A Life Of St. John For The Young - free ebook by George Ludington Weed

For the Young

Author of "A Life of Christ for the Young," "A Life of St. Paul for the Young," "Great Truths Simply Told," etc., etc. PHILADELPHIA GEORGE W. JACOBS &amp; CO 103-105 South Fifteenth Street Copyright, 1900 By George W. Jacobs &amp; Co...

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PREFATORY NOTE

The recorded incidents of the Life of St. John are few. Almost all those of which we certainly know are related in the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, The Epistles of St. John, and The Revelation. Some of the traditions concerning him are in such harmony with what we do know that we are almost ready to accept them as historic. The known events though few, are very distinct. They are the beautiful fragments of a great picture. The plan of this volume does not include those which pertain to him

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CHAPTER I

"Blest land of Judæa! Thrice hallowed in song, Where the holiest of memories pilgrim like throng, In the shade of thy palms, by the shores of thy sea, On the hills of the beauty, my heart is with thee." — Whittier . A Galilean boy, a fisherman, a follower of Jesus, one of the twelve Apostles, one of the favored three, the beloved one, the Apostle of love, the Apostle of childhood, the one of all men who gave to mankind the clearest view of Jesus Christ—such was St John. For young people he is a

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CHAPTER II

"Walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother."— Matt. iv. 18. "And going on from thence, He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother."— v. 21. "Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter."— John i. 44. Bethsaida was honored as being the home of five of the Apostles of Jesus. We know nothing definitely concerning them until their manhood. We wish we knew of their childhood. It is only because o

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CHAPTER III

It seems almost certain that Salome and Mary the mother of Jesus, were sisters. Royal blood was in their veins. They were descendants of David. The record of their ancestry had been carefully preserved for God's own plans, especially concerning Mary, of which plans neither of the sisters knew until revealed to her by an angel from God. We think of them as faithful to Him, and ready for any service to which He might call them, in the fisherman's home of Salome, or the carpenter's home of Mary. Ma

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CHAPTER IV

Moses wrote of a promise, made centuries before the days of John, to Abraham—that in the Messiah all the nations of the earth,—not the Jews only—should be made happy with special blessings. Isaiah and other prophets wrote of the time and place and circumstances of His coming, and of the wonders He would perform. The Jews understood that the Messiah would descend from David. They believed that He would sit "upon the throne of David," ruling first over the Jews, an earthly ruler such as David had

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CHAPTER V

As we trace the history of the five youthful Bethsaidans, it seems almost certain that some special influence or influences helped to shape their characters, and to unite them in thought, purpose and effort; and so secure marked and grand results. This union was not a mere coincidence. Nor can it be accounted for by their being of the same nation or town, and having the same education common to Jewish boys. There was something which survived the mere associations of boyhood, and continued to, or

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CHAPTER VI

At twelve years of age a Jewish boy was no longer thought of as a child, but a youth. Before he reached that age he looked forward to an event which seemed to him very great. It was his first visit to Jerusalem. Peter was probably older than James or John. With boyish interest they listened to the report of his first pilgrimage to the Holy City. When the time came for James to accompany him, John's interest would increase as he heard his brother's story; and much more when he could say, "Next ye

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CHAPTER VII

In our thoughts of Jesus we have chiefly in mind the things that happened at the time of His birth and afterward. We read of them in the Gospels. John had the Old Testament only, containing promises of what was yet to happen. We have the New Testament telling of their fulfilment. Thus far we have spoken of Jesus as John knew Him—as a boy in Nazareth, the son of Mary, and his own cousin. We have also spoken of John's ideas of the Messiah. As yet he has not thought as we do of Jesus and the Messia

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CHAPTER VIII

"There has been in this world one rare flower of Paradise—a holy childhood growing up gradually into a holy manhood, and always retaining in mature life the precious, unstained memories of perfect innocence."— H.B. Stowe . The aged Simeon in the Temple, with the infant Jesus in his arms, said, "Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart, O Lord, ... in peace; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation"—the expected Messiah. But it was not for Him to proclaim His having come. The aged Anna could not long spe

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CHAPTER IX

"Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, ... "Yea, and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways."— Luke i. 67, 76. "There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all men might believe through him."— John i. 6, 7. "He was the lamp that burneth and shineth."— John v. 35. "In devotional pictures we see St. J

