Every year on October 9, the Orthodox Church commemorates St. John the Evangelist ─ the Holy Evangelist and the closest disciple of Jesus Christ. This date is one of the great holidays attributed to the twentieth, that is, somewhat inferior in value to the twelve most important after Easter celebrations, but, nevertheless, which are important milestones of the annual liturgical cycle.
Sons of thunder
From the pages of the New Testament and from Holy Tradition it is known that the father of the Evangelist John was a simple fisherman named Zavedey , and his mother was the daughter of the righteous John the Betrothed from the first marriage of Salome. On the day of commemoration of the Apostle John the Theologian, it is always mentioned that he is one of the first disciples of Jesus Christ called to serve them.
This event happened on the shore of Lake Genisaret , when John, along with his brother Jacob, helped his father in his work. At the call of the Savior, young people forever abandoned their previous occupations and followed Him.
The holy Gospel of Mark says that Jesus very much loved both brothers and for the irrepressible, impetuous character he called them the Sons of Thunder, which in Hebrew sounds like “ Boanerges ”. Following Christ throughout the course of his earthly ministry, they became witnesses and participants in many important events.
Witnesses of the miracles of the Lord
So, on the day of St. John the Evangelist, gospel lines are read from church pulpits that describe the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor and emphasize that it is no coincidence that this miracle was revealed in the eyes of the apostle Peter and both sons of the Zavedeevs. This expresses Jesus' special attitude towards these three of his disciples .
In addition, the memorial day of St. John the Evangelist invariably recalls excerpts from the 5th chapter of the Gospel of Mark and the 8th from Luke, which tells of the resurrection of the daughter of Jairus , a very important person who headed one of the synagogues. This miracle, in which the will of God made the limits of human nature to expand, was also revealed in the eyes of the Apostle John.
Witness of the Passion of Christ
And not one pastoral word on the day of the memory of John the Theologian can not do without mentioning the Last Supper, where, according to the Gospel texts, the holy apostle reclined near Jesus Christ and clinging to Him, asked a question about the name of the traitor among those present.
John did not leave his Master even in the most tragic moments for him. The holy evangelists told the world how he accompanied the bound Christ when he was taken to the house of the opposing high priests Caiaphas and Anna. The apostle John was also in the bishop's court on that cold spring night that preceded the bloody denouement.
He also followed the Savior throughout his procession of the Cross , and then, standing on the top of Golgotha, mourned with the Most Holy Mother of God. The highest manifestation of love for the disciple was the words of the Lord, in which he ordered from the height of the cross John the Theologian to further care for his mother, the care of which from now on became his sacred duty, which he sacredly performed until her completion .
Sermons of the apostle of love
When the Blessed Virgin Mary completed her earthly journey and the Lord lifted her soul to his heavenly palaces, the apostle John went with his disciple Prokhor to preach the word of God on the western coast of Asia Minor, to the city of Ephesus. From the book “ Acts of the Apostles ” it is known that during the sea voyage the ship on which John the Theologian sailed fell into a terrible storm, and only by God's will he escaped death and on the fortieth day was carried ashore by the wave.
It also says that during the sermons of the apostle, the Lord sent his signs and showed people miracles, which helped to believe in Christ even the most inexperienced. Leaving Ephesus, the holy apostle left behind many new converts of Christians, united in a community that continued to grow over the following years. The main idea of the sermons delivered by him during the whole of his ministry was a call to love, without which, as he taught, a person cannot approach his Creator. That is why John the Evangelist is called the "apostle of love."
Holy exile
Saying a sermon on the day of St. John the Evangelist, pastors often recall episodes of his earthly journey, which became known to us, as noted above, from the pages of the New Testament, as well as from the Holy Scriptures. In particular, speaking of the patronage that the Lord gave to his beloved disciple, they recall how the ungodly pagans seized the apostle and delivered to Rome, where they intended to put him to death by a fierce death. However, the all-merciful Creator saved him from the harmful effects of the poison that John was forced to drink, and from boiling oil into the cauldron with which the executioners threw him.
Realizing their powerlessness before the servant of God, the Romans exiled him to the island of Patmos, whose inhabitants were converted to the Christian faith by the fiery sermons of the holy exile. The truths of the speeches delivered by him were irrefutably testified by the signs, in many respects sent down by the Lord, and the miracles revealed to them through their preacher. So, there is a lot of evidence of healing the sick and the enlightenment of the blind.
Prisoner of Patmos
Among the most significant deeds, also mentioned on the day of the memory of John the Theologian, is the expulsion of demons, which in many filled pagan temples built on the island. He had to overcome the resistance of the servants of evil, one of which was a magus named Kinops . What demonic tricks he did not resort to, but by the grace of God and the power sent to him by prayers, the holy righteous prevailed over him, and the wicked was cast out into the depths of the sea, where he ended his days.
Leaving the link on Patmos, John the Theologian wrote one of the main works of the New Testament - the book “Revelation”, also known as the “Apocalypse”. In it, guided by the influx of God, the apostle proclaimed to people the secrets of the end of the world and the fate prepared for the Church. An illustration of the work of V. M. Vasnetsov is given below.
Return to Ephesus
When, finally, the days of his forced stay on the island expired, he returned to the city of Ephesus, where he continued to preach the doctrine of the resurrection of the son of God and in every way protect the inhabitants from the influence of false prophets, who inundated the country in many and tried to take possession of their minds.
At the same time, the holy apostle wrote his famous Gospel , which was included in the books of the New Testament, as well as three conciliar epistles in which he explained a number of aspects of the new creed. Excerpts from these texts also come from church pulpits on the day of commemoration of the apostle and evangelist John the Theologian.
Admonishing the lost
St. John reinforced his preaching of love with concrete deeds. So, the Holy Tradition tells of how already in his advanced years he became aware of a young man who went astray and became the leader of a band of robbers. Leaving all his affairs and without hesitating for a minute, the apostle went in search of a young man who set foot on the path of murder and doomed himself to eternal perdition.
The Lord directed his feet into the depths of the desert, where dashing robbers hid from their pursuers. It was difficult for the holy shepherd to reach out to the hearts of the villains, but, touched by his sincerity and love, they finally repented of their deeds and, together with their leader, the very youth whom the Apostle John had heard about , returned to a righteous life.
End of the earth
It is known that the Evangelist John was the only one of the twelve apostles who was destined to die a natural death. His death is reported to us by Holy Tradition. It says that the earthly path of the faithful servant of God lasted more than a hundred years, and upon its completion he lay down in the grave and ordered the disciples to fill themselves with the still living earth (illustration is given above).
Pouring tears and madly mourning, they nevertheless did not dare to contradict the mentor and carried out his will. When, after some time, the numerous followers of the apostle tried to rebury his remains and opened the grave for this purpose, it was empty. This amazing fact has generated among the theologians of subsequent centuries many of the most controversial interpretations.
Memory of the holy apostle
After three centuries, when the Christian faith, emerging from the underground, gained national status, a small church was erected on the spot where the apostle John was buried, and in the VI century, under the emperor Justinian, they built a cathedral crowned with six domes. To this day, only part of the floor slabs, several columns and fragments of walls have survived from this building (photo above).
The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the Day of Remembrance of John the Theologian on October 9, on the anniversary of his death. In addition, sermons are dedicated to him on May 21 and July 13, on the feast of the twelve divine apostles. In the western churches, it is customary to celebrate the day of memory of John the Theologian (according to the new style) on December 27.