“A Dream of Heaven” - May 2024 - Lesson 2

​     Greetings! Thanks for joining me for the second and last online Learning Together story lesson of this month and of this 2023-2024 year.
     Our story is “A Dream of Heaven” and is located on pages 342-351 of The Jesus Storybook Bible written by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Our focus today will be about the life of John the Disciple who wrote the book of Revelation, as shown in the painting below. 

     Children: Read the story, either silently to yourself or out loud.  Remember to check out the pictures. Pictures tell us so much about the story events.
     John the Disciple is also called John the Apostle. An apostle is another name for a disciple or helper of Jesus.
     He was born about 6 AD (6 years after Jesus was born) the son of Salome and Zebedee, a successful fisherman. Together with his sons, James and John, and other hired men, Zebedee fished on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
     John and his older brother James were followers of John the Baptist when Jesus called the two to follow Him, which they did, immediately leaving everything. The two were close to Jesus throughout His life.
     John had been asked by Jesus as He was on the cross to take care of His mother after He died. When Mary died, John travelled to Asia Minor, preaching the Good News and living mainly in Ephesus, an ancient port city in modern-day Turkey. 
     He was arrested for preaching about Jesus and was taken to Rome where Christians were being persecuted by Roman Emperor Domitian. He was then jailed at Patmos, a Greek island, about 91-96 A.D. It was there he wrote Revelation. On the death of Domitian, he returned to Ephesus and continued his work in Asia. It is believed that he died at Ephesus sometime after AD 98. He was well over ninety years old.
     Questions? Comments? Use this blog to contact Pastor Steve and he will respond.
     Adults: The Biblical references for this story are Revelation 1, 5, 21, and 22.
     For general information about the life of John the Apostle, please read the Children’s section above. I would like to share some additional things about John that I found interesting in my online research.
1. John was also called John the Evangelist and John of Patmos.
2. John is known as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23) John was one of Jesus’ closest disciples and was present for some of the critical moments of Jesus’ time on earth – witnessing the Transfiguration and the raising of Jairus’ daughter, and accompanying Jesus the night before His crucifixion in the garden of Gethsemane. He was also the only disciple to be present at Jesus’ crucifixion. During the Last Supper, John is described as having his head resting on Jesus, in a posture customary of the Eastern dining tradition and indicative of their close friendship.

​3. John and his brother James were the only people to receive nicknames from Jesus. John and his brother James’ fiery evangelical zeal and extreme reactions inspired Jesus to – rather humorously – dub them “the Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). When Jesus set out for Jerusalem and the Samaritans refused to receive him on his journey, James and John were incensed. “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” they asked. In both instances, Jesus rebuked them for their extreme reactions and unnecessary hostility.
4. In Galatians, Paul refers to John as one of the “pillars” of the church in Jerusalem. It is thus believed that John was present in Jerusalem for the apostolic council of Jerusalem (Acts 15).
5. Throughout his Gospel account and epistles, John emphasizes the significance of love. In John’s telling of the Last Supper, Jesus’ final lesson centers on love: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.” – John 15:9-12
6. John’s Gospel includes numerous minor details that are not seen in other Gospel accounts. For instance, he gives the names of minor characters like the high priest’s father-in-law and the slave whose ear was severed at Jesus’ betrayal (John 18:13; 18:10). John’s Gospel also stresses the role of the Holy Spirit, mentioning that the Holy Spirit is promised by Jesus (7:37-39; 14:16-17), shows truth (16:13), and enables believers to continue the work of Jesus (14:16), among other things.
7. It is generally believed that John was the last surviving apostle. He also was the only apostle believed to die of natural causes. The other apostles died as martyrs, except for Judas, who took his own life.
~This Week’s Prayer: Dear Lord, I pray I will be inspired in faith by John to have his heart of love. Amen
     Sunday School will gather one more time before the summer months next week on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 11 am-12 pm right after church services.  There will be a snack, story reading and discussion, and a fun craft. All are welcome!
 Have a safe, fun summer,
Margo Greer