The One Jesus’ Loved

“…Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1b)

John, the apostle, accepted Yeshua’s love for him very personally, so much so that he refers to himself as “the one Jesus loved.” There is no evidence to suggest that John was treated with special favor or singled out by Yeshua as the “Loved one”. There was among the twelve Apostles an inner circle that Yeshua did call forth in certain situations, such as the transfiguration, prayer at Gethsemane and joining Him in other assignments. John was a member of this informal smaller group. 

What prompted John to consider himself loved? John wrote a gospel, three epistles (letters) to the churches, and received the Revelations, in each he highlights the nature and character of love. Did John understand love as the essential central element of Yeshua and His message? As he observed Yeshua’s miracles of feeding the multitudes and healing the masses how did he comprehend these as acts of compassion and love? How did he appropriate that love for himself? He did on occasion seem very close to Yeshua, at the passover meal in the upper room, at Yeshua’s arrest and other times. It may be that some of us look for love to be initiated, rather than simply available. If our spouse kisses us back when we kiss them, it is only natural, but if they never reach out to kiss us, one may question why. John didn’t, he accepted Yeshua’s love for everyone as equally applicable to himself as he affirmed himself as the one Jesus’ loved.

I think John got it right, Yeshua and Father God are all about love, but the world can neither see nor hear His acts, words or heart because it is opposed to love and God. Much of the wickedness and evil in the world today is said to be about love, but is, in fact, contrary to families, marriage, children, the unborn and true love. One of the reasons Yeshua came to earth was to show the fathers love for mankind through human flesh. Yeshua perfectly presented God’s love to the world, by giving His life to redeem a people for God. (Titus 2:14)  John accepted Yeshua’s message of love and embraced it, but he didn’t pretend it had any source other than God. It is a fact that we all have been loved by God.