The 12: Part 3- John: Jekyll and Hyde

In the novel, "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", we read about a scientist who is studying how every person is capable of both good and evil. Dr. Jekyll develops a formula, that, when ingested, turns him into the evil version of himself (Mr. Hyde). Unfortunately for Jekyll, he soon begins to turn into Mr. Hyde even without drinking the formula! The evil version of himself starts to take over!

The disciple we focused on this week, John, isn't a mad scientist, but when we're first introduced to him, he's a lot like Mr. Hyde. However, after spending a few years with Jesus, we discover some BIG CHANGES in his life and attitudes, like he had become a completely different person!

1. BEFORE: THE SON OF THUNDER

The Bible doesn't tell us a whole lot about John, aside from the fact that he was a fisherman, but it DOES reveal something interesting about his life. John, along with his brother James, was given a rather strange nickname by Jesus- they were called the "Sons of Thunder". When you think of thunder, you probably think of something that's noisy and explosive. That perfectly describes John. He was like a bomb just waiting to go off. He was probably a little scary to be around.

In Luke 9: 51-56, we read of a story where Jesus and his disciples weren't welcomed into a Samaritan town. During that time, Jewish people HATED Samaritan people. There was a lot of racism. They also disagreed as to how they should worship God. So, when John heard that Jesus and his disciples weren't allowed to go into the Samaritan village, he went ballistic.  He and his brother were so steamed they asked Jesus for permission to pray that God would rain down fire from heaven to destroy the village! Talk about an explosive reaction!

2. AFTER: THE MAN OF COMPASSION

Fast forward a few years later, and in Acts 8 we find a John who is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT! In fact, we read of him traveling through Samaritan towns praying for people to receive the Holy Spirit and telling people about Jesus. These were the same people he had wanted to see destroyed with fire from heaven, and now we find him devoting his life to sharing God's love with them!

3. EVEN THOUGH JOHN WAS LESS-THAN-PERFECT, JESUS LOVED HIM

Six times in the New Testament, John is referred to as "the disciple Jesus loved". Now, that's not saying that Jesus didn't love all of his disciples, but it specifically singles John out as someone who was especially close to Jesus, even though he was by no means perfect. What's cool about that is a lot of people think that if you mess up, if you aren't perfect, God wants nothing to do with you, but that's FAR from the truth. Jesus called this guy to be one of his disciples, one of his closest friends, and he gives us the same invitation too! No matter what you've done or what kind of mistakes you've made, God has a crazy love for you!

4. SPENDING TIME WITH JESUS KILLED MR. HYDE!

So, how in the world did this guy who was so full of hatred and anger, turn around and be loving and compassionate to the same people only a few years later? When John first met Jesus, he was more like Hyde than Jekyll...but over time, something cool happened. Those sinful tendencies started to diminish as he spent more time with Jesus. When you decide to follow Jesus, you're probably far from perfect, but the more you read the Bible, pray, and are a part of church community, something amazing happens. You find that the Holy Spirit renovates you-- changing you more into the person God wants you to be. God doesn't want to turn you into a robot so you think and act like everybody else, but he DOES want to change you! If you spend time with him and LET HIM, he'll start to turn you into the best version of yourself. The Holy Spirit will change you from BEFORE into AFTER!

PARENTS DISCUSSION:

1. Talk to your teen about the difference that Jesus made in your life. Tell him/her about what you were like BEFORE, and in what ways Jesus has changed you for the better.

2. Ask your teen if there are any areas of their lives where they really struggle to do the right thing and make choices that God would be proud of. Are they short-tempered? Do they gossip? Do they mistreat a brother or sister? (Ask them about areas of their life that THEY PERCEIVE to be in need of improvement, don't SUGGEST a long list of flaws yourself). Talk to them about areas where they would like to see God change them for the better. Pray together and ask the Holy Spirit to renovate them, to keep making improvements so that they can become the best versions of themselves!