For Tom Clark series of the traditional four Gospel Writers, He had depicted John and Matthew seated, to indicate that they were among the twelve disciples of Jesus. Luke and Mark were not of the original twelve, so he chose to sculpt them standing. When placed next to Matthew, John and he appear to be conversing. Tom drew further inspiration from Leonardo daVinci's painting, "The Last Supper," in which John is seated next to, and leaning towards Jesus. Many Biblical scholars view John as Jesus' closest friend, and in this Gospel he only is referred to as "beloved disciple" and "the disciple whom Jesus loved." At the Crucifixion, Jesus instructed John, "Behold your mother," and John took Mary to his home, to spare her from the final hours of Jesus' suffering. On my statue, John's chair is decorated with his traditional symbol, the eagle (his is the Gospel that "soars like an eagle"), as seen in the "Christ in Glory" engraving from the Cathedral of Limoges. John's Gospel is directed not to one particular political group, but to the whole world (an eagle's eye view!). He holds a scroll inscribed with John 1:1-5 ("In the beginning was the Word"). This is the creation story of the New Testament. Over and over again the Book of John emphasizes this one universal message: Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus and His Disciples 
