"One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him."
"When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, 'Dear woman, here is your son.'"
Today I had a classic Oprah style "Aha! Moment." In the gospel of John, John often referred to himself as "the one Jesus loved." You can click here for more examples.
"The one Jesus loved." Can you imagine saying that? Whenever I've read that, I've always shook my head a little, snickered, & imagined John as a pompous man, a man the others may have wanted to slap silly or sneak off without him or shove him back to the end of the line.
Today was different, I saw it in a new light. Maybe John was saying that for himself, not for others to hear. Maybe he, himself, needed reminding. Maybe he battled insecurity and wondered how Jesus could possibly love him. Maybe he would start to follow Jesus and then lag behind a bit, feeling not quite good enough, not quite holy enough, not quite clean enough to get too close.
Now, yes, this I could imagine. Feeling silly, in the privacy of my own room, I tried it out. I said my name, followed by "the disciple Jesus loved." Empowering. Uplifting. Motivational. Humbling.
It's true, my friend. You are the one Jesus loves. You just might be the one who needs the most persuading, too. It is my prayer today that you grab hold of this thought, say it aloud a few times, & let it impact your life.
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Valerie Sliker talks to herself often, not just when quoting this verse. She periodically shares her thoughts in writing and with great embellishment in her blog & has recently found twitter to be a socially acceptable way of talking to herself.
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I did a great Bible Study on John by Beth Moore entitled Beloved Disciple. You'd love it!
Thanks so much for this post. I've been feeling quite distant lately, then feeling guilty, then distant, and so on. This is huge. I am the one Jesus loves. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Danielle, thanks for sharing. I'm so glad this helped you. I felt the same way, it was huge for me, too. God is so good. Lori, I'm a Beth Moore groupie! I've done most of her studies, but not that one, can't wait to do it.
This is really brilliant. I love how we can read something many times and each time see something new. Thanks for sharing your personal revelation!
Bonnie
I never would have considered this interpretation of "the one Jesus loved." It makes total sense. I guess I figured self-esteem issues to be a more modern phenomenon, but come to think of it, surely not. Thank you for this truly divine inspiration!
Thanks, ladies, for all the comments. I'm so glad this makes sense to you, too, and you found it uplifting.