St. John the Apostle
St. John was the son of Zebedee, a pious and successful fisherman from the
village of Bethsaida on shore of Lake Genesareth in Galilee, some time
about 10 AD. His mother was Salome, who may have been a sister of Mary
the Mother of Jesus, and one of the holy women who attended the daily
needs of Christ and the Apostles. His older brother was James, who was
also chosen by Christ and became the Apostle James the Greater. Like their
father, John and James were both fishermen.
St. John was originally a disciple of St. John the Baptist, and together with
St. Andrew were the first of the Apostles chosen by Christ. With Sts. Peter
and James, St. John was one of the favorite Apostles of the Lord; indeed,
he was “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Tradition depicts St. John as
possessing a gentle character, however, Christ calls him and his brother the
name Boanerges, “Sons of Thunder”, implying rather an enthusiastic and
impetuous character. St. Paul numbers him, together with Sts. Peter and
James the Less, among the pillars of the Church (Gal. 2, 9).
St. John is mentioned in the Scriptures more times than any other Apostle,
except St. Peter.¹ He is with Our Lord at the raising of Jairus’ daughter, at
the Transfiguration, and at the Agony in the Garden. Only he and St. Peter
were sent into Jerusalem to make preparation for the Last Supper. At the
Supper itself, he reclines his head on Christ’s breast. He courageously
follows his Master with St. Peter to the palace of Annas and Caiaphas, then
to the Praetorium of Pilate, and is the only Apostle to go all the way to the
foot of the Cross. Here, St. John receives Christ’s last will: “Woman,
behold your son; son, behold your Mother.”
After the resurrection of Christ, St. John associates mostly with St. Peter. It
is they who together first run to the empty tomb and “believe”; they are
together fishing on the Sea of Galilee when Christ appears to them from the
shore; together they confront the Sanhedrin and defy their threats, enduring
scourging and imprisonment; and together they work confirming the
converts of Philip in Samaria. They probably parted in 42 AD after St.
1
St. John is mentioned 29 times; St. Peter 195 times.
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