Top 7 Bible Verses About The Apostle John

Here are seven Bible verses directly relating to the Apostle John.

Luke 8:51 “And when he came to the house, he allowed no one to enter with him, except Peter and John and James, and the father and mother of the child.”

Jesus has a closer circle of disciples among Peter, James, and John. Jesus would take them into confidence like He wouldn’t do for the others. Perhaps it was because they weren’t getting it as fast as the other disciples were. The “sons of thunder,” who James and John were called, were like Peter. They were a bit tempestuous, outspoken, and temperamental. They once debated over who would be the greatest in the kingdom (Luke 9:46). Maybe that’s why Jesus took them aside privately so that they could see His miracles, and later, the Transfiguration. There, they would get a glimpse of the Shekinah glory of God, as well as seeing Moses and Elijah.

Luke 9:28 “Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.”

Once more we see Jesus in His inner circle of disciples, but this was exceedingly more important than a miracle. He went up the mountain to pray, taking James, John, and Peter with Him, and while “he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:29-31). These three men had just got a taste of the glory of God.

Luke 9:54 “And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

Right after a Samaritan village had rejected Jesus, and given the fact that the Jews despised the Samaritans, the “sons of thunder,” (Mark 3:17) James and John asked if they could command fire down from heaven to consume them all. What made them think that they could command fire down from heaven like Elijah did? And besides, the fire that came down from heaven didn’t consume people but the offerings (1st Kings 18:36-38). Three times God rained down heaven when Elijah prayed, so the disciples took Elijah’s experience all wrong and took the account completely out of context.

John 13:23 “One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side.”

This was on the night that Jesus was betrayed and the one that is described as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” was clearly the Apostle John. The “disciple whom Jesus loved” only appears in the Gospel of John and nowhere else. John’s humility or writing style prevents him from using his own name, which is probably good because he wanted the focus to be on Christ and not on the author.

John 19:26 “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”

In a heartbreaking scene, Jesus Christ is dying on the cross and even in His excruciating agony, He wanted to make sure His mother would be taken care of. He was still honoring the fifth commandment, “Thou shall honor your parents” even as He neared death. He looks to His mother and said, “Woman, behold your son” as in John. Jesus has now separated Himself from being Mary’s son to being Mary’s Savior. Now Mary looks at Jesus as Her Savior and Jesus looks at His mother as a woman that needed a Savior (although she already believed by then). Next, Jesus looks to John and says “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home” (John 19:27). Undoubtedly the Apostle John is “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

Acts 4:13 “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”

The disciples had just been brought before the rulers, elders, and scribes, “with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family” (Acts 4:6) and the disciples told them all that “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). They all recognized these men as having “been with Jesus.” Would anyone recognize you as such? What about me?

Revelation 1:1-2 “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.”

By now, the Apostle Paul is in has latter years and is recording the Book of Revelation but it’s not his revelation. It is “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants” (Rev 1:1) so John is only recording what Jesus wants him to write down. It is Jesus’ revelation, not John’s. John has already been “witness to the word of God” and has already heard “the testimony of Jesus Christ,” having been with Him for three years and now John’s last book is a warning to all who refuse to repent or perish, as the judgment of God is approaching (Rev 20:12-15).

Conclusion

The Gospel of John is my favorite because it has more about the love of Christ (John 3), the authority of Christ (John 4), the security found in Christ (John 10), and the divinity of Christ (John 11). You will also find the seven great “I AM’s” in the gospel of John. This gospel is full of miracles, mercy, and missions. I pray that you have found eternal life in Him, but if not, at this reading, you still have the wrath of God abiding on you (John 3:36b).

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.