This John, III

1Jn.1:¹ “We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life.” (emphasis added).

We are still on the question, who is John? Bible scholars believe, in comparing John 19:25 and Mark 15:40 [please read] and other historical facts, that Salome is the third sister of Mary the mother of Jesus, which makes Jesus and John cousins. Salome herself was a follower of Jesus [please read Matt.27:56]. Not only was her son a disciple, one of the twelve, but she was also in the bigger group following Jesus. So, when Jesus said that they should sit on the floor, Salome sat on the floor and her son gave her bread to eat. If they had anointing services, Salome came in the queue and her teenage son laid hands on her. Wow! If they had a Sunday service and Jesus was out of town, Salome sat in the congregation and John preached on Sunday. I am just trying to bring it into our own time, so we can relate with what is going on here.

Salome had faith in God as a follower of Jesus and she must have been very humble. Salome has been heavily criticized for her ambitious request in Matt.20:20-28 [please read]. Jesus had just spoken to them about giving them twelve thrones in the Kingdom of heaven. Then Salome went to Jesus with John and James. I can imagine her dragging her boys who were reluctant to go with their mother on this quest. But she dragged them; Salome came to Jesus with her sons, kneeling. Remember, this woman was Jesus’ aunt. Amazing! Salome brought politics into Jesus’ church; She was the first official church politician. The politics in the church today did not just start, it started with Salome, the mother of John. Wherever two or three are gathered, there will always be politics. Jesus knew it; His job was to set it straight and keep the true north. We have seen who John is and where he came from, who his mother is and the family he came from. We see how intimate John’s relationship with Jesus was even as a teenager. John watched, experienced, and interacted with Jesus. When John says he was the disciple that put his head on Jesus’ bosom, we can appreciate it because he was a teenager. Most grown men will not do that.

John 1:^1-5 “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” I think these are arguably the greatest words ever written! Everything in creation and in your life was made by Jesus. Every force in heaven, on earth and beneath the earth, every power of hell and of demons, all were made by Him. Every force recognizes Jesus as Lord, Maker, Creator and at the Name of Jesus every knee bows because nothing can come against its source. And it is John that brings this to us based on his experience of the person of Jesus.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, I ask for a fresh experience of Jesus, the Word of life, that I too will see Him with my own eyes and touch Him with my own hands, in Jesus Name. Amen!