John's Story (21 page)

“Do you know,” John said, smiling, “that I feared this was too much for the people when the reading was only half done?”

Polycarp threw his head back and laughed heartily. “I had the same concern! That they would be so dumbstruck with fear that they would not want to go home. That we would spend the rest of the night comforting them and praying with them.”

As it was, people had lingered for hours, raising questions, praying, talking among themselves.

Finally Polycarp rose. “I must let you sleep, master, or at least try to sleep. But let me also tell you before I take my leave that today was one of the most fulfilling of my life. Having come to faith in Christ, having the privilege of serving under you, penning your gospel, and now reading the revelation Jesus Himself gave you…nothing else can compare.”

“Just one more moment,” John said, motioning that Polycarp should sit again. “I need tell you of an assignment I wish for you to prayerfully consider, as soon as your work with the copying of the revelation is complete. You need take it first to the church at Smyrna.”

“With great joy,” Polycarp said.

“And there you must stay, as they have need of a bishop.”

“I know of that vacancy, rabbi. You wish me to fill in, teaching them the revelation, until a bishop is appointed?”

John shook his head. “A bishop has been appointed, son. You are the man.”

F
ollowing this, John, failing rapidly, dictated to Polycarp the three epistles that would become known as First, Second, and Third John.

Less than a month later the beloved apostle John died in his sleep—the only one of Jesus’ twelve disciples to die a natural death. His eyewitness account of the miracles of Jesus, his three epistles, and the revelation he received on the Isle of Patmos became five of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. His gospel has become known as the Gospel of Belief and is considered by many the cornerstone of the first four books of the New Testament, establishing Jesus as the Son of God and Savior of the world.

In the early years of the second century, Caesar Trajan decreed that Christians must unite with their pagan neighbors and worship their gods. So resolute was Ignatius in his opposition that he boldly spoke against Rome, even while Trajan was sojourning in Antioch.

Ignatius was dragged before the emperor to answer charges of violating the imperial edict and inciting others to do the same. Ignatius saw this as his opportunity to give his very life for Christ, as he had long desired. So he was not only forthright in his response, but also showed a spirit of exultation.

Frustrated with him, Trajan had Ignatius bound and delivered to Rome to be fed to beasts in the Flavian amphitheater for the entertainment of the people. During the trip Ignatius wrote to the churches of Asia, exhorting the people to obey their bishops and beware of heresy. But primarily he pleaded with them to not interfere or in any way hamper the designs of the empire on his life. He did not want to be deprived of his opportunity for martyrdom. And he was granted his heart’s deepest desire.

Polycarp served more than fifty years as Bishop of Smyrna and became known as a steadfast witness of truth.

Legend says that when he was arrested he warmly greeted the Roman soldiers and offered them food. They granted his request that he be allowed to pray before they hauled him to Rome, and for two hours he prayed aloud. Many of the soldiers repented.

Facing death in the Colosseum, Polycarp was urged by one of the judges to renounce his faith and save himself. “Reverence thy old age,” the judge said. “Swear by Caesar’s Fortune…and I will set thee at liberty; reproach Christ!”

Polycarp responded, “Eighty and six years have I now served Christ, and He has never done me the least wrong: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

The judge said, “I have wild beasts ready; to those I will cast you unless you repent.”

“Call for them then,” Polycarp said. “For we Christians are fixed in our minds not to change from good to evil; but for me it will be good to be changed from evil to good.”

Furious, the judge said, “Seeing that you despise the wild beasts, I will cause you to be devoured by fire, unless you repent.”

“You threaten me with fire, which burns for an hour and is then extinguished; but do you not know of the fire of the future judgment of that eternal punishment which is reserved for the ungodly? But why tarry? Bring forth what you will!”

They took Polycarp to the stake to nail him there, but he said, “He who has given me strength to endure the fire will also enable me, without your securing me by nails, to stand without moving in the pile.” And so he was merely tied to the stake.

