Expert: Brenda Martin - 4/11/2006

Question
Dear Brenda,

Do you know of any theories or Bible references that indicate the age difference between John the apostle and cousin of Jesus, and Jesus?  We were just wondering if they would have been close in age growing up together and then as John became his disciple, and how old John would have been later when he adopted Jesus' mother as his own.
Thanks!

Answer
HI Nita, you asked--"THE AGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN JOHN THE APOSTLE AND COUSIN OF JESUS, AND JESUS?"

John evidently had a house of his own.—Joh 19:26, 27. . After being introduced to Jesus as the Christ in the fall of 29 C.E., John undoubtedly followed Jesus into Galilee and was an eyewitness to His first miracle at Cana. (Joh 2:1-11) He may have accompanied Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem, and again on his return through Samaria to Galilee, for the vividness of his account seems to stamp it as that of an eyewitness to the events described. However, the record does not so state. (Joh 2-5)

Nevertheless, John did not leave his fishing business for some time after becoming acquainted with Jesus. In the following year, as Jesus walked alongside the Sea of Galilee, James and John were in the boat with their father Zebedee repairing their nets. He called them to the full-time work of being “fishers of men,” and the account by Luke informs us: “So they brought the boats back to land, and abandoned everything and followed him.” (Mt 4:18-22; Lu 5:10, 11; Mr 1:19, 20) Later they were selected to be apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.—Mt 10:2-4.

John wrote the letters from Ephesus about 98 C.E., near the time when he wrote his Gospel account. The frequent expression “little [or, young] children” seems to indicate that they were written in his old age.

By the year 98 C.E. one apostle remained to act as a final bulwark against what would later prove to be a tidal flood of false teachings and religious and political compromise. He was the elderly apostle John, son of Zebedee and brother of the apostle James, martyred some 54 years earlier. As a young man, John had served alongside Jesus during that one's brief earthly ministry. Perhaps due to John's dynamic personality Jesus called him a ‘Son of Thunder.' Now a very old man, he put himself to writing a vigorous letter of warning and counsel to the Christian congregations. What he says is still vital for us today.—Mark 3:17; Luke 9:51-56.

What an example the apostle John left for us! He must have been in his nineties when, banished to the isle of Patmos because of his faithful witnessing, he was privileged to see and to record the stupendous apocalyptic vision; still later writing, under inspiration, three letters and his account of the life of Christ.

HOW OLD JOHN WOULD HAVE BEEN LATER WHEN HE ADOPTED JESUS' MOTHER AS HIS OWN.

Jesus' love and concern moved him to entrust the care of his mother, Mary, (apparently a widow by now) to the beloved apostle John. But why John and not one of Jesus' own fleshly brothers? Because Jesus was concerned not just with Mary's physical, material needs but more especially with her spiritual welfare. And the apostle John (possibly Jesus' cousin) had proved his faith, whereas there is no indication that Jesus' fleshly brothers were, as yet, believers.—Matthew 12:46-50; John 7:5.

This is the nearest I can come, John was in his nineties in 98ce, so if we count back to when Jesus died in 33, John would have been in his 30's roughly.


All the best
Brenda