in the full
exercise of His crowned rights and power. It is peculiarly the book of
the Crown, the royal book, the enthroned Christ exercising fully and
freely at will His crown rights.

Jesus' Bosom Friend.

The book was written by John the disciple and apostle. This is our same
old friend John, whom we met first that ever-memorable afternoon, down
by the Jordan River road, when he was introduced to Jesus by the John of
the deserts, and had his first long, quiet talk with Him.[34] The
friendship began that day, grew steadily, and never flagged. It was one
of the few friendships that Jesus had that never knew any lapse nor
eclipse.

He became, in an outstanding sense, the bosom friend of Jesus. Probably
it was not because of any special gentleness or amiability on John's
part, though he may have had something of these traits. It was more
likely because of the deep, intelligent sympathy between the two, a
sympathy not only of personality, but deeper and stronger because of a
mental and spirit likeness growing up between them. It would seem likely
that John developed a mental grasp, a spirit insight, a student
thoughtfulness, a steadiness of temperament, and with these, a growing
understanding of much--at the least--much of Jesus' spirit and ideals
and vision.

It may quite be that all this came slowly, and grew up out of the
constant contact with Jesus, and out of the warm personal love between
the two men; quite likely. Who could live so close to Jesus as he and
not bear the marks on mind and spirit? The fire that burned so fiercely
in early years[35] grew into a steady, unflickering flame under the
influence of that personal friendship.

It seems not unlikely that John belonged to a good family, and had his
home in Jerusalem. He was clearly on terms of easy intimacy at the
palace of the High Priest,[36] which in itself would suggest his social
standing in the city. It was to this man that Jesus, on the Cross,
committed the care of His mother. And John accepted the trust as a
tender token of friendship, and took Mary at once to his own home. And
as Mary remained in Jerusalem at least some time, and John clearly for a
long time, the home was likely there.

John was one of the chief leaders in Jerusalem during the Pentecost
days, and after. Peter was the chief spokesman, but John was always
close by his side. The friendship between the two seems to have been
close and of long standing. They were sent together by