English: Damian. “Jesus Christ and St. John the Apostle”. A detail of the Last Supper fresco from Ubisi, Georgia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Welcome to Morning Devotion

Introducing John

It feels a little strange for me to begin our first devotional entry with a verse that sounds a little selfish and partial; especially in the face of John 3:16 – “God so love the world.”

We meet the writer of the gospel of John – the apostle himself – John. The title says that the Gospel was written by John, and other evidence identifies this John as the son of Zebedee. He was: one of the 12 disciples – John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:24, 25

the disciple whom Jesus loved

We do no know why it is said that John was the disciple that Jesus loved. We can only, but speculate because scripture is silent on the passage. So let me give you my two cents of what I think it means.

A fellow pastor friend told a story about his grandmother. How she will tell him how special he was. That he was was not like his other brothers and sisters. That he was love and cherished. That he will be a great man. Than she told him not to share what she had told him with anybody. Well, he didn’t for many years until his brothers broke it to him that she’d said the same things to everyone of them. What she was trying to do was to make each child feel loved. In her weak way, she was trying to let each child individualized or make this love their own.

John 3:16 is the greatest passage of all time and it speaks to everyone in general. But John 13:23 makes this love of Jesus personal. It singles one – anyone – out of the crowd and says – I love you – yes you! This is When each individual can appropriate this love for him or herself.

If John was the only person on planet earth and had fallen short of the glory of God, Jesus would still come to die on the cross for him alone. So would He for you.

Who is the disciple that Jesus loves? It’s you, it’s me.