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As He went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. (Matthew 4:21)
Happy Friday, dear Friend! I pray this day bless you in wonderful and unexpected ways! And may we learn to share those rich blessings with others, especially those in need.
I wonder if John knew what that day held for him in terms of a life-changing decision he was about to make. I mean, this would be the second decision that had changed his life, and the first certainly prepared him for the second. He was hiatus from the first when he and his brother James, were mending the fishing nets of their father's trade. This was something he could do with his eyes closed as he did it so often; but on that day, the one they had heard about, the traveling rabbi, came to visit their place of business. And Jesus called the two into full time ministry with Him. Both said yes, and their lives were never the same again.
The first decision was to follow John the Baptist. Something about this wilderness prophet caught his attention, and it may have been that John the Baptist preached forgiveness of sins. John needed that and said yes to grace and forgiveness and yes to traveling with John the Baptist. John preached about Jesus and when in John's gospel (John 1:35-40), John the Baptist pointed Jesus out, James and John followed Jesus.
John became a part of the inner circle of the disciples, and of the 12, John was the closest to Jesus. It is believed that James and John, always acting as one, and hardly ever separated from each other, were first cousins to Jesus. William Barclay, in his book, The Master's Men, states the list of women who followed Jesus and who were present at the crucifixion, and in that list suggests that Salome was the mother of James and John, and that she was the sister to Mary, the mother of Jesus. This may explain some other things we know about John. 1) He was a man of ambition. Remember it was his mother who asks Jesus to give her boys a special place in the coming kingdom. 2) John was a man of means. His father appears to have been prosperous in the fishing business, and as such, he may have felt special enough to request a special place as a ruler in Jesus' kingdom. We also have to note that James and John were men of violent tempers. Luke 9:51-56 shares how after a door seemed to close for Jesus' visit through a Samaritan village, both ask the Lord to command fire to come from heaven to consume the village. Jesus reminds them He came to save, not destroy.
John and James were also known as the Sons of Thunder, Boanerges (Mark 3:17); could that be because of their explosive and violent character? When John sees a man casting out demons in Jesus' name in Mark 9:39-40, John forbids it. But, we have to note that his time with Jesus changed his heart and made him become known as the beloved disciple, who leaned on Jesus' right arm at the Last Supper, and to whom Jesus assigned the care of His mother. It was the Beloved Disciple who arrived at the tomb on Easter Sunday. Tradition holds that John cared for Mary until her death and shortly thereafter was banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he authored another book, the final book of the Bible with visions revealed to him.
Dear one, the greatest lesson we can learn from this man's life is the power of Jesus to change our hearts. Many are the people whose hard hearts have been changed by the Son of God. John is a prime example. If we are to have ambition, it is to serve the Lord more faithfully and fruitfully, not seek power and position. May our hearts be open to what Jesus still offers, and may we receive all with joy and gratitude.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for the witness of John. May my heart be always changed by You for the better. Remove from me anything that limits the love that could be mine in serving You. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! May the thunder in your life today be the sound of love in action for all people!
Eradio Valverde
