The Gospel of John was written by John the apostle. In it, he refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved". I've always taken this to be sort of self-serving, marking himself as particularly special. And while he is special - all God's children are - it doesn't seem very modest for him to say so of himself. But at church yesterday our pastor presented a different view of this that I'd never considered.
When John calls himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved", rather than boasting in himself, maybe he's actually boasting in Christ. Instead of saying "Look how much Jesus loved ME", it's more like "Look how MUCH Jesus LOVED me". You see the difference? It is a description of something he received, something that changed him. The love of Christ transformed him from a rough fisherman to a tenderhearted man who would lean back on Jesus' chest, to love Him as his father and brother and friend. Into a man who would have the quiet loyalty to follow Jesus everywhere. Into a man who would lovingly tend flocks of young believers.
And so I've come to really like John's title for himself. Aren't we all, in our own unique ways, the disciple whom Jesus loved? The disciple whom Jesus accepted, rescued, forgave, transformed, had patience with, had mercy on, gave grace to, was faithful to, taught us all the good we know, comforted, blessed beyond our wildest hopes - in short, loved.
We all have our own story.
