John, the Beloved Disciple

John is known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” John 21:20. He was one of the three chosen to witness Christ’s glory on the mount of transfiguration and His agony in Gethsemane, and it was to his care that our Lord entrusted His mother in those last hours of anguish on the cross.ULe 197.1

John clung to Christ like a vine clings to a stately pillar. He braved the dangers of the judgment hall and lingered near the cross, and when the news came that Christ had risen, he ran to the tomb, getting there even before Peter.ULe 197.2

John did not naturally possess a beautiful character. He was proud, self-assertive, ambitious for honor, reckless, and resentful when he thought others did not treat him well. He and his brother were called “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). Evil temper and desire for revenge were in the beloved disciple, but beneath this the divine Teacher saw the sincere, loving heart. Jesus rebuked John’s self-seeking, disappointed his ambitions, and tested his faith, but He revealed to him the beauty of holiness, the transforming power of love.ULe 197.3

John’s defects came out strongly on several occasions. At one time Christ sent messengers to a Samaritan village to ask for refreshments for Him and His disciples. But when the Savior approached the town, instead of inviting Him to be their guest, the Samaritans refused to give the courtesies they would have offered a common traveler.ULe 197.4

Such coldness and disrespect to their Master filled the disciples with anger. In their zeal James and John said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” Their words brought Jesus pain. “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them” (Luke 9:54-56).ULe 197.5