The Apostle John

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The Apostle John; The Son of Thunder or the Apostle of Love?

James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”)

Mark [3:17]

Other than Peter and Paul, no name is mentioned or associated with the New Testament more than that of John. John in Hebrew means; “Jehovah has been gracious and has shown favor.” At the time of Jesus, John was one of the most popular names, representing five percent of the population. The John we most frequently read about in the New Testament is John the Apostle, whom Jesus referred to as one of the Sons of Thunder.

Now, this is part of what makes the Apostle John such an interesting character to know. When the Apostle John was with Jesus, he was rambunctious and quick to create noise. Part of the reason Jesus referred to John and his brother James as the Sons of Thunder.

In Luke [9:54], after Jesus had been refused a place to stay as he was traveling through Samaria, John and his brother James asked Jesus;  Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them? Jesus rebuked the brothers and moved on to another village. And this is an example of why Jesus gave John and his brother this nickname. John in this case was certainly not gracious as his name would imply.

John was one of Jesus’s projects. He was an overly eager worker who was just interested in getting things done, no matter what means he used, Including destroying a village that refused to welcome Jesus. Jesus wanted John to be able to get things done and with love.

Over time, Jesus’s lessons helped calm John down. In fact, in his later life, he became referred to as the Apostle of Love. Quite a remarkable turn in his life.

We see this in the writings of John in the New Testament. There are five books associated with John; the Gospel of John, Revelations, and the three Epistles of John.

This part gets a little complicated; traditionally all five books were assumed to be written by John and are referred to as  Johannine Literature. But many scholars believe these books weren’t actually written by John the Apostle.

There is little known about who the actual writer was. In fact, some scholars would say it might have been a group in Ephesus that wrote these five books during the last decade of the first century. Some think it may have been another John, called John the Evangelist. And all these theories may be right or wrong. There is little hard evidence to say exactly who this John was and wrote these books.

I know my professors will shudder at my next comment, but it seems to me that whoever wrote the five books isn’t as important as the message of the five books. Trying to discover the writer is a great historical exercise but takes us away from understanding the message of John. And the message is undeniably about love. Love is mentioned fifty-one times in these five books or equal to twenty-five percent of the entire New Testament! love is mentioned twenty times in the Gospel of John or almost equal to the other three Gospels combined.

So we can see why in his later life, the Apostle John was no longer called one of the Sons of Thunder, but the Apostle of love. Whether he wrote these books or not, John at least impacted these writings and in turn, has become associated with love.

This is the value of Jesus in someone’s life. Even a very eager person, like John, committed to getting things done at any cost; including destroying a village, will change because of Jesus and his teachings.

It is not a coincidence that Jesus picked John to be an Apostle. He saw that John’s eagerness could be tamed and directed to propelling the Gospel.  Jesus saw that once his weaknesses were chiseled away, he would become committed to leading with love as his first response.

And so it is for us. We all have wonderful strengths and blind spots. And it is the strengths that Jesus sees and wants to be what defines us. With our blind spots, Jesus wants us to see them and not let them guide us.

History is littered with people who tried noble things and failed. Mostly because they forgot about love. They failed not because of their strengths, but because of their blind spots.

Jesus did a wonderful job mentoring John. Turning an eager person with wonderful gifts away from his shortcomings to becoming the Apostle of Love.

Jesus has the same plan for us; no matter how old or young. No matter where we have been or what we look like, Jesus has a plan for us. One that is rooted in love as our first response.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Jordan Wozniak on Unsplash

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What is the Truth

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What Is The Truth

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John [8:32]

The climax of the First Crusade occurred in 1099AD, with the Western Christian Crusaders capturing Jerusalem. I remember studying this event while in Theological school. Our Church History professor assigned us a paper to write on this subject and insisted that all of our research use the closest source documents that could be found regarding this event. At first, this was an overwhelming task, because doing close source research took you away from very accessible history books and towards scraps of paper on microfilm or documents that were copied and found in obscure places.

The study of this event was further complicated because there was actually a lot of material in the archives but from four very different points of view. The four points of view were from different reports from the four groups who witnessed or participated in the battle for Jerusalem; the Western Christians, the Eastern Christians, the Muslims, and the Jewish perspective.

