Each of Jesus' friends—Peter, John, Matthew, Judas, Mary Magdalene, and Lazarus—traveled with Jesus and were part of His daily ministry, and each has a compelling story to tell.
John the Apostle
Polycrates believed that John was the one "who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord", suggesting an identification with the beloved disciple: John, who was both a witness and a teacher, "who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord", and, being a priest, wore the sacerdotal plate. He fell asleep at Ephesus.
Jesus was closer to some of his followers than to others. He had many disciples, 12 apostles and an inner circle of three best friends: Peter, James and his beloved disciple, John.
Understanding Jesus' 12 Disciples
Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew/Nathanael, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas the Greater, and Judas Iscariot are names that have been closely associated with the Jesus' teaching since the earliest days of Christianity.
In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament.
Jesus' Model for Friendships
Scripture lists the apostles (or disciples as many call them) in three groups of four, the first four always being Peter, Andrew, James, and John. This first group of four apostles had a special relationship with Christ since they were the first called to follow Him.
James says Abraham was rightly called a friend of God (cf. 2 Chronicles 20:7 and Isaiah 41:8) because he was chosen by God, believed God, and responded in faithful actions.
The account notes that Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters and that when Lazarus died of illness, Jesus wept and was “greatly disturbed.” Although Lazarus had been entombed for four days by the time Jesus arrived at Bethany, he was raised by Jesus from the dead and emerged from the tomb wearing his burial cloths.
A Friend and Follower
In each of his interactions with Peter, Jesus meets him where he is, answering his questions and pointing out his doubts. Jesus is patient, teaching and guiding Peter to become a steady, dependable leader the early Christians can rely on.
Christian tradition holds that Gestas was on the cross to the left of Jesus and Dismas was on the cross to the right of Jesus. In Jacobus de Voragine's Golden Legend, the name of the impenitent thief is given as Gesmas. The impenitent thief is sometimes referred to as the "bad thief" in contrast to the good thief.
The premise of the book: two thousand years after Jesus' crucifixion, his best friend from childhood, a man named Levi, called “Biff,” has been brought back to life in order to tell the story of Jesus as only his closest companion would know it.
On December 27, we celebrate the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist – the “disciple Jesus loved” (John 13:23). As the author of a Gospel account, three epistles, and the book of Revelation, John was not only a close friend of Jesus during his time, but a spiritual teacher for the ages.
Jesus' known family members include his mother Mary, his father Joseph, and his three brothers, James, Jude (or Judas-not to be confused with Judas Iscariot), and Simon (not to be confused with Simon Peter). Jesus is a Greek form of Joshua, meaning “savior,” but it was a pretty common name.
The New Testament writings associated with John the Beloved present him as both a teacher and a model for our own discipleship. After Peter, John is perhaps the best known of Jesus's original Twelve Apostles.
“His statement then admits of but one explanation, namely, that he wishes to make Peter the head of the whole community of those who believed in him as the true Messiah … that the spiritual guidance of the faithful was placed in the hands of Peter, as the special representative of Christ.”
John the Apostle was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of James the Great. According to church tradition, their mother was Salome. Also according to some traditions, Salome was the sister of Mary, Jesus' mother, making Salome Jesus' aunt, and her sons John the Apostle and James were Jesus' cousins.
1) The name John denotes God's grace and gift.
It implies that John had indeed been a blessing from God. Specifically, he had been a heaven-sent comfort for Jesus during His years of being with men. Like Jonathan to David, he had been a good friend to Him.
The gospels of Matthew and Mark identify this place of prayer as Gethsemane. Jesus was accompanied by three Apostles: Peter, John and James, whom he asked to stay awake and pray.
Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” John 13:31–38.
'” Lazarus is the only individual character in the Fourth Gospel explicitly identified by name as Jesus's friend. Jesus's love for Lazarus needs to be considered within the context of Jesus's relationship with the sisters of Lazarus, Mary and Martha, as well.
6 Ancient Resurrection Stories
One of these texts, known as the Gospel of Philip, referred to Mary Magdalene as Jesus's companion and claimed that Jesus loved her more than the other disciples.
In the book of Isaiah, God refers to Abraham as “my friend” (Isaiah 41:8, ESV).
He said, “Friends are people who make it easier to live the gospel of Jesus Christ.” 1 In this sense, seeking another person's highest good is the essence of true friendship. It is putting someone else first. It is being strictly honest, loyal, and chaste in every action.