Chapter 3 - John
...whenever Jesus spoke those words, they carried the very essence of light, and life, and love. I experienced that familiar sense of God’s love and power as his words of peace washed over me...
Luke 24:36-47
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’
37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’
40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’
45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, ‘This is what is written: the Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
All scripture quotations taken from
The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
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Background:
Reading across the Gospel accounts, it seems like Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other women (Matt 28:9-10, Mark 16:9-10, John 20:14-17), Jesus then appears to Cleopas and his companion (Luke 24:13-31, Mark 16:12) and to Peter on his own (Luke 24:34 - we’ll look at that as part of Chapter 5), before he appears to a group of the disciples in the upper room (Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-39, John 20:19-23).
In some ways, this might seem like a random set of encounters. Why start with Mary? Peter and John are in the garden by the tomb just minutes before he appears to Mary; why does he wait to appear to them? Why appear to Cleopas and his companion before the 11 apostles? Why appear to Peter on his own before appearing to the others?
I don’t think anything Jesus did was random, certainly not at this crucial stage of his ministry among the disciples. I believe his choice about who he would appear to, and when, was deliberate.
Jesus constantly sided with the poor and the marginalised, making it clear in his words and actions that they were valued and loved by God. Women were very much in the category of the poor and marginalised in Jesus’ time (and there are still huge inequalities today). The choice to appear first to Mary and the other women, and then to send them with the news that he was risen, was a clear statement that women were valued and loved, and that God trusted them with this most precious message. A clear statement to the women, to the other disciples, and to believers for the generations that would follow.
The Gospels record frequent arguments among the apostles as to ‘who was the greatest’ among them (Mark 9:34, Luke 9:46), i.e. who was second in command after Jesus. Luke even has one of these arguments following immediately after Jesus has instituted the last supper (Luke 22:24). John and James are also shown trying to get themselves into key positions of influence in Jesus’ new government…as they envisage it (Matthew 20:20-24, Mark 10:35-41). So, relationships between the apostles were often strained, and perhaps James and John were more openly ambitious than the others. Maybe, by choosing to appear to Cleopas and his companion (disciples we’ve never encountered before), Jesus is subtly challenging the ‘who’s the greatest’ attitude of the apostles.
Following his denials, Peter is the most broken among the disciples. Jesus’ decision to appear to him before the 11 may have been more about the emotional healing Peter needed than a statement about who was the greatest among the apostles.
I’ve chosen to look at this passage through the eyes of the apostle John. How would it have felt if an apostle who saw himself as one of the foremost leaders among the 11, only met the risen Jesus after Mary, Cleopas and his companion, and Peter? And how does it feel when that appearance is to the 11, not to John on his own?
Before looking at this passage through John’s eyes it helps to build up a picture of what he was like. It would be an unfair caricature to just label him as an ambitious apostle.
John was there from the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry.
He was being part of an inner circle that was made up of Peter, James (John’s older brother), and John. John is there when Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:29); he is appointed as an apostle (Mark 3:17); he (along with James and Peter) are the only ones invited into the house when Jesus restores Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37); Peter, James and John are the witnesses to Jesus’ transfiguration (Mark 9:2); he is part of the group that is there when Jesus predicts the destruction of the temple (Mark 13:3); Jesus invites John (along with James and Peter) to stay close and pray for him in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:33).
John is also there right at the end, not hiding with the other apostles, but standing by the cross alongside some of the women. When Jesus sees him there, he asks John to care for his mother (John 19:25-27).
Jesus’ nickname for James and John was ‘Boanerges’, which means sons of thunder (Mark 3:17), so they may have been fiery characters. An example of this was the occasion when they asked Jesus if they should call down fire on a Samaritan village that rejected him… a request that Jesus rebuked them for (Luke 9:51-56).
John was clearly passionate about the ministry Jesus called him to, showed more courage than the others in his being there by the cross, was certain that he was called to lead among the apostles, was trusted by Jesus to follow through and care for his mother, and, according to John, was the ‘disciple that Jesus loved’ (John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7 and 21:20).
Before reading on, I suggest you pause and ask God to speak to you through this reflection, read the passage from Luke’s Gospel again, and then imagine that you have John sitting with you, sharing his story, witnessing to what happened on that day.
As before, when you read through the Bible passage and the story:
Take time to notice how you feel about what you are reading.
Are there things in the story that jar or resonate with you?
Are there things that surprise you or that you disagree with?
Why is that?If you were John, how would you feel when Jesus appears to you and the others at the end of a confusing day?
And the end of the story, before moving on to the thoughts and questions for reflection, pause and ask God what he might be wanting you to take from this story.
If you find it helpful, make notes in a journal as you read and pray.
Click here, or on the button below, to read John’s story