March 28th, 2025 - “The Beloved Disciple”

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. (John 19:25-27 – 25 )

The scene at the crucifixion, no matter which Gospel you study, is primarily one of darkness and desolation, and understandably so. The Romans were very efficient in carrying out this form of execution, and the suffering those condemned went through and the bodies on the crosses served as a great deterrent for those who might defy the state. The sadness is palpable.

But this scene is a little different, a tender albeit sad moment where Jesus interacts with his mother, “with the disciple whom he loved standing nearby.” A brief break in the terror of the moment.

It has always bothered me a little bit that John referred to himself in this fashion, “the disciple Jesus loved.” Didn’t He love all his disciples, for that matter? Did John think he was something special and wanted to brag about it? He actually wrote about himself in the third person that way! But the love of Jesus is so overwhelming, so complete, that I can’t help but believe that perhaps John was reveling in the remarkable nature of that love every time he wrote that phrase. Perhaps it is almost a “can you believe this— I am a disciple whom Jesus loves and I really know it and don’t deserve it! There is nothing like this!”

Let’s consider some of the traits of a “beloved disciple” demonstrated in these verses. Or perhaps more important, how does a beloved disciple respond to this kind of love? I think John provides us with a couple of clues.

First of all, look at where we are in the narrative. It appears that many have deserted Jesus, and at this point there are just a few women there, including his mother Mary, and John. Everybody else, for whatever reasons, has scattered. So one trait of a beloved disciple is that he or she is faithful, stays with Jesus through thick and thin, or said differently, stays through both life giving ministry and death. John had seen it all— the miracles, the teaching, the rising resentment toward this itinerant rabbi— but he was there. Still there. Maybe many others were gone, deserted, but John was there.

Maybe we need to ask— are we still there? Are we willing to trust Him, stay with Him even when circumstances seem to be spiraling out of control and headed for a bad conclusion?

One other major thing happens in these brief verses, too. Jesus, as always, is thinking of others and he is concerned about his beloved mom as he is dying. So he makes the commendation to Mary and to John, “woman, behold your son,” and to the disciple “here is your mother.”

Jesus will no longer be walking on earth in his mortal body, so he makes plans for someone to help look after Mary after he is gone, and points to John as the one to fill that role. This is no small thing, particularly in this first century world, but look at John’s reaction. He doesn’t push back or waffle or question, but “from that time one the disciple took her into his home.” Mary and John obviously knew one another well and he was obedient to the request by Jesus, no matter what it would take.

Maybe that is another trait of a beloved disciple, and one which can be challenging for us on several levels. Obedience can seem difficult and somewhat onerous, even burdensome. Burdensome (actually “barys” in the Greek) is a word that John uses frequently elsewhere in his writing, which really literally means heavy or weighing down. Sometimes that is how we view obedience.

But “when obedience is driven by love, it loses its burden,” says Dr. Tony Evans, which I find to be a powerful statement. John’s obedience to Jesus here, I believe, is driven by love and therefore was not a burden.

Christ’s obedience to the Father’s will, something He had prayed about and asked him to take “this cup” from Him if possible, was the same. His obedience was driven by love. What about us?

As for the beloved disciple, there was a lot more in front of him. Yes, he took care of Mary after this and also ministered and wrote extensively, encouraging the fledgling church. And then he was given the great gift to see something that no person had ever seen before and write about it to preserve it for us, and that is the book of Revelation.

So may our reaction to being “beloved disciples” be one of consistency— let’s stay there, abide with Him— and obedience. Because when obedience is driven by love, it is loses its burden.

—Rick Strunk