Synchroblog #3: The Blogger Whom Jesus Loved
This is probably an exegetical stretch, but bear with me. Exegetical stretch or not, I like it, and it may have some legitimacy.
Coming from a conservative, even perhaps a slightly fundamentalist background, I look back over my life and cringe at some the things that I have thought, said, and done in the Name of God. Here, I publicly confess a few of my sins:
1. There was a time that I truly believed you couldn’t follow Jesus and vote for a democrat.
2. There was a time that I truly believed that the people of the world were out to “corrupt both myself and my children”, and the best thing I could do was hide.
3. There was a time that I hung on every word James Dobson said.
4. There was a time that I thought that being a follower of Jesus meant having my quiet time, going to church, and protecting my children from the outside, all the while, not doing a stinking thing about the hurt, poverty and oppression that was around me.
5. There was a time that I thought that I was the “Disciple whom Jesus loved”.
For most of my life, every time we came across the phrase “disciple whom Jesus loved”, it was taken seriously. For example, this study note from the “NIV Study Bible”, on John 13:23;
The disciple whom Jesus loved-The expression does not, of course, mean that Jesus did not love the other disciples, but that there was a special bond with this man.
Is it really a factual statement, that John was the favorite disciple? And if John was the favorite, isn’t it a bit obnoxious to keep stating it? Think about it….I write a post on my blog…..
Blah blah blah, yada, yada yada,
Yours in Christ,
Jamie (Jesus’ favorite blogger)
Was John the favorite, or was he just a bit puffed up? I guess we won’t know until we see Jesus face to face.
Some say that the book of John is the most theologically developed of the gospels.
I think that’s just funny, and friends and neighbors, the Bible has some funny things in it. I think sometimes in our piety, we fail to see the humor in and beauty of human failings, and the fact that God uses and loves us anyway.
Ok, so if you are still with me, fast-forward a few years to the books of 1, 2 & 3 John. These 3 books of John have always read like a loving grandfather to his grandchildren, humble, loving and gentle instruction. Not once is the phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved” present in these writings. What we do see is much talk about loving one another, not boasting, and not deceiving ourselves.
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves.
1 John 2:9 Anyone who claims to be in the light, but hates his brother is still in the darkness.
1 John 2:16 For everything in the world….the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world.
1 John 3:16-17 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
2 John 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.
3 John 5-6 Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love.
I see a little bit of myself in the younger John. “Allow me to enlighten you to the ways of God, because, by the way, I’m the favorite”. I pray that as I journey with God, I will see a bit of the older, wiser, mellower John in myself as well.
Other syncrobloggers speaking on love today…..
Christian Sexuality as Ritual Worship at Phil Wyman’s Square No More
Christians: choosing who to love at Mike’s Musings
Loving God, Loving others, loving self- responding to the Goddess- a feminist perspective at Eternal Echoes
Trinity by Mike Crockett
Prophet’s Passion at Adam Gonnerman’s Igneous Quill
A Love Supreme from Fernando’s Desk
What is this thing called love? at Steve’s Notes from the Underground
Love as it should pertain to us missionally? at Webb’s Stumbling into the Kingdom
Divine Eros by Handmaid Leah
Loving the Other by John Smulo
The Conjunction Between Sensuality and Spirituality by Matt Stone
The Blogger Whom Jesus Loved at Jamie’s More Than Stone
Love Them Patriots at Calacirian
I’m a better lover than I used to be… by Billy Calderwood
Young people in on love by Tim Abbot
The Art of Making
Love….and Soap at Cindy’s Tracking the Edge
Being Missional:
Love Comes Before Power by David Fisher at Be the Revolution
>
But there is a sense in which it is true, though, isn’t it?
The Pharisee who thanked God that he was not as other men are had no need to be loved by Jesus, because he kloved himself too much. The publican who said “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner” was open to receiving love.
