Do you ever feel like a great adventurer when studying the Bible? Like you're on a quest or solving a mystery? Well, one day, I was praying with the Bible when BOOM! The beloved disciple! Yes, I know he is St. John the Apostle. But, what if the author, John, had a special thought in mind when writing his gospel! Quick explanation if you don't know: The Gospel according to John, in the New Testament, frequently mentions a disciple. Instead of giving that disciple a name, he is simply referred to as the "beloved disciple" or "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Now, John the Apostle is the beloved disciple, and I totally believe that. But why doesn't John refer to himself as John? Why does he refer to himself as the "beloved disciple" instead? Cool thing about the Bible is that the Holy Spirit is vividly present in it and the Holy Spirit was vividly present in the writing and creation of it. Even cooler is that the Holy Spirit is still active and each one of us gets to live through the Bible! The Word! Jesus! We don't just read it--we live it (thank you, Pope Benedict XVI for your book, Jesus of Nazareth, in which you explain this). So, instead of simply reading about this guy who was a beloved disciple, let's ask the Holy Spirit to let us experience the Gospel. To be a Christian is to believe in Christ. To believe in Christ is to follow Him as His disciple. Therefore, if you are a Christian, then you are a disciple ("follower"). Next, we know that all people are loved by God. We are beloved, or, dearly loved. Paul addresses believers as "Beloved," in his letters. The Father titles His own Son Jesus, as "my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 12:18). As we are all children of the Father, we are all His beloved sons and daughters. Put "disciple" next to "beloved." Disciple beloved. Beloved disciple. Each one of us, then, is a beloved disciple. Therefore, when we read about the beloved disciple and how Jesus communicates and interacts with the beloved disciple, we are given an image of how Jesus is personally communicating and interacting with us. Furthermore, the beloved disciple is not just who we are, but who we aim to be. Each of us desires to be, "the disciple whom Jesus loved." God dearly loves us and Jesus Himself said, "This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). The beloved disciple is our model for how to love one another as God desires us to. Now, if John was the author of this Gospel, do you think he is saying "Yup, the beloved disciple is me. I'm the best. Follow me cause I'm the perfect disciple of Jesus." I suppose it's possible, but I argue that John has a theological and literary tactic going on (or at least the Holy Spirit does). Putting a nameless person in the story gives us an opportunity for us to enter the story! Let's enter the story together! This coming week is Holy Week too, and the beloved disciple is mentioned frequently during Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday Let's live out Holy Week! Alright, I am the beloved disciple. I am reclining next to Jesus at supper. Reclining! I am reclining next to God! Wow, Jesus must want me to be pretty comfortable around Him. That is what beloved disciples do. They recline next to Jesus! Next, Jesus announces that one of us is going to betray Him. Uh oh. "'One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved [me in this case], was reclining at Jesus' side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus' chest and said to him, 'Master, who is it' (John 13:23-25)?'" Yeah, so, Jesus says something that makes no sense to me. I look to my friend, Peter, to take the lead. Peter is the Rock--whatever that means...but he is like the head disciple, so I listen to him. Peter nods his head at me, so I guess Peter is okay with me asking the question. I lean against Jesus' chest. My head rests just over His heart! I ask the question everyone is wondering, "Someone is going to betray You? Who is it?" Jesus gives one of those weird answers that He tends to give. He says that whoever dips the morsel in salt water will be the betrayer. I bet you did not see it coming, but it is Judas. Now, "none of those reclining at table realized why he said this to him" (John 13:28). As a personal "recliner-at-table-er" I have no idea what Jesus means (see John 13:26-30). But that's what beloved disciples do. They recline next to Jesus. They look to Peter as a leader. They rest their troubled heads over Jesus' heart. They aren't afraid to ask questions. And...they often don't understand the answers that Jesus gives. ********** We are going to jump forward and I'll give a terribly short summary of what occurs. Jesus gets arrested, put on trial before the Jewish people and trial before the Roman government. He is sentenced to a horrid death of crucifixion and I am there, witnessing it! Jesus, Who personally told me He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, is actively dying! How can the Life, die? Anyway, I'm standing at the cross of Jesus with a bunch of women while all of the other disciples are hiding in fear. "Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold your son'" (John 19:25-26). I am Mary's child? "Then he [Jesus] said to the disciple [me], 'Behold, your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his home" (John 19:27). Now Mary is my mother! The Mother of Jesus is my mother? That is what beloved disciples do. They become children of Mary. They take Mary as their mother. They bring Mary literally into their homes and even into their hearts. ********** Carrying on, to my bewilderment and disappointment, Jesus dies. He has been taken away from me. All I have left of Him is His own mother. After a couple days, though, Mary of Magdala comes running to me and Peter. "So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, 'They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him.' So Peter and the other disciple [me!] went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there...Then the other disciple also went in, the one who arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed" (John 20:2-8). That's what beloved disciples do. They run super fast, but they know that the first shall be last and the last shall be first, so they let others go before them. They have respect for Peter, letting him lead. And when they see that the tomb of Jesus is empty, they believe Jesus is alive! ********** Days later, I'm fishing with Peter and the other disciples in a boat when I see Jesus across the sea. "It is the Lord," I say to Peter (John 21:7). That is what beloved disciples do. When they see Jesus, they tell people. ********** Now, "Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper ...When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, 'Lord, what about him?' Jesus said to him, 'What if I want him to remain until I come'" (John 21:20-22)? Woah! Jesus wants me to remain until He comes! He isn't going to immediately take me up to heaven with Him. Instead, He wants me to remain on earth. What am I supposed to do in this place until Jesus comes? Take a look at the last few verses of my book, the Gospel of John, for the answer. I write, "It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true" (John 21:24). That's what beloved disciples do. They testify to the Truth until the Truth comes again.
1 Comment
Chris (dad)
3/25/2018 06:35:23 am
Jackie Blue,
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorJacqueline St. Clare: I spent six months in a cloistered convent, and now I'm a college student! Archives
April 2021
SpiritualityVocationMental ILlnessSeasonalADVENT LENT
Unexpected Church MembersAll words that are underlined can be found on the "Glossary" page
|