1.
John the Apostle wrote five books of the Bible, all in the New
Testament: the Gospel of John, the three epistles of John, and the book of
Revelation.
2. John was the son of Zebedee and Salome (a family of fishermen).
It’s important to note that Herod’s daughter, who played a key part in the
execution of John the Baptist, was also named Salome. They were two
very different women but with the same name!
3. The Apostle John was a beloved disciple of Jesus. In the New
Testament, there are many references to the 12 disciples of Jesus, and John
is one of them. Scripture often refers to John as the disciple “whom Jesus
loved.”
4. In Galatians, Paul refers to John as one of the “pillars” of the church in
Jerusalem. It is thus believed that John was present in Jerusalem for the
apostolic council of Jerusalem (Acts 15).
5. Jesus referred to John as one of the “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). The
other Son of Thunder was James, John’s brother. It is believed that this
nickname was a result of the brothers’ bold and somewhat aggressive
personalities.
6. Although we read about the forthright and passionate characteristics of
John the Apostle, he is also known as “Saint John the Evangelist” or
“Saint John the Divine.” He was a fervent follower and evangelist of
Christ.
7. John was one of the few disciples present for the transfiguration of
Jesus. You can read more about this in Matthew 17.
8. At his crucifixion, Jesus, while hanging on the cross, entrusted John to
care for Mary (Jesus’ mother) after his death.
9. When Mary Magdalene discovered Jesus’ empty tomb (John 20), she
went to Simon Peter and John and told them of the news. They ran to the
tomb and saw the emptiness for themselves. It’s also interesting to note
that in John 20, John is referred to as “the other disciple, the one whom
Jesus loved.”
10. During the later years of his life, John the Apostle was banished by
Roman emperor Domitian to the island of Patmos (Revelation 1). This
likely occurred due to anti-Christian persecution from Emperor Domitian.
11. Although the Bible does not give us details about the date or location
of John’s death, it is estimated that John lived into his 90s and died in
either Ephesus or Patmos (where he had previously been banished
to). Many scholars also believe that John wrote the Gospel of John and
his three epistles in Ephesus.
12. It is generally believed that John was the last surviving apostle. He also
was the only apostle believed to die of natural causes. The other apostles
died as martyrs, except for Judas, who took his own life.
