Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist

Lectionary: 697

Des Plaines River
Chicago

Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.

Traditionally the Church has honored Saint John, apostle and evangelist, as the author of the Gospel, three New Testament letters and the Book of Revelation. Recently, scholars have pointed to significant differences of theology and style and tell us another John – “John of Patmos” or “John the Seer” – wrote Revelation.

Even the name John never appears in the Gospel or the Letters. It is a name assigned from the list of twelve apostles (or disciples) because the “eyewitness” who wrote the account remains anonymous in the Gospel. He was simply the “other disciple” or “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

But even that is a literary device, akin to Horatio in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “The disciple” and Horatio witness and tell their respective stories. 

“John” is, in effect, you, the faithful disciple of Jesus. You are the one who, hearing the Gospel proclaimed, know who Jesus is and what he is doing. You learn who has betrayed Jesus although no one else at the Last Supper does; and when you see his empty tomb you believe he has risen from the dead while Peter is still bewildered by the whole scene.

This beloved disciple is one of three people in John’s gospel who know what is going on. John the Baptist and “the Mother of Jesus” are the others; but they know from the outset and you only see with the eyes of faith as it happens.

The Gospel is presented as a kind of play, with all the actors on the stage. You are both actor and audience with the privileges of both. You witness each scene immediately, as it happens; you are amazed by what you see; and your faith is deepened. You re-experience the story scene by scene, each time afresh – like Phil Connors (played by Bill Murray) in the movie Groundhog Day.

Finally, you as witness and disciple belong to Jesus through your Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation. These mysteries are explored deeply in the Gospel. Being of the fellowship you are the holiness of God, a sacred presence:

…what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

The Gospel of Saint John, read and reread and studied over the course of a lifetime, takes us beyond understanding ideas like this into the very heart of Christ.