The family of this apostle is supposed to have been better off in regard to property than any of the other apostles. This is evident from several things mentioned about him and his family. One thing which shows this is that when John and his brother James were called from their business as fishermen, to follow Christ, we are told that “they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the _hired servants_.” St. Mark i: 20. Andrew and Peter were too poor to have hired servants. They had to do all their own work. But Zebedee could afford to hire help for himself and sons. And then, at the time of our Saviour’s trial, the servants who kept the door of the judgment hall, in which the trial took place, allowed John to enter the hall, because they knew he was acquainted with the high priest. St. John xviii: 16. And then when Jesus left his mother in the charge of John, while hanging on the cross, we are told, that from that day, “he took her to his own home.” St. John xix: 27. John had a home of his own at Jerusalem. From all this, it seems clear that the family of this apostle were better off in worldly things than were the families of the other apostles. Now we may just glance at _what John’s character was by nature_, or before he was a Christian; and _what it was by grace, or after he became a Christian_. From what we read of this apostle in the gospel history, we see that there were three things in John’s natural character which show that he was not the weak, womanly sort of man he is represented to have been in most of the pictures that have been made of him. For one thing, it is clear that John was naturally _an ambitious man_. This is evident from the request to Jesus by John and his brother James, through their mother, that they might have the highest places in his kingdom. St. Matt. xx: 20-23. Their mother made the request. But she probably consulted them about it first. And if they had not agreed in it, she would not be likely to have done it. This shows that they were all ambitious together. And so we are right in saying that John was ambitious. He wanted the best place in Christ’s kingdom for himself, without thinking whether others might not be better fitted for it. Our Saviour’s reply shows that he was wrong in giving way to this ambitious feeling. But then this shows that there was a good deal of strength in John’s natural character. He was ambitious. And then he was _narrow-minded_, as well as ambitious in his natural character.