As I read all these different reports, I started to wonder if I was reading about the same battle. Events like the capture of an important relic during this battle had four different points of view of who actually ended up with the relic. Each group reported what was important to them.

The Western Christians were the victors and much of what we read about the Crusades in the North Atlantic countries is from this perspective. In these writings, the Muslims are portrayed as marauding thugs. The Jewish population was viewed as co-conspirators with the Muslims. The Eastern Christians portrayed as ambivalent as to what happened to Jerusalem.

As you would guess, when you read the accounts of the other groups, they portray themselves in a more favorable light. And no matter how hard I researched, the murkier the truth became. As time ran out to complete the paper; I concluded that unless I had actually been in the battle I wouldn’t find the truth. The real truth was undeniably elusive.

And that was the conclusion the professor was looking for in her assignment. Truth is very elusive and very hard to pin down. She gave us this exercise to demonstrate that most of what we read and hear has an agenda. Sometimes the agenda is noble and other times not. Truth is discovered by getting as close to the issue as you can, and history blurs the truth.

The crusades were one thousand years ago, and we can smirk at the inconsistencies of the reporting of events. In the 21st century, I don’t think we can say we have improved much on telling the real historical truth.

In these times of very varied opinions; I recently felt compelled to explore what is meant by Christian Truth. And as is typical, I got a very different definition of what the truth is Biblical versus secular truth. In today’s verse, Jesus says; Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. And here is the difference, when Jesus makes this statement he wasn’t talking about the truth of current worldly events, rather he was talking about giving up the ways of the world and becoming committed to following a heavenly path.

When Jesus was questioned about this statement, Jesus replied that, if you practice sin, you are a slave to sin. What Jesus means here is that if we become obsessed with something other than God or heavenly ways, we become obsessed with only the facts that support our obsession. For instance, if we become obsessed with money than our truth becomes anything we hear that is related to money. We will seek only the truth or facts that support our obsession.

Likewise, if we sign up to fight for a cause, our truth only becomes what we are fighting for. Anything or fact that appears in disagreement, whether it is right or not, we will seek to dismiss those facts.

This is one of the reasons I love reading about Saint Augustine. In his lifetime, he was constantly in pursuit of the truth about life. And he followed many paths to find the truth. Inevitably, Augustine always found a dead end. And this is what is important about Augustine; when he found the dead-end he didn’t argue bad facts, he changed his course. His goal was always the truth and he went down many dead-end streets.  It wasn’t until Bishop Ambrose began talking to him about Jesus, that he found a home in the truth. And when he did he became obsessed with serving God.

Jesus wants us to separate from worldly truth that ensnares, and instead focus on heavenly truth. Heavenly truth is centered on loving God and loving our neighbor. When we turn that way, we find ourselves listening more and arguing less.

Worldly truth will always be elusive because it will always have an agenda. Heavenly truth is far simpler and has no agenda.

One thousand years from today, citizens of the world will look back on our times and smirk at how the truth was so elusive in what they read about us. Likewise in another thousand years after them, another group with a smirk as well.

But in each of these millenniums, the truth that Jesus talks about will not be elusive. It is the same today as it was the two previous millenniums and will be tomorrow.

Biblical truth is focused on Jesus and worldly truth is focused on the agenda.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Billy Huynh on Unsplash

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year with jesus

Not My Will but Yours

Not My Will but Yours

Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me;

yet, not my will but yours be done.

Luke [22:42]

These famous and fundamental words were spoken by Jesus in the Garden on the night before his crucifixion. A statement made in his full humanity that shows us how to serve God. Jesus wrestled with his next step in being the obedient son, knowing the turmoil that existed before him. His choice of obedience to serve, while painful, provided humanity with a life that is eternal by taking on the burden of our sins. In this act of trusting God, he gives both an example of serving God’s will and, for faithful believers, a life of continuous second chances. Doing God’s will and being a disciple doesn’t mean our answers or actions are easy; it does mean a life of faithful purpose.

Points of Reflection

  • What does it mean “to do God’s will,” and what are the challenges?
  • What are the differences in short term gains versus long term gains with God?
  • What decisions have we made that were aligned with God but created short term struggles? 

Listen to the full podcast

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Ever Hear of the Gospel According to Thomas

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Ever Hear of the Gospel According to Thomas?

