|
Morning Meditation for the Season of Christmas
Friday, December 27th, 2024
John, Apostle and Evangelist
Reading: John 21:19-24
(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!’ So the rumour spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’
This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.
Meditation by Jeremy O’Neill
One of the aspects of reading the Bible that I find most confusing is the abundance of significant characters with the same name. For example, in the Christmas story we hear of a man named Joseph, who is engaged to Mary. This Joseph is different from the Joseph of Genesis, founder of the Tribe of Joseph and remembered for his coat of many colors. Both Josephs are distinct from Joseph of Arimathea, who buries Jesus in the tomb following his crucifixion.
You will find the same issue when talking about Mary. Though Mary, Mother of Jesus is most significant at this time of year, Mary Magdalene was also one of his closest followers. There is some disagreement as to whether this Mary is the same as Mary of Bethany. We also meet Mary of Cleophas, Mary, mother of James, and other Mary’s throughout the New Testament.
Finally, we get to John. Which John? Today the church remembers John the Apostle, Son of Zebedee. This John is different from John the Baptist, and is noted for his witnessing of many of Jesus’s Miracles. Many of the books of the current Biblical cannon are attributed to this John. James Kiefer writes: “John is credited with the authorship of three epistles and one Gospel, although many scholars believe that the final editing of the Gospel was done by others shortly after his death. He is also supposed by many to be the author of the book of Revelation, also called the Apocalypse, although this identification is less certain.”
John is also frequently identified as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” It is in this passage that Jesus identifies this disciple. What is interesting, aside from the name confusion, is that this identification comes after Peter asks about which disciple will betray Jesus. If you have read a lot of the Gospels you might say that this is a very “Peter” thing to do, as Peter always seems to be asking the wrong questions.
Peter, however, always seems to demonstrate a relatable human temptation and misunderstanding of God’s grace. Peter wants to know about other’s fate, but refuses to focus on his own actions. The reality is that God’s grace is offered to all of us, and it is not up to us to judge how others deal with that profound, comforting, and often confusing gift.
| 
