The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved

John 13:23 KJV: Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.

In our reference verse above the Apostle John makes it clear that he knew that Jesus loved him beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yet nowhere in his entire Gospel narrative does John use his given name or refer to himself as I. How is it in a first person account known as “The Gospel According to John,” that the author never mentions his personal name in the discourse of the account? John is using a literary device known as an illeism. An illeism is a stylistic literary technique in which the writer always refers to oneself in a third person sense. John is communicating a key principle of Christianity that we all need to be more conscious about. Which is, “It’s not about me, it is ALL about Jesus.”

Five times in John’s gospel account he uses a unique third person reference, which is the/that “disciple whom Jesus loved.” In some literary form both the Old and New Testaments make mention of God’s love. The key verse to the entire Bible is John 3:16. One cannot read the Scriptures at any length without reading something that illustrates the love of God towards his ultimate creation known as mankind. In 1 John 4:8, the inspired writer plainly says “God is Love.” The classic children’s song known as “Jesus Loves Me” begins with the line “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Yet John masterfully communicates what that children’s song declares all the while keeping the readers’ focus on Jesus. Three other New Testament letters bear Apostle John’s name in the title and He always shines the light on Jesus and not John.

In 1 John 3:14 the writer tells us: We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

The entirety of 1 John is a poetic retelling of the same story told in John’s longer Gospel. In this shorter poetic sermon John details how that, if we walk in the Light of God’s Love, then we have Eternal Life in Jesus. Think of it this way Light + Love = Eternal Life in Jesus. Notice in the center of this simplified summary of 1 John is LOVE.

(Light, LOVE, Life)

Now get this really neat thing about 1 John 3:14: There are 52 verses before 1 John 3:14 and 52 verses afterwards. So at the center of the center of John’s poetic retelling of God’s love story known as 1 John it says: “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”

So, if we love God we ought to love our neighbor above ourselves and by shining the Light Christ gave us back on Him we lift up and even magnify Jesus and not ourselves.

John 3:14 KJV: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
John 12:32 KJV: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me.