The Word of Life

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched, concerning the Word of Life—” 1 John 1:1 NASB

     

     This is such a profound verse to me. John was one of the 12 Apostles. He is the John, writer of the Gospel of the same name and the brother of James, both of whom are sons of Zebedee. We first meet John in a boat with his father and brother, tending to the nets (Matthew 4:21); and we realize that John and his brother James, were also partners with Peter (Luke 5:10). Yeah. The Peter. Which would mean that John knew the Apostle Andrew well, too, because, he was Peter’s brother (Matthew 10:2). So, here is a man, an entrepreneur, who was there, in the boat working as a fisherman with his brother James, his father Zebedee, and their partner Peter, and Peter’s brother Andrew at the very beginning of Christ’s ministry.

     John was called out of that boat, which was his very livelihood and he was one of the one’s Christ told would be a fisher of men. John was there throughout Jesus’ ministry. Even when Jesus called Matthew, the tax collector, John was present, eating with his three friends and Christ in Matthew’s house. The Scripture does not say but wonder which of the tax collectors present there was the one responsible for taking the four business owners money?

     Let’s not forget that John witnessed all the miracles. He saw Jesus feed the 5,000, make the demons flee, the lame walk, the blind see and he observed his friend, Peter, step out of the boat to walk toward Jesus who was Himself walking on water. John even called himself the Apostle that Jesus loved. Sure, perhaps that was more John projecting his tightness with the Lord, but then again, perhaps that was really how John felt. Let’s also not forget that John was there when Jesus was arrested, and he was there when Thomas touched the wounds of the resurrected Savior.

     In that light, 1 John Chapter 1 means a lot more, doesn’t it? John was a man that went from being a business entrepreneur, content to do his job, living his life with his friends and family, to then following Jesus. He got to partake in the ministry of Christ. He was also burned with oil for it and then exiled to the island of Patmos where he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ, knowing that all of his friends were dead, murdered by the Roman Empire. Even that one convert they didn’t trust in the beginning, Paul.

     When we look at the opening verse of 1 John 1, can we see it through the eyes of the man who really saw all of this? Who heard the Pharisees try to trap Jesus? Who looked at his Savior resurrected and witnessed Him ascend to the right hand of the Father? Do we understand that this man, one of the original 12, gave up everything to follow Christ with no promise of being blessed on this side of eternity? John was not given the Revelation of Prosperity on Patmos. No, John knew that he was most likely going to die penniless and alone on an island that served as his earthly prison. Would this change your love for Christ?

     Yet, John LOVED Jesus to the end. John even told us what Jesus had to say while on his island prison, destitute and alone:    

            “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22: 12-13

     What reward will you get from Christ? How are you following the Alpha and Omega? From the heart? Or by words and lip-service alone? Have you truly accepted the Word of Life? Would you be willing to give up your business and ignore everyone who nay-sayed to follow God?  Tough questions, I know; but, when we look at Scripture, and the truth it contains, sometimes what we find does not line up with the memes and popular opinion of the world. In fact, the Gospel of Christ almost always runs contrary to what the world teaches us to accept as gospel.

Until Next Time,

God Bless