. An early tradition reports that in old age John eventually became too weak to walk and was carried to church meetings on a pallet, where he would whisper again and again, "Little children, love one another."
After much time spent with Jesus on earth, many years as a leader of the early church, and many issues to address in instructing these early Christians, John's message only became more basic. "Love one another," he pleaded over and over. He had come to understand the essence of Jesus and of God the Father. He understood why Jesus came, why he died and rose, and why he promised a fantastic future for his own. Jesus possesses a love like no other, a love that only God can supply, and those who know Jesus can do nothing else but reflect that same love. Truly, the gospel message remains this simple: Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matt 22:37-40) . . .
John's understanding of Jesus began with his comprehension of Christ's love. His epistles keep circling back to that love and pleading with Christians to let the same love be true of them. "Believe" he had pressed in his Gospel. "Walk just as he walked" (2:6), he exhorts in his first epistle. "Those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also" (4:21). And at last John writes in Revelation, as he encounters the King of the ages and of all eternity, "blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written" (1:3). John's will had been turned fully to Christ and he cared only that he and his fellow believers followed faithfully in the way of Christ, the way of love toward God and one another. . .
Personal Reflection
· Does your love for God ever resemble John's early character - aggressive, quick to point a finger at others, concerned about your place in the spiritual pecking order? In what ways does Jesus pull you apart as a "favorite" anyway?