John
“Whoever does not love does not know Him.”
The fierce young man once called 'Son of Thunder,' who in old age became the apostle who repeated only, 'Love one another.'
John was the youngest of the twelve disciples, the second son of the Galilean fisherman Zebedee. Jesus gave him and his brother James the nickname 'Boanerges' — Sons of Thunder. He was the one who asked, when a Samaritan village rejected Jesus, 'Shall we call down fire from heaven to destroy them?' He was fierce, fond of his own status, and once even enlisted his mother to request the seats at Jesus' right and left hand.
Yet he was also the one who reclined with his head against Jesus' chest. In his own Gospel, he refers to the seat he took at the Last Supper only as 'the disciple whom Jesus loved,' never even naming himself. At the hour of the cross, when all the other disciples had fled, he was standing there. One of Jesus' final words was addressed to him: 'Here is your mother.' From that day, Mary lived in his home.
He lived longer than any of the twelve disciples. After the resurrection he served the church in Jerusalem, settled in Ephesus where he shepherded the church there for the rest of his life, and was exiled to Patmos under Emperor Domitian, where he saw the visions of Revelation. According to early church tradition, in his old age he was carried to worship gatherings and repeated only one line: 'Little children, love one another.' Even when people asked him for other words, he gave the same one: 'This is the Lord's command. If you do only this, it is enough.' The place where the Son of Thunder became the apostle of love.
The disciple who leaned on Jesus' breast. He stayed at the foot of the cross and spoke of love to the end.
Defining Moments
The events that made this person who they were
The Disciple Who Leaned on Jesus' Chest
At the Last Supper, he reclines with his head against Jesus' chest — the closest place, the place most loved. This is why he calls himself 'the disciple whom Jesus loved.'
Taking in the Mother at the Foot of the Cross
At the hour when the other disciples fled, he stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus, pointing to Mary, says, 'Here is your mother.' From that day he took her into his own home.
The Apostle Who, in Old Age, Repeated Only 'Love One Another'
According to early church tradition, the aged John was carried to gatherings and repeated one single line: 'Little children, love one another.' The change from 'Son of Thunder' to the apostle of love.
Personality
The colors revealed through their story
A Fiery 'Son of Thunder' Temperament in His Youth
Jesus gave him and his brother James the nickname 'Boanerges' — Sons of Thunder. The fierceness that asked to call down fire to destroy Samaritans.
One Loved Most Deeply from the Closest Place
The youngest of the twelve disciples, he reclines with his head against Jesus' chest. A man who made being loved his most natural identity.
The Softest Thread of an Apostle in Old Age
The young thunder grows old into the apostle of love. The trajectory of a lifetime in which the most fiery man became the one who loved most deeply.
★ Strengths
- The capacity to love deeply and receive deeply
◐ Shadow
- Close relationships becoming identity
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