II THE MAN JOHN It is very helpful to study biographical notes about this beloved disciple of Jesus For to be acquainted with the man John is to stand in his shoes and empathize with him as he shares the truths so precious and glorious in his sight (Chapter discussed some of these notes.) A NAME The name John was a common one in Jesus’ day, just as it was in Old Testament days and as it is today The Greek name is Ioannes, derived from the Hebrew Yohanan, which means literally, “Jehovah is gracious.” Often this name was given to a child as a testimony of the parents’ gratitude to God for the initial gift of a baby (cf Chron 3:15) There are ve di erent men in the New Testament bearing the name John: John the Baptist (e.g., Matt 3:1; Luke 1:57-66) John Mark (e.g., Acts 12:12; Tim 4:11) Jona, or Jonas, father of Simon Peter (John 1:42; 21:15, 17) John, a relative of Annas the high priest (Acts 4:6) John, son of Zebedee (Matt 4:21), an apostle of Jesus (Matt 10:2), who called himself “the elder” in John and John This John was the author of the epistles B BIRTH The place of John’s birth may have been the city of Bethsaida, at the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee This was the hometown of Philip, Andrew, and Peter (John 1:44) We not know the date of his birth, but he may have been at least ve years younger than Jesus C FAMILY John’s mother was Salome (see Matt 27:56, with Mark 15:40; 16:1) If, as suggested by John 19:25, Salome was a sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus, then Jesus and John were cousins This would partly explain the special place John had in Jesus’ “inner circle.” John’s father was Zebedee (Matt 4:21; Mark 1:19), a sherman on the Sea of Galilee John had at least one brother, James the apostle (Matt 4:21), who was executed by Herod Agrippa I around A.D 44 (Acts 12:1-2) Jesus surnamed both brothers Boanerges, or “sons of thunder,” a name indicating perhaps a ery personality in the young men (see Luke 9:52-56) Before becoming a disciple of Jesus, John was in the fishing trade with his father and brother It appears that John’s parents were well to do, as suggested by the following: Their household had servants (Mark 1:20) Salome helped with the nancial support of Jesus during His public ministry (cf Mark 15:40-41; Luke 8:3) Salome bought spices for Jesus’ body (Mark 16:1) John was a personal acquaintance of the high priest (John 18:15), and usually high priests were of the upper class ... BIRTH The place of John’s birth may have been the city of Bethsaida, at the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee This was the hometown of Philip, Andrew, and Peter (John 1:44) We not know the date of. .. relative of Annas the high priest (Acts 4:6) John, son of Zebedee (Matt 4:21), an apostle of Jesus (Matt 10:2), who called himself ? ?the elder” in John and John This John was the author of the epistles...There are ve di erent men in the New Testament bearing the name John: John the Baptist (e.g., Matt 3:1; Luke 1:57-66) John Mark (e.g., Acts 12:12; Tim 4:11) Jona, or Jonas, father of Simon