John’s Missionary Model
Uniqueness in the like Figure—Part 1
October 2023
As we come to the Gospel of John the beloved disciple, we must remember John himself was unique, so we can expect his gospel account and the record of the Great Commission to also be unique. There are three things to consider about John so as to put his gospel into proper perspective.
First, John was loved by Christ differently than the other disciples. We know that Jesus loved each disciple from Judas to John. However, three times John refers to himself in the third person as the disciple whom Jesus loved. On one of those occasions, Christ was moments away from giving up the ghost on the Cross where he gave responsibility of care for his mother over to him (John 13:23, 19:26, 21:7). Second, John lived and died differently than the other disciples. We only have Biblical record of how two disciples died—Judas who hanged himself, and James who was beheaded by King Herod (Matthew 27:3, Acts 12:1-2). The others, recorded only in church history, were martyred on missionary exploits in various Middle Eastern and Asian countries. John was exiled by the Roman Emperor Domitian to the island of Patmos to work in the mines only to be released around 18 months later by the next emperor, Marcus Nerva. From there, he went to Ephesus in Turkey where scholars maintain he lived out his life and wrote his three epistles. He passed away there of natural causes between 100-105 AD. Third, John penned his Gospel distinct from the other disciples. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels. They cover many of the same events in Jesus’ life—most of them from Jesus’ ministry in Galilee—in much the same order. However, when we look at John’s gospel, 90% of his material is unique to him. Among the accounts distinct to John is that of the first Great Commission words Jesus spoke to his disciples on the day of his Resurrection:.
Remember, Jesus commissioned his disciples five times—each time providing a different emphasis as well as more information. But even though John gives us the fourth account among the gospels (Acts 1:8 is the final), they are Jesus’ first words to them since they last saw him on the Cross. The last words they heard from Jesus were: “It is finished” (John 19:30). The first since the Cross were: “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you” (John 20:21). The content of Matthew, Mark, and Luke’s Great Commission challenges emphasize the danger and the distance of the mandate. We will see the same of Luke’s record in Acts 1:8. And even though there is a sense of comfort found in some (Ex. “I will be with you alway”), John is unique in that he makes peace as its primary impact. Christ modeled peace: and now He gives them peace. They were to model that same peace in like figure as he. That peace did not always protect them from the battle, but it certainly gave them purpose while in it. Through times of want and war-torn trenches, barricades and betrayals, hatred and harm to be experienced and endured by the apostles in faraway fields, there is peace found in the Person of Jesus Christ and following his footsteps.
The same promises and peace are for our missionaries and their families as they serve the Lord with gladness in harvest fields far from their homes. Thank you for your prayers for them and thank you for your prayers for us as we serve them.
Pleading & Plodding!
GFF General Director