John

By Jamin Roller

As you read today’s scriptures, did you notice the change in how John talks about himself?

Mark 10:35 says, “James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, ‘Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.’”

But then, in Revelation 1:9, “I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction, kingdom, and endurance that are in Jesus…”

I used to believe that as you age, you just naturally grow more mature. I thought godliness and sanctification must come easier the older you are. In reality, some hearts soften with age while others grow harder. I have seen people grow in love and righteousness with age and seen others with more years of life still live selfishly.

When I read our scriptures today, I noticed something in John’s life that I hope to be true in mine. As he aged, he became more like Jesus.

His words in Mark 10 were tainted with pride—“Jesus, we want you to do what we want you to do”—and he asked for the place of honor and power in the kingdom Jesus brings.

I hear a proud man who needs correction.

He was early in his life with Jesus (possibly in his late teens or early twenties). We read that interaction and think, “he doesn’t get it yet.” His words warranted a gentle rebuke from Jesus who confronted the values of the world that He saw in His disciple’s heart.

Yet in Revelation, “I, John, your brother and partner in the affliction…”

I hear a humble man in these words. He spoke with affection and deference. He saw himself as a family member and co-laborer, willing to endure suffering for the Lord he loved with the people he loved. He wasn’t young anymore. This was not John in his early years of following Jesus—this was John after decades of faithful ministry. In his old age, he was not asking for a place of honor; he was introducing himself as brother and partner.

As he aged, he became more like Jesus. How?

It is certainly more than this, but I can’t help but think of the description of John we find in his Gospel. “The disciple whom Jesus loved.” At some point in his life with Jesus, he believed this about himself, and it changed him. Being loved by Jesus freed him from his self-interest and formed in him a heart that loved the church and endured affliction.

I am reminded today that I am a disciple whom Jesus loves. You are a disciple whom Jesus loves. Believing and living out of that identity forms in us a heart that grows more like Jesus as we grow older.