Saint John the Beloved of Jesus


Saint John the Beloved of Jesus

Saint John, the Apostle, is one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. He is the son of Zebedee, and a brother of James, also one of the twelve. He is also known as John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, and the Beloved Disciple. John wrote 5 books in the New Testament of the Bible. He wrote The Gospel According to John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John and the Book of Revelation.

Before meeting Jesus, Saint John can be described as an ordinary man in his time. Just like his brother James, he was a fisherman. He came from a fishing village along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. They were about to cast their nets when Jesus called them to follow Him.

“When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay Jesus called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.” (Mark 1:19-20)

Both Saint John and James earned the nickname Boanerges meaning “sons of thunder”. John was part of Jesus’ inner-circle of beloved disciples, including Peter and James. These three were privileged to witness some important events in the life of Jesus: the raising of Jairus’ daughter, the transfiguration, and Agony of Christ in Gethsemane.

Through time, John aged well with his understanding about Jesus. He understood the need for humility in those who desired to be great. His loyalty to Jesus, love for the Church, and being humble are few of the characteristics that made him the “disciple whom Jesus loved”. Unlike any other disciple, Saint John was the only one who went into the night when Jesus was arrested, he managed to get into the courtyard when Jesus was persecuted, and he was brave enough to stand at the foot of the cross where Jesus was nailed. Here, Jesus entrusted the care of his mother Mary, to John.

After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to heaven, and the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, John teamed up with Peter to boldly preach the gospel in Jerusalem. Because of this, they suffered beatings and were thrown into prison. It was on the Greek Island of Patmos on the Aegean Sea where John was banished, that he saw a vision which he recorded in the Book of Revelation. There is no accurate date or a detail regarding John’s death. However, tradition tells us that John died of old age. He is thought to have died in Ephesus.


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