John seemed to characterize himself as a “favorite” of
Jesus. He regularly describes himself in his gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus
loved.” He speaks of himself as resting on Christ's bosom during the last
supper. In these words of Christ, he is even elevated to the position of
replacing Jesus in the family.
I wonder how the other disciples responded to John's view
of himself as “the disciple that Jesus loved.” Did they balk at this
description? Were they upset when John insisted on taking in Mary?
In John 21:21, Peter asks Christ about John. To this
Jesus answers, “what is that to you?” Peter has been charged with his own task
of “feeding the sheep,” he need not worry about John.
I try to view myself as a favorite of Jesus, too. This does
not mean to me that He loves others any less. But it does mean that I see
myself as especially responsible to Him. I think the title “the disciple that
Jesus loved” is one we all might wish to bare.
Daniel
No comments:
Post a Comment