{"id":1705,"date":"2021-08-20T21:17:51","date_gmt":"2021-08-20T21:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/?p=1705"},"modified":"2021-10-25T15:58:53","modified_gmt":"2021-10-25T15:58:53","slug":"stories-of-christian-martyrs-the-apostle-john","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.persecution.com\/stories\/stories-of-christian-martyrs-the-apostle-john\/","title":{"rendered":"Stories of Christian Martyrs: The Apostle John"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Unlike his apostolic companions, John died quietly in the city of
Ephesus, serving the church he loved. But he didn\u2019t live a quiet
life. By the time he died, John had been part of the twelve disciples of Jesus, participated in the early life of the church in Jerusalem,
traveled widely, and had written five New Testament books (the Gospel
of John, the letters 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation). John certainly had an impressive r\u00e9sum\u00e9 of accomplishments, but he would probably have been the first to point out that anything he had done in life paled in comparison to what Jesus did for him. John\u2019s character r\u00e9sum\u00e9 tells us a lot about the ways Jesus changes a person\u2019s life.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that John survived the other apostles points to the kind of
unique suffering he endured. All of the other disciples suffered and died;
John suffered and lived. Though not technically a martyr, John\u2019s life
displayed a martyr\u2019s qualities. He was a living sacrifice worthy of imitation. And as we shall see, he only escaped actual martyrdom by God\u2019s
intervention on several occasions.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John and his brother James were two of the more fiery members of
Jesus\u2019s disciples. Artistic renditions and personal impressions often create a distorted picture of John. Yes, he was the disciple Jesus loved, but
that didn\u2019t mean that he was particularly lovable. He was more likely a
typical fisherman of his time: rough cut, hardworking, brash, and short
on social graces. Jesus called John and his brother \u201cSons of Thunder,\u201d
which was probably more a term of endearment than a compliment.
Mark reports that special name early in his gospel (3:17), indicating that
their character traits were obvious from the beginning. They certainly
lived up to that nickname.
<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n\t

\r\n\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\"\"\r\n\t\t<\/figure>\r\n\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t

Request your free magazine<\/p>\r\n\t\t\tSubscribe<\/a>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n\t\n\n\n

On one occasion, after Peter, James, and John saw Jesus transfigured
on the mountain, a revealing argument broke out among the disciples over
their internal pecking order: Who was the greatest? After Jesus disarmed that argument, John reported that he and the others had confronted someone who was casting out demons in Jesus\u2019s name. They had told that man to stop \u201cbecause he does not follow with us\u201d (Luke 9:49). If John expected Jesus\u2019s approval, he was taken aback by Jesus\u2019s insistence that others should be encouraged to make use of the power in Jesus\u2019s name.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the jockeying for power and prestige were not over. Luke immediately describes the final journey to Jerusalem and an incident in Samaria in a town where Jesus was not welcomed. John and James, eager to flex what they might have considered heightened authority among the Lord\u2019s followers, volunteered to take action: \u201cLord, do you want us to
tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?\u201d (Luke 9:54).
We are simply told that Jesus \u201cturned and rebuked\u201d them for this suggestion, raising the possibility that Jesus said nothing, but turned so they could see his face. The look may have been a more devastating rebuke
than words. The process of discipleship Jesus practiced with the first
disciples was painstaking and time-consuming. And it continued
throughout the apostles\u2019 lives.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John learned to love the hard way. When he consistently leaves his
name out of his gospel but describes himself as the disciple Jesus loved (John 13:23), he\u2019s revealing what transformed him from a son of thunder to a son of love. Jesus loved him. John never lost his hunger for truth. Even a casual reading of his gospel and the three letters of John gives the impression that the writer was a champion for truth. But an even greater impression arises in John\u2019s writings that he was a man of love. Ancient witnesses like Eusebius record that by the end of his life, John had simplified his message to one gentle command: \u201cChildren, love one another.\u201d Apparently, whenever he was asked to speak or comment, that was his chosen statement. When asked about it, he responded that everything else necessary would be taken care of if that one command were faithfully carried out.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That simple but profound message still describes the difference
between authentic discipleship and inconsistent following of Jesus. Since
the beginning, believers haven\u2019t been persecuted and killed just because
they held a set of beliefs. Their lives have provoked reactions. The darkness has violently resisted and tried to destroy Christ\u2019s followers because of the awesome power that love brings into any human situation. The message of the God who loves and who changes people into genuine lovers represents everything the darkness abhors.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John certainly did not live a long life unscathed by pain and suffering. His emotional trials must have been considerable. He lived during times in which those who killed or abused Christians had nothing to fear from the law. In fact, they were sometimes carrying out the law. The painful death of friend after friend must have taken a heavy toll on him. Tradition holds that on one occasion, John was scheduled for boiling in oil. He escaped by divine intervention. His exile on Patmos easily could have been a death sentence. When Emperor Domitian, who had exiled him to Patmos, had died, John was brought back to Ephesus, where he was confined for two years. It is written that he was compelled to drink poison but was unharmed, and finally died in peace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story is an excerpt from Foxe: Voices of the Martyrs. <\/em>You can get your own copy free with any donation to The Voice of the Martyrs.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unlike his apostolic companions, John died quietly in the city ofEphesus, serving the church he loved. But he didn\u2019t live a quietlife. By the time he died, John had been part of the twelve disciples of Jesus, participated in the early life of the church in Jerusalem,traveled widely, and had written five New Testament books (the Gospelof John, the letters 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation). John certainly had an impressive r\u00e9sum\u00e9 of accomplishments, but he would probably have been the first to point out that anything he had done in life paled in comparison to what Jesus did for him. John\u2019s character r\u00e9sum\u00e9 tells us a lot about the ways Jesus changes a person\u2019s life. The fact that John survived the other apostles points to the kind ofunique suffering he endured. All of the other disciples suffered and died;John suffered and lived. Though not technically a martyr, John\u2019s lifedisplayed a martyr\u2019s qualities. He was a living sacrifice worthy of imitation. And as we shall see, he only escaped actual martyrdom by God\u2019sintervention on several occasions. John and his brother James were two of the more fiery members ofJesus\u2019s disciples. Artistic renditions and personal impressions often create a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[96],"tags":[93],"class_list":["post-1705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foxe","tag-ephesus","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nStories of Christian Martyrs: The Apostle John - Stories<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Unlike his apostolic companions, John died quietly in the city of Ephesus, serving the church he loved. 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