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CHAPTER X

"They found Him not, those youths of noble soul; Long seeking, wandering, watching on life's shore, Reasoning, aspiring, yearning for the light. "But years passed on; and lo! the Charmer came, Pure, simple, sweet, as comes the silver dew, And the world knew Him not,—He walked alone, Encircled only by His trusting few." — H.B. Stowe . "We"—Andrew and John—"have found the Messiah."— Andrew to Peter . "We"—Andrew and Peter, James and John, and Philip—"have found Him, of Whom Moses in the law, and t

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CHAPTER XI

"There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: and Jesus also was bidden, and His disciples to the marriage." "The mother of Jesus saith unto Him, They have no wine." "The ruler of the feast tasted the water now become wine." "This beginning of His signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed on Him."— John ii. 1-3, 9, 11. Again John notices the very day on which occurred a remarkable event, of which he had a vivid recolle

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CHAPTER XII

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came unto Him by night." "We speak that we do know, and bear witness of that we have seen."— John iii. 1, 2, 11. "There is Nicodemus, who visited Jesus by night—to the astonishment of St. John—but who was soon afterward Jesus' friend."— John Watson . "The report of what passed reads, more than almost any other in the gospels, like notes taken at the time by one who was present. We can almost put it again into the f

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CHAPTER XIII

"He cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar.... Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said unto her, Give Me to drink."— John iv. 5-7. "Probably John remained with the Master. They would scarcely have left Him alone especially in that place; and the whole narrative reads like one who had been present at what passed."— Edersheim. The vale of Sychar is one of the most interesting spots

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CHAPTER XIV

"Walking by the sea of Galilee, He saw two brethren, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishers. And He said unto them, Come ye after Me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left the nets, and followed Him. And going on from thence He saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. And they straightway left the boat

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CHAPTER XV

"He suffered no man to follow with Him, save Peter, and James, and John. And they came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue." "And taking the child by the hand, He saith unto her, Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel I say unto thee, Arise. And straightway the damsel rose up, and walked."— Mark v. 37, 38, 41, 42. The first scene in which we find John as one of the favored three is in the house of mourning. It was the home of Jairus in Capernaum. He was a ruler of the synagogue

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CHAPTER XVI

"We beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father."— St. John i. 14. "We were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory ... when we were with Him in the holy mount."—2 Peter i. 16-18. "As brightest sun, His face is bright; His raiment, as the light, is white, Yea, whiter than the whitest snow. Moses, Elias, spake with Him. Of deepest things, of terrors grim, Of boundless bliss, and boundless woe, Of pangs that none but Christ may know. "A

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CHAPTER XVII

"Master, we saw one casting out demons in Thy name; and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us."— John. "Lord, wilt Thou that we bid fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did?"— James and John. "Grant us that we may sit, one on Thy right hand, and one on Thy left hand, in Thy glory."— James and John. "And when the ten heard it, they began to be moved with indignation concerning James and John."— Mark x. 41. John was not perfect. There were unlovely traits in h

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CHAPTER XVIII

"He entered into a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at the Lord's feet, and heard His word."— Luke x. 38, 39. "Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, of the village of Mary and her sister Martha."— John xi. 1. "Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus."— v. 5. "Jesus ... said, ... Lazarus is dead."— v. 14. "Jesus wept."— v. 35. "He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. He th

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CHAPTER XIX

"When Jesus was in Bethany, ... there came unto Him a woman having an alabaster cruse of exceeding precious ointment, and she poured it upon his head, as He sat at meat."— Matt. xxvi. 6, 7. "Verily I say unto you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her."— Matt. xxvi. 13. "It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair."— John xi. 2. "There is something to

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CHAPTER XX

Prophecy : "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: ... lowly, and riding upon ... a colt."— Zech. ix. 9. Prophecy Fulfilled : "He sent two of his disciples, saying, Go your way into the village over against you; in the which as ye enter ye shall find a colt tied: ... loose him, and bring him.... And they brought him to Jesus: and they threw their garments upon the colt, and set Jesus thereon."— Luke xix. 30, 35. Prophecy Understood

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CHAPTER XXI

"Some spake of the Temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and offerings."— Luke xxi. 5. "One of His disciples saith unto Him, Master, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings! And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down." "As He sat on the Mount of Olives over against the Temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? a

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CHAPTER XXII

"He sent Peter and John, saying, Go and make ready for us the Passover, that we may eat."— Luke xxii. 8. "And they went ... and they made ready the Passover."— v. 13. The last time we saw Judas was when he left the feast of Bethany, murmuring at Mary's deed, angry at the Lord's defence of her, and plotting against Him. "From that time He sought opportunity to betray Him." "The day ... came on which the Passover must be sacrificed." A lamb must be provided and slain in the Temple for Jesus and Hi

