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St. John the Evangelist

The Beloved, the Theologian, the Seer

"No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us."

(1 John 4:12)
Painting of the Icon of St. John at St. Mary and St. Joseph Coptic Orthodox Church

The Story In Summary

Saint John

The word John means ‘Jehovah is tender.’ St. John is the son of Zebedee and the brother of St. James the Elder. He was born in Bethsaida near the Sea of Galilee. He and his brother worked with their father Zebedee as fishermen. His family seems to have been relatively wealthy because their father owned some fishing boats and hired men to work them (Mark 1:20). Moreover, they were known to the high priest, who knew John (John 18:16).

His mother Salome was a virtuous and pious woman who always followed the Lord (Mark 15:40). She was one of the women who after the sabbath brought spices to anoint Jesus’ body (Mark 16:1). Most probably Salome was the sister of St. Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 19:25). The Lord Jesus Christ called John and James to follow Him. St. John is the writer of The Gospel of St. John, three Epistles bearing his name, and the book of Revelation.

The Son of Thunder

He became a fisherman by trade, and he and his brother James were fishing partners with Simon (Luke 5:10). The Lord Jesus Christ chose Simon, Andrew, John, and James to be His first disciples. Because John and his brother had fiery tempers, the Lord named them ‘Boanerges’ which means the ‘sons of thunder’ (Mark 3:17).

The Beloved

St. John is known as 'the disciple whom Jesus Loved' (John 21:20). Like Peter and James, John was privileged to be alone with the Lord Jesus in many events, such as the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1); the raising of the daughter of Jarius (Mark 5:37); in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37); and at the time the Lord predicted the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (Mark 13:3). The Lord gave him and Peter the responsibility to prepare the place where He would hold the Passover with the disciples (Luke 22:8).

He is the disciple who leaned on the Lord’s chest during the Last Supper (John 13:23). He is the only disciple who did not leave Jesus after His arrest. John was present at the foot of the Cross, where the Lord entrusted St. Mary to his care. She lived in his home until her departure (John 19:20-27). He was also with Peter in Samaria, where they laid their hands on believers to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17).

The Apostle of Love

St. John became the apostle of love, who continued to preach Jesus’ message of love even in his old age. St. Jerome, in his interpretation of the Epistle to the Galatians, tells us that St. John’s disciples used to carry him and take him up into the pulpit to hear him utter these words:

“My children, love one another. This is the Lord’s commandment: if you follow just this one commandment, it will be good enough for you”.

- St. John the Beloved

The Theologian

St. John wrote the Gospel of John which spoke profoundly about the divinity of the Lord Christ. In his gospel, he provides us with first-hand eyewitness testimony to the events that unfolded concerning Christ’s Divinity, His miracles, and His death and resurrection. St. John states,

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name."

(John 20:31)

He then confirms,

"This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen."

(John 21:24-25)

His Preaching and Miracles

St. John was the youngest of the apostles. He witnessed the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Later on he preached in Jerusalem and Judea along with St. Peter. After the resurrection of the Lord, he was with Peter when he healed the lame man at the gate of the temple that is called Beautiful (Acts 3:1-6). Because of this miracle, the Jews seized him and St. Peter and brought them before the Sanhedrin for questioning.

After the repose of St. Mary, he went to preach in Asia Minor and the center of his ministry was at Ephesus. There the Lord performed a great miracle by St. John's hand when he raised a mother's only child from death. This miracle led to the spread of the faith in Ephesus. He also preached in Smyrna and appointed his disciple St. Polycarp a bishop over it.

The Seer

Because of his widespread ministry, and the conversion of many to the Christian faith, Emperor Domitian (year 81-96 A.D.) seized St. John. After much torture, he cast him in boiling oil, but God saved him. Then the Emperor exiled St. John to the island of Patmos, where he saw his visions - the revelations concerning the Day of the Lord - and wrote the book of Revelation.

His Departure

Some say he remained in exile until his death. However, the majority maintain that after the death of Emperor Domitian, St. John returned to Ephesus and resumed his care for the churches till his departure around the year 100 A.D.

His Feast

The church celebrates the commemoration of Saint John's departure on January 12th - the 4th day of the Coptic month of Tobe.

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References

Synaxarium- Coptic Reader App

Coptic Treasures Project