If Peter was the most popular and well-known of the twelve disciples, then the second would certainly be John. The actual meaning of his name is, "Jehovah has been gracious". Another definition that has been ascribed to his name is, "Jehovah's gift". Either way, John is otherwise known as the "beloved disciple" ญญ the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23, 21:7). According to Eusebius, John was of the priestly family. He and his brother James were both sons of a man named Zebedee who was a Galilean fisherman. The two brothers are often referred to as "the sons of Zebedee" (Matt. 26:37, Mark 10:35, Luke 5:10, John 21:2). Jesus gave them the name of Boanerges which means, "sons of thunder" or "sons of anger" (Mark 3:17). This implies that the two apparently had a fiery, zealous, impetuous nature about them. Zebedee and his two sons seemed to have been rather prosperous in their fishing business for they had both a boat (unlike Peter and Andrew), and hired servants (Mark 1:20). By contrasting the two verses of Matthew 27:56 and Mark 15:40 which tells of the women who were present at Jesus' crucifixion, the Zebedee sons' mother is assumed to have been a woman by the name of Salome. It has also been conjectured that she was the sister of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

He is credited with many noble deeds. He was one of the first four disciples called by Jesus (Mark 1:19, Matt. 4:21), he was the first to believe in the resurrection of Jesus (John 20:1-10), he was the first to recognize the Lord at the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-7), he was one of the few disciples who waited in Jerusalem after the ascension (Acts 1:13), and helped heal a lame man (Acts 3:1-4:22). But perhaps the most noble deed that John is most credited with is the care of Jesus' mother, Mary. It is supposedly because of John's acquaintance with Caiphas (John 18:16), that he and Peter were allowed into the council chambers and finally into the praetorium of the Roman procurator. From there, John and the others of Jesus' disciples, family, and friends followed him to the place of his crucifixion at Golgotha. It was there while on the cross when Jesus entrusted John with the care of his own mother (John 19:26-27). The Bible says, "From that time on, this disciple took her into his home." Wow! What a major honor, privilege, and responsibility to be entrusted with the care of the very woman who brought the Son of the Living God into this world.

Aside from his noble deeds, John is also credited with transcribing at least one book of the New Testament. This has been the cause for much debate amongst many religious scholars and theologians for centuries. In most part, historically it was assumed that John did write the Gospel of John along with 1,2, and 3 John, and the Book of Revelation. However, by means of textual criticism which wasn't adopted as a theological practice until the 18th or 19th century, some have concluded that he only wrote the Gospel of John. These scholars have supposedly observed a distinct difference in writing between all the assumed books. Another man by the name of John the Elder is sometimes credited with the writings of 1,2, and 3 John. John the Elder was an elder or presbyter at the church of Ephesus. Either way, this man was taught by John the Apostle for he himself resided their. Conclusively, it is a widespread notion today that John the Apostle is in fact credited with the writings of all the named books. The Gospel of John was probably written around 85-90 A.D. after the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. possibly in Ephesus or Rome, but before his exile to the island of Patmos (95 A.D.). 1,2, and 3 John was written somewhere between 87-90 A.D. probably in Ephesus. The Book of Revelation was transcribed much later, around 95 A.D. Some scholars say he wrote the book directly from the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9). Others say that he simply received the revelation while there but later wrote it while returning to Rome or Ephesus. By this time John was the only surviving apostle. He outlived all the other 12 disciples and might've possibly been the only one to die a natural death.

There is much speculation and debate concerning John's last surviving years. Some early church historians have claimed that he, along with his brother James, were both "killed by the Jews" in Palestine in 70 A.D. (Chronicle of Philip of Side, 430 A.D.). This claim however goes against most, if not all other evidence claiming otherwise. The last known biblical reference to John places him at the church in Jerusalem, where both he and his brother helped lead the church there (Galatians 2:9). This is roughly around 50 A.D. when Paul makes a visit to these great "pillars of the faith". Gathering the claims from many of the early church fathers and historians, the account given below is quite possibly the most accurate and conclusive depiction of John's last surviving years.

He, along with Jesus' mother moved from Jerusalem several years before the destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. Between 65-70 A.D. they moved to Ephesus which was the central Christian church in the surrounding region. An interesting story long current amongst Eastern Orthodox Christians says that when Mary Magdalene retired she also accompanied the Apostle and the mother Mary to Ephesus as well. It was there where they resided until Peter was later captured and taken to Rome while under the evil leadership of Emperor Nero. Like Nero, the Roman emporer, Domitian (81-96 A.D.) would later follow in Nero's footsteps and absolutely hated Christians and continued the ruthless slaughter and persecution of many followers of Jesus. According to Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History III, Domitian considered "himself the successor of Nero in enmity and hostility to God." Tradition states, by order of Domitian, that John was thrown into a pot of boiling oil with the intentions of being killed. Instead he survived and went on to labor in the mines and was later exiled to the island of Patmos just 60 miles off the coast of Ephesus. It was there he received the visions that make up the book of Revelation. He resided on Patmos until finally, the Emperor Domitian who was assassinated by co-conspirators was then succeeded by the Emperor Nerva who then frees John from the danger and returns to reside in Ephesus around 97 A.D. According to Polycarp and Irenaeus, John continued to live in Ephesus until the reign of the Emperor Trajan began (98 A.D.). Trajan did not have the intense hatred towards Christians as Nero and Domitian previously had. He made no special commands and orders to hunt down and capture any remaining Christians scattered throughout the empire. However, in a letter addressed to Pliny the Younger, a governor of Bithynia and Pontus, he did state, "These people[Christians] must not be sought out; if they are brought before you and the charge is proved, they must be punished; but any of them who denies he is a Christian and gives visible evidence of that, by praying to our gods... let him be given a pardon for his penitence." (Pliny Letters X.97) It is in Ephesus that John finally dies a natural death around the turn of the century. Some have speculated that he lived as late as 120 A.D. which is possible, but highly unlikely.

John was a wonderful man who exhibited all that the Lord would ever want anyone to be. He witnessed the Lord's death, burial, and resurrection firsthand. He later witnessed his ascension to heaven. John was loved by many, including Jesus himself. He was given the task to care for the mother of Jesus. He established and led churches. He presented the Gospel, wrote numerous books, suffered severe persecution under many emperors, was tortured, and exiled. Hopefully the last few remaining years of "the disciple with whom Jesus loved" were spent somewhat peacefully in the city of Ephesus.