According to Matthew 4:18-22, who was John's father and who was his brother?
"Zebedee and James"
What can you deduce was John's occupation?
"fisherman"
According to Matthew 10:1-4, among which prestigious group is John named?
"the 'twelve disciples' or 'twelve apostles'"
Briefly name a time early in your relationship with Christ when Jesus amazed you. Remembrance is a beneficial discipline of our faith, so take time to think back.
"I don't recall growing up hearing the idea – I think it was during the new members class between getting saved and getting baptized when Pastor Brown pointed out that even if I were the only one who was going to receive His gift of salvation, Jesus still would have gone to the cross just for me. I'm crying amazed and grateful tears all over again just re-pondering it to write it down. (Thank You, Jesus!)"
Read Mark 5:35-43 and briefly describe the desperate situation into which Jesus was called.
"A little girl died of her illness before Jesus could get to her to heal her of it."
Consider the intimacy and emotion of this experience. How might this have impacted John's faith in Jesus? Briefly record a time when you experienced the Lord's presence in a particularly intimate way.
"Countless times during worship songs, but one of my all-time favorites was when I went out in my nightgown on the Island to appreciate His power in the storm, and sang 'How Great Thou Art' at the top of my lungs into the wind."
What significant responsibility did Jesus entrust to John at the cross? (See John 19:25-27)
"son responsibilities to Mary"
What specifically did John do for Mary?
"He took her into his home."
What qualities and characteristics can we surmise that John had for Jesus to have asked this sacred task of him?
"love, generosity, gentleness, kindness"
What interesting noun does Paul use to describe James, Peter and John? (Galatians 2:9)
"pillars"
What did John and these men offer Paul?
"the right hand of fellowship"
When John entered the tomb (John 20:8), is says that he saw and "believed".
Dearest Rachel -
I guess it's fitting that I switch to a new study book of yours on New Year's Day; not that the holiday has anything to do with the subject matter of either book. I'd mention that the last day's questions in the previous book were blank, for whatever reason, but if I were doing these studies, I'd probably have had a lot less written in them than you do here, so I'll be magnanimous, and give you a pass on that. For what it's worth, I'm making a point to take more copious notes going forward, in your absence. Who knows? Maybe someday, what I've written down will touch someone else's like yours do mine. But probably not; I still don't go into the level of personal detail that you do from time to time.
Take your assertion about being the only one for whom Jesus would die, and the fact that He would even if yours was the only soul He would ever be able to save. To be sure, it's an awe-inspiring thought, and it probably should move me as much as it does you, but I find myself over-analyzing that hypothetical situation. After all, how would the Word come down to me, in order to make me the only soul who would come to a saving knowledge of Christ? Wouldn't there be generations of those before me who had to believe in order to pass that knowledge down to me? If nothing else, even the fact that these scriptures exist show that there were the disciples, Paul, and all the churches he wrote to, and so forth long before it ever got to us. Granted, what He went through for our sakes was horrific, and it's not diluted by the fact that the price He paid is spread among billions of people that came before either of us (and, presumably, hopefully, there will be billions of souls spared from the punishment of Hell yet to come). But you or I being the only one? Yeah, I literally can't wrap my head around that.
And as for you going out onto the balcony of the cottage during a nor'easter, and virtually screaming out a hymn to God in the midst of it? I can totally picture you doing this; pity I was never awake at the times you might have done this to have appreciated it. You probably even told me about it the next morning over breakfast, leaving me shaking my head in wonder at the things you would get up to at some times. But I know how much you were in awe of His creation, especially when you were on the island (interesting to see you refer to it with a capital letter 'I' – I know how important that place was to you, but wow...).
I'm looking forward to the things you'll be telling this author about in the weeks to come. Until then, keep on singing His praises, honey.
