Tradition has it that John was the only one of the twelve apostles (other than Judas of course) who wasn’t martyred. And yet, what happened to him? He was persecuted nonetheless, as we learn from Scriptures, banished to the island of Patmos. The apostles knew exactly what was in store for them after having been called by Christ and formed by Him for three years for the ministry. Do we know what is in store for us? Do we expect that since we’re not great men and women like the apostles we’re going to have an easy road as Christians?
John, as noted, was an apostle of Christ and also an evangelist. Evangelist is the term that designates the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Interestingly, only two of the evangelists were also apostles: Matthew and John. John also wrote four other books of the New Testament: 1, 2, and 3 John and Revelation. There is a remarkable coherence to his inspired books in the New Testament. The love of the Savior is really brought out not only in John’s Gospel account but also through John himself in his three letters. His appeal to the Christians of the first century reaches across the centuries to us today. It is only in Christ that we are truly loved and that we truly can love.
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