Look, a sower went out. He filled his hands (with seeds), (and) he scattered (them).

From the Gospel According to Thomas-Part 9

One of the most fascinating things I like to study in the history and creation of the New Testament. I know this may sound boring but hang in there. I just have a few boring things to point out before it gets interesting.

The New Testament is made up of twenty-seven books. All were written by 120AD. Depending on the denomination, the New Testament was completed from 392AD (Catholic) to the 1500s. (Protestant)  So what we see today in our Bibles, we can take as authentic and God-breathed.

However, there are many and I mean many; stories surrounding the creation and development of each of the books. For me none is more exciting than the Gospel According to Thomas importance in helping create the four Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

In each of the Four Gospels, we have the story of Jesus’s life and his sayings. And all of these Gospels were written at least four decades after the crucifixion. So how accurate is the history and how reliable are the Gospels? Well considering the lack of written material from the first century in general, there actually is quite a lot written or orally known about Jesus that makes the Gospels reliable history.

One of the most important documents is called Quelle. It appears to be a document that contained the sayings of Jesus. However, it has never been found. So how do we know it exists? Well, we know through Biblical detective work that Quelle or some other source contributed a significant amount of material. Especially as it relates to Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

Mark was written first, which scholars are sure of. Matthew and Luke wrote second and third. What is interesting is that almost all of Mark is in either Matthew or Luke. Both Matthew and Luke are considerably longer than Mark. As such, they contain significant additional material. The additional material appears in a very similar form in both Matthew and Luke. So it is likely from the same source. The best example of this is The Beatitudes, while most commonly associated with Matthew, is actually in Luke as well.

So where did this additional material come from? Well, many scholars believe from this Sayings document, called Quelle or Q. But I think, and there is some scholarly support for my belief, that the material that is thought of as Quelle, is actually Quelle and/or other documents. How much other, is likely unknown.

I come to this conclusion because of a little known and non-biblical document called The Gospel According to Thomas. An extensive book of sayings of Jesus.

What is most exciting about Thomas is that in 1945 its manuscript, dated around 60AD, was discovered in the Egyptian desert near Nag Hammadi.

This actually makes this document older than any of the four Gospels! And one of the very earliest documents that contain details about Jesus’s life. While its literary quality is far inferior to the four Gospels, it has an extensive list of the sayings of Jesus.  Many of which we find in the four Gospels. By the way, the earliest discovered intact documents of the four Gospels weren’t found until the fourth century.

Today’s verse is from section 9 of The Gospel According to Thomas. In fact, you can click this hyperlink to read the entire book; Gospel According to Thomas.

Today’s verse is very similar to the beginning of one of Jesus’s most well-known Parables, The Parable of the Sower, which appears in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And, there are many other similar connections from Thomas to the four Gospels.

I discovered this document initially during my Doctoral studies. And knowing that Quelle was thought to have existed, but never found. I started to do more research. And that is when I discovered the actual text. Stunned to find many of the same sayings in The Gospel According to Thomas, are in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In fact, I wondered if this wasn’t the missing document Quelle.

After approaching my professor about this, he stated that others have come to the same conclusion, that some of what is the Gospels could have come from Thomas.

Okay, so what does mean and why is it important? Well, most importantly and very reassuring, this manuscript of Thomas adds a very strong layer of authenticity to the life of Jesus. Adding firmer and reliable information as to the real existence and purpose of Jesus.

So while we can’t find the document Quelle, we have found Thomas. It is incredibly important that archeologists actually found an intact document that existed prior to the writing of the four Gospels. Almost an independent validation of the New Testament.

Now we might ask if this document is so important, why isn’t it in the New Testament. The main reason is that it isn’t up to Biblical literary standards, it’s more of a listing than a story. While an authentic document and important for history, it is cumbersome, doesn’t flow well and a large part of its content has been inserted into the Gospels.

This doesn’t mean that Thomas isn’t valuable, it is! Of the 114 sayings in Thomas, over half are found in the Gospels. Thomas also is a very early Christian document, a very close eyewitness of the events of Jesus’s life. And it seems to me this later point is the real value of Thomas. It gets us very close to Jesus and his life. Further affirming he was real.