After Polycarp had prayed and thanked God for “bringing me to this day, and to this hour; that I should have a part in the number of your martyrs,” the executioner lit the fire. However, the flames arched around Polycarp like a sail of a ship, and he would not burn. Finally the executioner was commanded to stab him with a sword. So much blood flowed that it extinguished the fire. The fire had to be rekindled to burn Polycarp’s body to ashes.

The Eternal Word

1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
²
He was in the beginning with God.
³
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
⁴
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
⁵
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend
a
it.

John’s Witness: The True Light

⁶
There was a man sent from God, whose name
was
John.
⁷
This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
⁸
He was not that Light, but
was sent
to bear witness of that Light.
⁹
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
a

¹⁰
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
¹¹
He came to His own,
a
and His own
b
did not receive Him.
¹²
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
¹³
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The Word Becomes Flesh

¹⁴
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only be gotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵
John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”

¹⁶
And
a
of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
¹⁷
For the law was given through Moses,
but
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
¹⁸
No one has seen God at anytime. The only begotten Son,
a
who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared
Him.

A Voice in the Wilderness

¹⁹
Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

²⁰
He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

²¹
And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

And he answered, “No.”

²²
Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

²³
He said: “I
am

‘ The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

“Make straight the way of the L
ORD
,”’
a

As the prophet Isaiah said.”

²⁴
Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.
²⁵
And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

²⁶
John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.
²⁷
It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose.”

²⁸
These things were done in Bethabara
a
beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The Lamb of God

²⁹
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
³⁰
This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’
³¹
I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

³²
And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
³³
I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
³⁴
And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

The First Disciples

³⁵
Again, the next day, John stood with two of his disciples.
³⁶
And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”

³⁷
The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
³⁸
Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?”

They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which is to say, when translated, Teacher), “where are You staying?”

³⁹
He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).

⁴⁰
One of the two who heard John
speak,
and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
⁴¹
He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated, the Christ).
⁴²
And he brought him to Jesus.

Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah.
a
You shall be called Cephas” (which is translated, A Stone).

Philip and Nathanael

⁴³
The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
⁴⁴
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
⁴⁵
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

⁴⁶
And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

⁴⁷
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”

⁴⁸
Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?”

Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

⁴⁹
Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

⁵⁰
Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”
⁵¹
And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter
a
you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Water Turned to Wine

2
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
²
Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
³
And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

⁴
Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

⁵
His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do
it.
”

⁶
Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
⁷
Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.
⁸
And He said to them, “Draw
some
out now, and take
it
to the master of the feast.” And they took
it.
⁹
When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
¹⁰
And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the
guests
have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

¹¹
This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

¹²
After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

¹³
Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
¹⁴
And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business.
¹⁵
When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables.
¹⁶
And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”
¹⁷
Then His disciples remembered that it was written,
“Zeal for Your house has eaten
a
Me up.”
b

¹⁸
So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?”

¹⁹
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

²⁰
Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”

²¹
But He was speaking of the temple of His body.
²²
Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them;
a
and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

The Discerner of Hearts

²³
Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.
²⁴
But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all
men,
²⁵
and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

The New Birth

3
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
²
This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

³
Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

⁵
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
⁶
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
⁷
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
⁸
The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

⁹
Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”

¹⁰
Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?
¹¹
Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
¹²
IfIhavetoldyouearthlythings and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?
¹³
No one has ascended to heaven but Hewhocamedownfromheaven,
that is,
the Son of Man who is in heaven.
a
¹⁴
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
¹⁵
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but
a
have eternal life.
¹⁶
For God so loved the world that He gave His only be gotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
¹⁷
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

¹⁸
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
¹⁹
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
²¹
But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

John the Baptist Exalts Christ

²²
After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.
²³
Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized.
²⁴
For John had not yet been thrown into prison.

²⁵
Then there arose a dispute between
some
of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification.
²⁶
And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”