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CHAPTER XXIII

"When the hour was come, He sat down, and the apostles with him."— Luke xxii. 14. "There was at the table reclining in Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved."— John xiii. 23. Three Evangelists leave the door of the upper room standing ajar. Through it we can see much that is passing, and hear much that is said. John coming after them opens it wide, thus enlarging our view and increasing our knowledge. Luke says of Jesus, "He sat down and the apostles with Him." That is a very simpl

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CHAPTER XXIV

"He went forth with His disciples over the brook Kidron, where was a garden."— John xviii. 1. "Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto His disciples, Sit ye here while I go yonder and pray."— Matt. xxvi. 36. "And He taketh with Him Peter and James and John, ... and He saith unto them, ... abide ye here, and watch."— Mark xiv. 33, 34. "And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed." v. 35. John was our leader to the Upper Room. And now he guid

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CHAPTER XXV

"And they that had taken Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together."— Matt. xxvi. 57. "Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. That disciple ... entered in with Jesus into the court of the high priest; but Peter was standing at the door without. So the other disciple ... went out ... and brought in Peter."— John xviii. 15, 16. "Everywhere we find these two Apostles, Peter and John, in great harmony togeth

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CHAPTER XXVI

"When they came unto the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him."— Luke xxiii. 33. "At Calvary poets have sung their sweetest strains, and artists have seen their sublimest visions."— Stalker. "Now to sorrow must I tune my song, And set my harp to notes of saddest woe, Which on our dearest Lord did seize ere long, Dangers, and snares, and wrongs, and worse than so, Which He for us did freely undergo: Most perfect Hero, tried in heaviest plight Of labors huge and hard, too hard f

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CHAPTER XXVII

Three sayings on the cross reported by John: "Woman, behold, thy son! Behold, thy mother!" "I thirst." "It is finished." — John xix. 26, 27, 28, 30. Of the seven sayings of Christ on the cross, three are preserved by John only; one of love, another of suffering, and another of triumph. The first is that to Mary and John himself. The second is the cry, "I thirst"—the only one of the seven concerning the Lord's bodily sufferings. John was a most observing eyewitness, as is shown by the details of

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CHAPTER XXVIII

"Now on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb. She runneth therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved. "Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. "Simon Peter ... entered into the tomb. "Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, ... and he saw and believed."— John xx. 1, 2, 3, 6, 8. "Let us take John for our i

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CHAPTER XXIX

"Jesus manifested Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias."— John xxi. 1. "There were together Simon Peter ... and the sons of Zebedee."— v . 2. "Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following."— v. 20. "Peter ... saith to Jesus, Lord, and What shall this man do?"— v . 21. The twenty-first chapter of John's Gospel is without doubt an addition, written some time after the original Gospel was finished. Why this addition? To answer the question we must recall the

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CHAPTER XXX

"James and Cephas and John, they who are reputed to be pillars."— Paul. Gal. ii. 9. "They went up into the upper chamber where they were abiding; both Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip, ..."— Acts i. 13. "When the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place."— Acts ii. 1. "An angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them out."— Acts v. 19. "Now when the Apostles which were in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of the Lord, t

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CHAPTER XXXI

"I John ... was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and the testimony of Jesus.... And I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet saying, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it to the seven churches."— Rev. i. 9-11. "Since I, whom Christ's mouth taught, was bidden teach, I went, for many years, about the world, Saying, 'It was so; so I heard and saw,' Speaking as the case asked; and men believed. Afterward came the message to myself In Patmos Isle. I was not bidd

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CHAPTER XXXII

How wonderful and charming a history is that of St. John! Our glimpses of him have been few and often-times indistinct; but they have been enough in number and clearness to reveal a noble and lovable character. We saw him first on the sea-shore of Gennesaret, not differing from any other Galilean boy. We watched him playing and fishing with his Bethsaidan companions, none of them thinking of how long their friendship would be continued, or in what new and strange circumstances of joy and sorrow,

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CHAPTER XXXIII

After closing the history of St. John, we linger over the traditions that cluster about his later years. They reveal the feelings of the early Church toward him who was the last of the Apostolic band, and the last who had seen their Lord. There is one legend so beautiful, so much like him, that we can almost believe it as having a fitting place in his history. It belongs to the time when he preached in the magnificent Church which Christians had reared for him in Ephesus. We may not credit the s

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