Introduction

John was present with Jesus throughout His ministry and faithfully understood and exhibited the behaviors of a true disciple. John 21:24 identifies this as John’s testimony, and the very acknowledgment that it is him is enough for anyone familiar with him to know that it is true. John had passed the test of time. He was loyal, faithful, and full of integrity. His word was his bond; he did not need to say more than that because he was a true disciple in both word and action.

John tells us in John 20:31 why he wrote the book. He says, “But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” John wanted us to understand that Jesus was indeed a man, a human being who grew hungry, thirsty, and tired, but He was more than a man: His spirit was divine. He had existed before being conceived in Mary’s womb. He came to earth from heaven. And though it is a mystery beyond our understanding, John says Jesus was present at the beginning of creation. He was the One who spoke it into existence. John also made sure to be the kind of man people would believe when he spoke. His words were trusted because faithfully following Jesus produces a trustworthy testimony.

Faithful Follower

• No one in human history had a greater right to speak about Jesus than John. He was with Him from the earliest days of His ministry.
• He was a disciple of John the Baptist before becoming a follower of Jesus (Jn 1:35-36) and was standing beside John the Baptist when he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:29).
• It was John and Andrew whom Jesus first invited to follow Him as His disciples (Jn 1:37-39), and for the entire two and a half years of the Jesus’s ministry, John watched everything He did.
• There were times when Jesus selected only three of the disciples to accompany Him in some of His most intense spiritual moments, such as raising a twelve-year-old girl from the dead (Lk 8:51), His transfiguration (Mt 17:1-2) and His agony in the garden of Gethsemane (Mt 26:36-37). John was always one of those three.
• He sat beside Him when He served the Last Supper in the upper room (Jn 13:23).
• He was personally admitted into the high priest’s courtroom and allowed to listen to the horrible trial Jesus endured before the crucifixion (Jn 18:15).
• While the other disciples watched safely from a distance, hiding amongst crowds, John went to the cross and stood there with four brave women (Jn 19:25-26).
• Jesus trusted him so completely that from the cross, He asked him to be the one who would care for His mother after He died (Jn 19:26-27).
• John stood so close to the cross that when a soldier ran a spear into Jesus’ side, he watched blood and water pour out of the wound (Jn 19:34-35).
• He entered the empty tomb and saw the linen wrappings and the face cloth (Jn 20:5-8).
• He observed the resurrected Jesus enter a locked room and stand in front of them so real that they could touch His scars and serve Him food (Jn 20:19-20; Lk 24:40-43).
• He ate a breakfast that the risen Savior prepared for them on a beach beside the Sea of Galilee (Jn 21:9-13) and walked so closely behind Jesus and Peter that he could hear their conversation (Jn 21:20).
• He watched Jesus physically ascend from the Mount of Olives and disappear through a cloud (Ac 1:9).
• He heard the Lord promise to baptize them with the Holy Spirit (Ac 1:5) and was in the upper room when the Holy Spirit fell upon all the disciples. He, too, spoke in tongues and declared the mighty deeds of God that day (Ac 2:1-4).
• Then, as the years passed, he was an eyewitness to many of the signs and wonders Jesus performed through the early church.
• John was there from the beginning and was present for all the big moments. John followed Jesus faithfully, and because of that, he had the great responsibility, blessing, and honor of seeing all of it.

Trustworthy Testimony

• At the end of John’s eyewitness report of Jesus’ ministry, it seems John felt overwhelmed by all that had been left unsaid.
• As he was writing, he carefully selected signs that fulfilled key prophetic passages concerning the Messiah. He carefully reported the words of Jesus, particularly the teachings that the other gospels had omitted.
• But he can’t close without giving us a sense of the enormity of the task. Jesus performed so many miracles, healings, and deliverances that it would have been humanly impossible to write them all down.
• Repeatedly throughout this document, John presents the essential elements of the gospel or reveals how Jesus fulfilled a prophetic sign and then turns to us, his readers, and invites us to believe.
• The result is a testimony concerning the person and work of Jesus that is so clear that it becomes difficult for anyone to read what he has written and not believe.
• John did not just use words to tell Jesus’ story. He demonstrated Jesus’ legacy with how he lived his life.

Rewarding Relationship

• There are two qualities of John’s relationship with Jesus that stand out above the rest. He listened carefully to Jesus, and He was always in close proximity to Him. John was practiced at this. He did it while following Jesus in His earthly ministry and continued to do so after Jesus ascended into heaven.
• In Peter’s “Follow Me” conversation with Jesus. John is doing just that. He is always following Jesus. Jesus doesn’t have to tell him to follow Him because John is glued to His side.
• John also seemed to have listened to Jesus at a deeper level than most of the other disciples. In that way, he was similar to Mary of Bethany, who listened carefully to Jesus (Lk 10:38-42) and actually heard the spiritual meaning of what He was saying (Jn 12:1-8).
• So, John remembers things Jesus said that the other gospels don’t record. He presents miracles and encounters the others don’t include. And we will forever be grateful that he remembered the profound teachings given in the upper room on the night Jesus was betrayed (Jn 13-17).
• John’s gospel challenges us: Will we, like John, listen deeply to what Jesus said? Will we, like John, stay in close proximity to Jesus? Will we recognize the signs He performed and understand who they declared Him to be?
• Too many people in John’s day missed the point. They tried to fit Jesus into categories that made sense to them rather than listen carefully to what He said and see the meaning behind what He did. This is true for us today.
• To have a meaningful relationship with Jesus, we must recognize what that truly means.
• John suffered hardships. John did not have it easy, but he was never alone because he was listening closely to the voice of His Savior and staying close to His side.
• John walked in a blessing, and he was able to have a front seat to all the action Jesus encountered, both the good and the bad, and because of this, he observed how Jesus handled each situation.
• John seems to have this incredible skill to not self-promote but to have the grace to give a deep understanding of who Jesus is so others may have a hunger to be followers just like him.
• When we become faithful followers with a trustworthy testimony, meaning our testimony is not only through our words but in how we live our life, work, and care for people, we will have a rewarding relationship with Jesus, just like John.

Conclusion

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day” (Jn 6:40). To “behold” Jesus is to understand who He is. He is our Savior and divine Lord. To “believe” in Him is to respond to those truths properly. If we know that He is the One who spoke creation into existence, there is no other reasonable response but to fall on our knees and surrender our life to Him. If we know that God’s Son became a man and died on the cross for us, there is no other reasonable response but to trust Him as our Savior. To behold Him is to understand, but to believe in Him is to reach out and take hold of the eternal life He offers. John sat down and wrote a detailed description of Jesus’ ministry so that we, too, can behold Him. But once we understand, we must choose whether we will or will not believe. John believed. John was a faithful follower with a trustworthy testimony. John listened carefully to Jesus and stayed in close proximity to Jesus until the day he died. John passed the test of time, and as a result, even in the darkest of times, he was never alone because Jesus was always with him, and he knew how to recognize His voice and presence.

Discussion Questions

How would someone describe you if they were to make a list of the ways you have been a faithful follower of Jesus?
Having a trustworthy testimony starts with how you live your life. When people are around you at home, work, or school do they know there is something different about you? Why or why not?
Have you experienced a rewarding relationship with Jesus? If so, how? If not what do you need to do?