In a previous treatise I gave my understanding
of the Saints John, with particular emphasis on St.
John the Baptist. I will attempt to do the same for
the other St. John, by giving equal attention to the
day in December (27th) that is a part of our Masonic
calendar. By this date, we must install all officers
for the ensuing year. A special dispensation is required
to install later than Dec. 27th.
We might identify this John as O. J.
(Other John) but this might be misleading as to the
true nature of John. We could call him J. R. (John
the Revelator) but that too would be misleading. So,
let's just call him by how we first meet him in our
Rule and Guide. Let us also examine his true nature
and accomplishments to understand why our ancestors
accepted him as one of our patron Saints of Masonry.
We first find John in the gospel of
Mark 1:16-20. We find that John responded to the call
of "Follow me" without hesitation. He did
so without excuses, without asking what were the benefits,
without asking if he were "good enough', or without
any alibi to shirk the call. As we consider this act,
let us ask ourselves, how many times we were called
before we responded. (I am assuming all have answered
the call.)
We further find that John the Apostle
came to be among the top three of the twelve in their
close relationship with Jesus. We also note that he
was known as "the beloved" and "the
one whom Jesus loved." John was chosen to participate
in many important events in the ministry of Jesus,
one of them being at the crucifixion of Jesus. At
this point in The Gospel (19:26) of John we find that
Jesus saw both his mother and John nearby, and placed
his mother in the care of John. To get a true picture,
imagine that you, as a reader or listener, are leaving
on an extended absence. You wish to place your mother
in a situation in which you could be assured of her
safety and well being. What kind of person would you
entrust with this responsibility? Do you know of one
at first thought? This describes the true nature of
John the Apostle.
In Acts of the Apostles, 1:13 and 8:14
we find this John acting in carrying out the Great
Commission, that of establishing the Church. He must
have displayed the fortitude necessary to continue
steadfast in this mission, as he was banished to the
Island of Patmos by the Roman Emperor Dominican for
his continued work in the early Church. Here again,
he probably could have avoided exile had he violated
his principles.
In his writings, and epistles, we find
that John deals with the central theme of the Christian
faith; that is, the eternal and steadfast love of
God the Creator to his creation. This love is not
conditional, nor is it terminal. Time and space does
not permit us to properly describe this St. John as
he relates to Masonry. However, to me, any description
would not be complete without a short look at one
of the most important aspects of his apostleship.
That is, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, as revealed
to John while in exile on the island of Patmos. As
we are taught, God created order in six days and consecrated
the seventh as a day of rest and worship. We find
that John is given the revelation as he was "in
the spirit on the Lord's day" (Rev. 1:10), meaning
that he was in close communion with God on the Sabbath
day. What was revealed to John? A brief summary would
be to say that God allowed him a sneak peek at "the
house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."
This allowed John to tell his readers some of the
joys awaiting us at the end of our journey.
This brief description of John the Apostle
makes me proud that our founding fathers chose this
St. John to share equal claim to the Patron Saints
of Masonry. Masonry is stronger by our affiliation
with him and will continue to be strong as long as
we identify our fraternity with him.
