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The Beloved Apostle Writes the Fourth GospelThe Watchtower—1961 | December 1
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the Life. He has more to say about love than the other three Gospel writers combined. Could we imagine anyone but an intimate disciple of Jesus being able to give us such a portrayal of Jesus?
Of the twelve, Jesus singled out three for special intimacy: Peter, James and John. Only these accompanied Jesus into the house to witness his raising from the dead the young daughter of the presiding officer of the synagogue; these alone accompanied him up the mount of transfiguration, and these alone accompanied him farther into the garden of Gethsemane. Logically it would be one of these three that would give us the most exalted view of Jesus. Peter and James died long before the fourth Gospel was written. The one whom Jesus specially loved must have been one of these three and therefore John.
Some claim that Joh chapter 21 of John’s Gospel, which tells of Jesus’ giving to Peter the threefold commission to feed his lambs and little sheep, was written by a different hand than that which wrote the rest of the Gospel because the last verse of the preceding chapter (20) Joh 20:31 is in the form of a conclusion; but not so. The style of Joh chapter 21 is that of John and doubtless was added later by himself.
What a treasure we have in the fourth Gospel! Well does it serve its purpose: “These have been written down that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that, because of believing, you may have life by means of his name.”—John 20:31.
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New World Society Looks Out for Its YouthThe Watchtower—1961 | December 1
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New World Society Looks Out for Its Youth
CHRISTIAN fathers are counseled: “Do not be irritating your children, but go on bringing them up in the discipline and authoritative advice of Jehovah.” (Eph. 6:4) That the Christian witnesses of the New World society are doing this is being testified to by non-Witnesses.
Thus a Jewish photographer, associated with one of New York city’s leading newspapers, on seeing so many young folks at the United Worshipers District Assembly held at Yankee Stadium, asked: “How do you get all these children to come here? My boy doesn’t like to go to our synagogue. He comes home and says: ‘I didn’t get a thing out of it.’” When it was explained to him how Jehovah’s witnesses look after their youth, he replied, “I think I’d better give you my son.”
And said the publisher of seven of New York city’s neighborhood papers: “One of the many things I like about Jehovah’s witnesses is the order and quietness in the Stadium. I like to see children take an interest in religion, and just look at them here! I told my church committee we should be like Jehovah’s witnesses—have meetings for the whole family. It would be a better world if Protestant religions would copy Jehovah’s witnesses. You have a wonderful organization.”
Among the youthful witnesses of Jehovah who appeared on the platform at the Yankee Stadium assembly was one Gary who lives in the Bronx. Although only six years old, he goes alone from house to house preaching the good news of God’s kingdom. One day, while offering The Watchtower on a subscription basis, he met a woman at the door who patronizingly asked: “Doesn’t a little boy like you find it very tiring to be calling at people’s doors? A little boy like you should be having fun and should be doing something else instead of knocking on the doors of people’s houses.”
Six-year-old Gary, having been properly taught in Bible principles, had the right answer: “The Bible says that there is a time for everything, and when we go from door to door that is the time to speak to the people about God and his kingdom as the only hope for man.” As a result of this Scriptural answer the lady subscribed for The Watchtower and since then a number of calls have been made upon her by Gary and his father.
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