Jensens survey of the old testament adam 593
Bạn đang xem bản rút gọn của tài liệu. Xem và tải ngay bản đầy đủ của tài liệu tại đây (116.95 KB, 4 trang )
II. THE MAN JOHN
It is very helpful to study biographical
notes about this beloved disciple of Jesus.
For to be acquainted with the man John is
to stand in his shoes and empathize with
him as he shares the truths so precious and
glorious in his sight. (Chapter 8 discussed
some of these notes.)
A. NAME
The name John was a common one in
Jesus’ day, just as it was in Old Testament
days and as it is today. The Greek name is
Ioannes, derived from the Hebrew Yohanan,
which means literally, “Jehovah is
gracious.” Often this name was given to a
child as a testimony of the parents’ gratitude
to God for the initial gift of a baby (cf. 1
Chron. 3:15).
There are ve di erent men in the New
Testament bearing the name John:
1. John the Baptist (e.g., Matt. 3:1; Luke
1:57-66)
2. John Mark (e.g., Acts 12:12; 2 Tim.
4:11)
3. Jona, or Jonas, father of Simon Peter
(John 1:42; 21:15, 17)
4. John, a relative of Annas the high priest
(Acts 4:6)
5. John, son of Zebedee (Matt. 4:21), an
apostle of Jesus (Matt. 10:2), who called
himself “the elder” in 2 John and 3 John.
This John was the author of the epistles.
B. BIRTH
The place of John’s birth may have been
the city of Bethsaida, at the northern tip of
the Sea of Galilee. This was the hometown
of Philip, Andrew, and Peter (John 1:44).
We do not know the date of his birth, but he
may have been at least ve years younger
than Jesus.
C. FAMILY
John’s mother was Salome (see Matt.
27:56, with Mark 15:40; 16:1). If, as
suggested by John 19:25, Salome was a
sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, then
Jesus and John were cousins. This would
partly explain the special place John had in
Jesus’ “inner circle.”
John’s father was Zebedee (Matt. 4:21;
Mark 1:19), a sherman on the Sea of
Galilee. John had at least one brother,
James the apostle (Matt. 4:21), who was
executed by Herod Agrippa I around A.D. 44
(Acts 12:1-2). Jesus surnamed both brothers
Boanerges, or “sons of thunder,” a name
indicating perhaps a ery personality in the
young men (see Luke 9:52-56). Before
becoming a disciple of Jesus, John was in
the fishing trade with his father and brother.
It appears that John’s parents were well to
do, as suggested by the following:
1. Their household had servants (Mark
1:20).
2. Salome helped with the
nancial
support of Jesus during His public ministry
(cf. Mark 15:40-41; Luke 8:3).
3. Salome bought spices for Jesus’ body
(Mark 16:1).
4. John was a personal acquaintance of
the high priest (John 18:15), and usually
high priests were of the upper class.