STeve,
Absolutely….we are in big trouble if we don’t want the love of God. My point is simply that our humbleness makes us more open to both the love of God AND the ability to love others. It changes our focus from “I am the favorite”, implying that something in us makes us more worthy….to God loves me anyway-with all of my fumbling and idiocy.
Jamie … you rock the house … I love this post!!
I’m no expert on John. There are scholars who devote their entire careers to Johannine literature, so I write with a bit of fear and trembling here. Personally, I’m not convinced the “disicple whom Jesus loved” was meant to be exclusive. I tend to think it was more humility than pride. He didn’t call himself by name. That is assuming that the writer really was the apostle John.
Adam–I am no expert on John, either. In fact, I’m not an expert in much of anything.
I realize that it really may have been a stretch, however, I think the overall lesson was one that was one that I needed. I know, too, that there are some doubts about whether John DID write John.
I love this part of the bible…the mystery…the fact that we may not fully understand the complete context of who or why, and yet God continues to use it to teach us things…even when our context may be wrong….Now, that’s cool!
Sonja,
Thanks! As do you! Loved your post today on patriotism…
Great post Jamie, John is my favourite gospel- it is interesting to see the parallels you draw running alongside challenging questions for us to ponder.
Sally,
Thanks. Whether or not my exegesis is right, I think that we do need to ponder these questions. I am just listening to a sermon by Samir Selmanovic (emergent village podcast). WOW. It kind of ties into some of my thoughts about the humble stance we should take in regard to not only our brothers and sisters, but more importantly…the world at large.
Samir makes the statement…
“Seeing Christianity as idolatry makes you want to run to the Gospel.”
Perhaps John, as Adam pointed out, wasn’t being prideful. But that can’t be said of many christians. We bear our Christianity as a weapon to be brandished at unbelievers…..
Yeah…
me too.
Good stuff.
:-)
How often do we let slip that the amazing thing that happened, the great quote, the amazing answer to prayer, the beginning of a great work or vision, the triumph of faith, the miracle of provision - had something to do with us. We prayed, we came up with the idea, we were led to take the initiative that changed everything, we first said the phrase that everyone is quoting…
Do we dare to tell our own stories in such a way that the story and God’s glory get first place and our part in it takes last place?
Jamie, had to laugh. Your “I use to believe” list? I can relate to every one of them. Great post.
Hello, my name is Cindy, and I’m a recovering dork.
)
(I related word for word to your ‘used to believe’ part.
Great post, as usual
Interesting post, humility before all and always, St. John was Jesus’ cousin and St. John was but a teenager when Jesus was crucified and rose again. Heady happenings for a young man. Icons show him dictating his Gospels with his disciple Prochorus, perhaps it was he, who referred to St. John as the disciple who Christ loved. What we do know through the tradition preserved in the church “from ancient times the Gospels according to John were called enspirited, in it in comparison with the other three they preeminently contain the sermons of the Lord regarding the deepest truths on faith - on the embodiment of the Son of God, on the Maker, on the redemption of mankind, on spiritual rebirth, on the grace of the Holy Ghost and on Communion. From the first words of the Gospel, John elevates the thoughts of the faithful on the height of the godly emanation of the Son of God from the Father: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Apostle John expresses the aim of his Gospel thus: .”.these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31).” He preached love as you so rightly point out, and that as long as we love one another, we have fulfilled Christ’s commandment.
St. John the Beloved Disciple, pray to God for us!
With love in Christ,
the handmaid,
Mary-Leah
Tim–
I think your challenge is probably more difficult to achieve than we realize. We live in a society that praises hard work, doing the right thing and pulling ourselves up by our boot straps. I think, for me, to be able to give God the Glory He deserves is more challenging than I realize….
Webb and Cindy, the dork–
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one
Wow - killer post.
Jamie, ditto to everything on the “Things I Used to Believe” list. Number 5 on the list reminded me of something we were encouraged to do in church growing up - replace “the world” in John 3:16 with our own name. “For God so loved Rachel that he sent his only son…” Hurrah - it’s really all about me!