The Disciple Jesus Loved

THE DISCIPLE JESUS LOVED
John 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!"

Walking along the boardwalk in Ocean City, my family and I went by a Christian Book Store that was there. Hanging in the window was a T-shirt with the following statement, “Jesus loves you” and a little smaller directly beneath that it said, “but I’m His favorite.” At first I thought what an arrogant statement but then, on second thought ...

John was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. What?, did Jesus not love the other disciples? Of course our answer would be “No, Jesus loved all the disciples, even Judas”. This is true, and Jesus loves me and you as well. Who would then be brazen enough to make this statement? I admit I am a little slow sometimes but I came to realize that John made this statement about himself. He knew that Jesus loved him. A preacher by the name of Joseph Prince pointed this out in one of his sermons saying, “Peter said he loved Jesus, but John knew that Jesus loved him.”

When we compare Peter and John we find some interesting tidbits. Peter told the Lord that he loved Him and was willing to die for Him. John just knew that Jesus loved him. Peter boasted that he would never deny the Lord, John just knew that Jesus loved him. Peter cursed and spat and denied he had ever known the Lord, John watched the trial from the inside, and stayed with Jesus as well as he could throughout the night, and was there at the crucifixion. He also received the Lord’s mother into his care.Here then is the difference, Peter relied on his love for God to see him through.

Although Jesus commands us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and our neighbors as ourselves if we seek to do this in our own power, we will fail. But if we rest, like John in the power of God’s unchanging love for us then God will see us through. I can never generate enough love for my Lord or my neighbor to ever equal God’s love for us. Perhaps it is just like salvation. We cannot save ourselves, God awaits us to realize that and turn to Him.

Brothers, maybe we need to stop trying to generate love for God and others, but rest in God’s love for us. It is hard to hate another person when you know that God loves them also! The children’s song is so very true, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” But I think we need to get beyond that into the realm of experiencing God’s love for us. You are His beloved, look around you and you will see Him daily lavishing that love upon you. Jesus loves YOU! (But I still think I am His favoriteJ) So how about you? Are you the disciple whom Jesus loves? -- Pastor Paul Ort is a new contributor to Freedom Fighter. He is a dear friend and is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Little Egg Harbor

Digging Deeper: Proverbs 16; 1 Samuel 30-31 ; Luke 13:23-35

Dig This Quote: Peace comes when there is no cloud between us and God. Peace is the consequence of forgiveness, God's removal of that which obscures His face and so breaks union with Him. The happy sequence culminating in fellowship with God is penitence, pardon, and peace - the first we offer, the second we accept, and the third we inherit. Charles H. Brent

Determined Digging: Level 1 -- Psalm 127:1; Level 2 -- Psalm 51:10-13