When we read the Scriptures, we often miss many things.  Among what we miss are the personalities of the authors of the Bible, which can actually be revealed through a close reading of the Scriptures.

I remember watching The Bible miniseries that aired in 2013.  In the last scene, it shows John the Apostle sitting in a cave remembering his life with Christ and the Apostles.  There was insight at that point, something deeply Biblical.  I had been unaware of how deeply reflective and personal John was until I saw this scene.  When I read the Gospel of John again after watching this series, I became aware of this reality.

Oil painting © Andrey Mironov 2012

If we read the Gospel of John closely with a focus on John and the way he writes and presents his message, the result is that we will learn four characteristics about John that will also deepen our faith and journey with our Lord Jesus Christ.

1. Being Reflective

John makes reflective comments about those who believed and disbelieved Jesus; we do not find that in any of the other Gospels.  Some events and incidents in the Gospel do not readily show their meaning; they only become clear with reflection, and John practiced reflection.  For example, John remembered that many of the Jewish rulers had believed in Jesus, but they did not follow Him.  He reflects back and thinks about why they did not follow Him, and he writes, “Even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42-43, NKJV).

Also, in the discussion Jesus had with Peter the Apostle at the end of the Gospel, John remembers the words Jesus spoke to him and connects them to Peter’s crucifixion, which happened years after this discussion.

He also mentions how after the events in the Gospel, the Apostles remembered that what had happened to Jesus was a fulfillment of the prophecies.  As an example, when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey on Palm Sunday, John writes, “His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him” (John 12:16, NRSV).

John is very reflective.  He does not simply relate what happened, but he does so with reflection about the significance of these events.

2. Being Personal

As I read the Gospel after watching the last scene of The Bible miniseries, it became clear that the Gospel of John is not simply a biography of Jesus, but it is also the autobiography of John as well, yet its focus is on Jesus because Jesus defined the course John’s life took.  To John, then, it made no sense to talk about himself in his autobiography.  This is because Jesus defined his life, so Jesus is the focus.  He wants to share this same transformation with his readers.

The other Gospels are very well structured, but they are not deeply personal.  John’s structure is very different from the other three Gospels.  His Gospel has a slower pace and has more detail of Jesus meeting the first Apostles than the other Gospels.  It also has much longer discourses of Jesus.

John shares his memories that must have become more cherished as the years went by since his fellow Apostles were all killed for their faith beginning with his own brother.  John became the sole remaining Apostle after the others were killed.

For this reason, everything is deeply personal to him.  His Gospel is flashbacks of his following Jesus with his fellow Apostles in a way that is unlike the other Gospels.  For example, Matthew, Mark, and Luke have lists of the Twelve Apostles and explain their significance.  Most of them were alive when the first three Gospels were written.  John, on the other hand, does not do this, he simply states at times “the Twelve.”  He mentions several of the Apostles, but only in events where they spoke, and he vividly remembers, “Thomas said,” this, “Philip said” that, “Nathanael said” this, and “Peter said” that.  To him it is not simply lists or structures, but it is his life following Christ that he is sharing with his readers, and his memories of his friends who had long since been killed for their faith in Jesus.

His Gospel has a simple structure; he takes his readers along on the journey he began when Jesus called him and the other disciples.  He then recounts the years that he followed Jesus with the Apostles and ends his Gospel with a cherished memory of seven Apostles sitting with Jesus on the shore of the Sea of Galilee after Jesus had risen from the dead.  Even the way this last event is written is evident of its value for him; he actually ends the narrative right before this event, and it is like he tells us, “and I have one more thing to share with you all,” which is this story.

John had written about his own life and experiences, and he brings his audience into his own life and experiences.  This makes the Gospel of John deeply personal.

3. Being Loyal

He never forgets his place, and he does not enlarge his role in the events of the Gospel.  Peter and Thomas are mentioned more than he is in the Gospel, and others like Andrew and Philip are mentioned as much as he is.  This is to show his readers what his place was among the Apostles.  By doing so, he is honest in how he lived with Jesus and the Apostles.  This shows his loyalty to his fellow Apostles because they also had an impact on him in his journey following Christ.

4. Being Honest

At the very end of the Gospel of John, Jesus talks about John with Peter, and he says, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:22, NRSV).  John then says a rumor had spread in the early community of the church that he would not die, but he slams it down saying that this is not what Jesus actually said and meant, and he repeats word for word what Jesus said.  He could have perpetuated this misunderstanding to get glory and fame, but he slammed the rumor down.

What about us?

We can also grow and be like John if we take to mind and cultivate the same characteristics he had.

When we reflect on our own lives, we will see how God has worked in our lives, but this will only be evident if we have really been following Him.

When we reflect on our faith, our lives with our friends, and the events that we have gone through, we will not only grow as people (like John who was deeply personal), but we will also grow in our spiritual lives.  Those who grow spiritually are those who reflect on their own lives.  Those who do not grow spiritually are those who do not reflect on their own lives.  We will also understand people better like John understood the various crowds who believed and who did not believe in Jesus.

How often do we think about our friends?  How often do we think about how they shaped us and how we shaped them?  How often do we remember the conversations we had with them that helped us grow?  They are there, but we must call them back to mind in order to grow.  Also, how often do we think about the difficult situations, events, and people we have interacted with, and how often do we reflect on them in order to learn how to better interact in the future?  We would do well personally and spiritually if we practiced this type of reflection.  We would become much stronger in our personalities, much more sympathetic, and much wiser in our lives.

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