Who was the disciple whom Jesus loved?
The phrase appears five times in one Gospel, and always about someone who never signs his name. The question is both historical — who was he? — and personal, since the way he describes himself says more about Christ than about the man.
The Man Behind the Title
The writer leaves his identity to be worked out from what he does not say. One study of the Gospel sets out the reasoning:
Arend RemmersJohn did not continue in this way, for when we turn to his own Gospel, we find five very well-known passages where he speaks of himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. We will see at the end of chapter 21 that this disciple whom Jesus loved is the one who wrote the Gospel. John does not mention his own name in his Gospel nor in his letters, only in Revelation, but "the disciple whom Jesus loved" can be none other than John himself.
His background is plain enough elsewhere in Scripture:
Morrish Bible DictionarySon of Zebedee, and brother of James. James and John were fishermen, but when the Lord called them, they left everything and followed Him. The Lord gave them the surname BOANERGES, "sons of thunder."
Why He Withheld His Name
The silence is deliberate, not modest confusion. He describes himself only by his relation to Christ:
Eugene P. Vedder Jr.God told him what to write, but what he wrote is the fruit of his contemplation of the Lord Jesus, and when we read these words here we can see why John did not mention his own name — he did not put himself into prominence. The only book where he mentions his own name is Revelation, but in his writings John always focuses on the Lord Jesus. He sets Him before us, so that if he refers to himself in the Gospel he usually refers to himself by what he was in relation to the Lord Jesus — "the disciple whom Jesus loved." He had learnt to appreciate the love of the Lord Jesus. Sometimes he referred to himself as "the other disciple." He preferred to stay in the background and let others (particularly the Lord Jesus) have the place of prominence.
Resting in His Love, Not in Ours
The title is not a boast about John's devotion. Set beside Peter, the contrast is sharp:
Hamilton SmithA little later, with genuine love to the Lord, he can say, "I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death"… Thus, both by words and deeds, he seems to say, "I am the man that loves the Lord." In contrast, the Apostle John says, as it were, "I am the man that the Lord loves," for five times in these last scenes he describes himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Blessed indeed that His love should have so worked in us that we should love Him, but far more wonderful that He should love us. In this wonderful love John delighted, and on this boundless love he rested.
What Resting There Produced
In the upper room the practical result was nearness — and nearness meant he could hear what others could not:
Hamilton SmithLooking at one another will never solve difficulties that arise among believers. We must look to the Lord, but looking to the Lord demands nearness to the Lord… Peter, the man who was trusting in his love to the Lord, was not near enough to the Lord to learn His mind; he had to beckon to John.
At the cross the same man is still in place, and is handed a trust:
Hamilton SmithWhere is the disciple that rested in his love to Christ? Sadly, away in some lonely spot with a broken heart, weeping tears of bitter shame. Where is the disciple who rests in the love of Christ? As at the upper room, so now at the cross, as near to Christ as he can be. And what is the result? He becomes a vessel fit and suitable for the Master's use. The mother of Jesus is committed to his care. Resting in the Lord's love fits us for service.
The Title Is Not Reserved for John
Writers press the description out of history and into the reader's hands:
W. T. P. WolstonCan you tell me the disciple today whom Jesus loves? Please do not look round. I do not think you will see him if you look round. I tell you what it is: if you have not got the sense in your heart of being "the disciple whom Jesus loves," you have not touched the kernel of Christianity yet, and you are out in the cold, instead of being in all the warmth of the affection of the blessed Lord. What John knew was this: "I am loved of the Lord."
And no one outgrows it:
Hamilton SmithIt is the privilege of the youngest believer to say, "I am a disciple that Jesus loves," and the oldest and most advanced disciple can say nothing greater, for all blessing is found in His all-embracing love.
Summary
- Who — John, son of Zebedee, brother of James, a fisherman called by Christ and surnamed "son of thunder"; the writer of the Gospel that never names him.
- Why hidden — He kept his name out so the Lord Jesus would hold the prominence, describing himself only by his relation to Christ.
- What he rested on — Peter's language was "I love the Lord"; John's was "the Lord loves me" — a love that does not change with our moods.
- What it produced — Nearness in the upper room, usefulness at the cross, and a heart the Lord could trust with His mother.
- Who may claim it — The newest believer can say "I am a disciple Jesus loves," and the most advanced can say nothing greater.