John the Apostle
the brother of James
Who was John the Apostle?
- A fisherman, son of Zebedee and brother of James. Matthew 4:21
- Jesus gave the two brothers a nickname: “sons of thunder.” Mark 3:17
- With Peter and James, he went up a high mountain with Jesus. Matthew 17:1
He is not John the Baptist: they are two different people.
- The name
- It is a Hebrew name that means “the Lord has given his grace.” Benedict XVI, general audience of July 5, 2006
- Also called
- Boanerges, “sons of thunder”: the name Jesus gave to him and his brother James Mark 3:17 · “The disciple whom Jesus loved” (this is how Tradition identifies him) John 13:23; Irenaeus, Against Heresies III, 1, 1
- From
- From Galilee; the Bible does not say which town Acts 1:11, 13
- Occupation
- Fisherman, with his father and his brother Mark 1:19-20
- Feast day
- December 27: Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist
What the Bible says
Matthew 4:21
And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets: and he called them.
Mark 3:17
And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he named them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
Matthew 17:1
And after six days Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart:
Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.
The path of John the Apostle
- Before Jesus. He fished with his father, Zebedee, and his brother James. They were partners with Simon. Mark 1:19-20; Luke 5:10
- With Jesus. Jesus called him and James while they were mending their nets. They left their father in the boat and followed him. Mark 1:19-20
- With Jesus. He was one of the Twelve. Jesus gave him and James a nickname: “sons of thunder.” Mark 3:14, 17
- With Jesus. With Peter and James, he saw Jesus transfigured on a high mountain. Matthew 17:1-2
- With Jesus. Jesus sent him with Peter to prepare the Passover meal. Luke 22:8
- With Jesus. According to Tradition: According to Tradition, he is the beloved disciple. From the cross, Jesus entrusted his mother, Mary, to John’s care. John 19:26-27
- Afterward. He was going to the Temple with Peter when Peter healed a man who could not walk. Acts 3:1-8
- Afterward. According to Tradition: According to tradition, he lived in Ephesus, wrote his Gospel there, and died at a very old age, in the time of the emperor Trajan. Irenaeus, Against Heresies III, 1, 1 and III, 3, 4; Benedict XVI, general audience of July 5, 2006
Words of John the Apostle
“Master, we saw a certain man casting out devils in thy name, and we forbade him, because he followeth not with us.” Luke 9:49
When he told Jesus that they had stopped a man from driving out demons.
“Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them?” Luke 9:54
He said it with his brother James, when a town in Samaria would not welcome Jesus.
“Grant to us, that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.” Mark 10:37
He asked it with James, when Jesus asked them what they wanted.
“Lord, who is it?” John 13:25
It was asked at the Last Supper by “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” whom Tradition identifies as John.
“If it be just in the sight of God, to hear you rather than God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:19-20
He said it with Peter, before the Council that had ordered them not to speak about Jesus.
What they were like
- He had a temper: a town in Samaria would not welcome Jesus. John and his brother James asked Jesus: “Do you want us to call down fire from heaven?” Jesus rebuked them. Luke 9:52-55
The greatest thing they did
- He was one of the three who were with Jesus on the mountain of the Transfiguration and in Gethsemane. Matthew 17:1; Mark 14:33
Not to be confused with
- John the Baptist: John the Apostle was a fisherman, the son of Zebedee, and one of the Twelve. John the Baptist was the son of Zechariah, and he baptized Jesus. Matthew 4:21; Mark 3:14, 17; Luke 1:13; Mark 1:9
In the Church today
Feast day: December 27, Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist (feast). General Roman Calendar
In art, recognized by: An eagle, because the beginning of his Gospel soars so high Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. John the Evangelist”; A chalice, sometimes with a serpent coming out of it Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. John the Evangelist”
John the Apostle in art
What people ask
Is John “the beloved disciple”?
The Gospel never gives his name. Tradition, since Saint Irenaeus, teaches that he is John; today some scholars question this. John 21:20, 24; Irenaeus, Against Heresies III, 1, 1; Benedict XVI, general audience of July 5, 2006
Did John write the Book of Revelation?
Its author is named John, and he wrote from the island of Patmos. Tradition identifies him with the apostle, although this has been debated since the third century. Revelation 1:9; Benedict XVI, general audience of August 23, 2006
Were John and James brothers?
Yes. They were sons of Zebedee, and both were fishermen. Matthew 4:21
Why did Jesus call them “sons of thunder”?
Jesus gave that nickname to John and his brother James. The Gospel does not explain why. Mark 3:17
How did the apostle John die?
The Bible does not say. According to tradition, he died at a very old age in Ephesus, in the time of the emperor Trajan. Benedict XVI, general audience of July 5, 2006; Irenaeus, Against Heresies III, 3, 4
Daily life He was a fisherman with his father, Zebedee, and his brother James, and a partner of Simon Peter. Mark 1:19-20; Luke 5:10 Their failings With his brother James,…
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