This story is only the tip of the iceberg in the stories of the creation of the New Testament. Many other writings exist, and many other stories exist. But the bottom line is that I believe all these events, manuscripts, and people who created the New Testament were through providential circumstances. So when I say God-breathed, this is what I mean. Providential circumstances created the Bible. Books like The Gospel According to Thomas created this history. Most stories in the creation of the New Testament, even if they are little known, are all part of God’s plan.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Jordan Steranka on Unsplash

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A Time for Peace

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A Time For Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John [14:27]

The word peace is mentioned in the Bible well over two hundred times. In the four Gospels, it is mentioned twenty-three times. In the Bible, Jesus is called The Prince of Peace and refers to himself as The Son of Peace. Peace is a very important word in the Bible and states Jesus’s strong desire for us to have peace. So what does peace in the Bible mean?

First, let’s start with the biblical definition of peace. I found two great quotes in my research that I think help us understand what peace means biblically. They are:

  • Peace is the result of God’s presence in a person’s life as God is the source of peace (Psalm 85:8).
  • It describes the state of those who love the Word of God (Psalm 1[19:16]5).

Now, these are very different than Webster’s dictionary’s definition, where it states; a state of tranquility or quiet.

The Bible directly relates peace as a result of God’s presence is a person’s life. A presence that is found through faith. A presence that is nurtured through the word of God. Now, this may seem like a small difference in meaning, but the biblical meaning is very different for Judeo-Christians.

Peace in a secular sense is that of a period of calm and tranquility. But because calm and tranquility in a worldly sense are not permanent, worldly peace then can’t be permanent. However, for Judeo-Christians, peace can be permanent through maintaining God’s presence in our lives. In other words, with God’s constant presence, periods of disruption should not affect a person’s state of mind.

Now, this last part about peace as a Biblical concept is very hard to maintain, but certainly, one to strive for. Peace in a biblical sense is more about how we react to disruption or events that make us angry. In each event that causes disruption, we have the choice to follow God’s word or our human instincts. This is the fundamental difference between the secular definition we find in the dictionary or the one we find in the Bible.

Specifically for Christians, the lessons, values, and ways of Jesus lead us to peace. This doesn’t mean we won’t have periods of disruptions, but peace occurs because of our response to disruptions. A response that is centered on having faith in Jesus.

In today’s verse we see this when Jesus says, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. In this statement, Jesus is specifically talking about this difference through the statement of I do not give to you as the world gives. Jesus’s peace is one that we receive and has been freely given. One that is our protection from the disruptions of normal life.

In his statement, he leaves the message to not be worried or troubled. So from a Christian point of view, the main difference is how we react to disruptive events, and not that we won’t have disruptive events. Rather we are to stay calm in times of stress.

Jesus’s peace comes from our faith in Jesus as being in control of all things. Faith that periods of disruption are temporary and faith that Jesus’s peace given to us is permanent.

Biblically, our peace is disrupted when we move away from the words of Jesus. And this is our battle in finding peace. From a secular sense every day there will be disruption. And biblically we are asked to reorient ourselves completely to Christ when these disruptions occur.

This is so very hard to do. When we are slurred or wronged, we are not to strike back or get personal. It doesn’t mean we have to like it, rather it means we have to reframe our thinking to how we react. Still following Jesus’s peace is a very hard thing to do, one hundred percent of the time.

Things of injustice will always exist. But we should always seek justice. Not through violence designed to repay. Rather through positive actions that reverse injustice. In this activity, we help create peace.

We should always be committed to changing injustice, for if any person has been treated unfairly, they should always be defended. Peace is about how we resolve injustice.

And this is where the Biblical sense of peace takes over. Violence or retribution will never create peace or end injustice. And whatever amount of satisfaction that is achieved; we will find it strikingly unrewarding. But justice that is achieved through peaceful measures will be far more lasting.

It is easy to strike out at disruptive events, but the ease of violent reactions is what we should resist. It is harder to be peaceable and this extra effort is what Jesus requests.

Peace is what we all desire and what Jesus desires for us.

The ways of the world will always threaten peace. The ways of Jesus will always create peace.

Blessings, until next time,
Bruce L. Hartman

Photo by Christopher Sardegna on Unsplash

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