Who is The Beloved Disciple?
Who is “the beloved disciple?” In the latter part of his Gospel St. John refers to “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (τὸν μαθητὴν ὃν ἐφίλει ὁ Ἰησοῦς, for you Greek scholars out there). We might be excused for wondering exactly who that is. Presumably, Jesus loved all his disciples. And John doesn’t identify this “disciple whom Jesus loved” until the penultimate verse of his Gospel, when he admits:
This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true. (John 21:24)
Merry Christmas, by the way. Today is the Third Day of Christmas, which is the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. And, it would seem, Beloved Disciple. So now we know who he is, but that raises the question “why?” John builds suspense in his readers (or listeners) by his elusive references to a particular disciple, which builds to a surprise climactic revelation at the very end of his Gospel. Why does he draw so much attention to himself during the most important part of Jesus’ earthly mission?
What Does it Mean?
First of all, it’s not immediately obvious what John means by “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Certainly, John enjoyed a particularly close relationship with Jesus. He is one of the three Apostles, along with Peter and James, whom Jesus often selected to join him without the others at critical moments. For instance, only these three accompany Jesus into the house of Jairus when Christ raises the man’s young daughter from the dead (Luke 8:51). Only these three witness Jesus’ Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor (Mark 9:2) or his Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37). And, of these three, it is John who “was lying close to the breast of Jesus” at the Last Supper (John 13:23).
That still doesn’t tell us why the Evangelist even mentions it, let alone insert references to the beloved disciple into his narrative in such a way that he clearly wants us to mark it as important. Scripture (through the mouth of St. Paul) tells us:
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Clearly, the mere fact that Jesus loved the Evangelist, however true it might be, doesn’t warrant the prominence it receives. No, John has meticulously crafted his Gospel narrative. He’s not going to wreck it just to “flex” about his relationship with The Master.
Teaching, Reproof, and Training
Whatever the case may be, it seems that John isn’t interested in giving us easy answers. Many commentators have suggested that John is inviting all of us to identify as beloved disciples. They point out that John never names the disciple, or himself for that matter. As we noted above, he doesn’t identify the disciple with himself until the very end of his Gospel (I’ll have more to say about this passage below). Recall that scripture works on more than one level. According to this interpretation, John is using the literal fact of his close relationship with Jesus figuratively for the purposes of the teaching, reproof, and training that St.Paul mentions in his Second Letter to Timothy.
Let’s put that idea to the test. The first mention of a “beloved disciple” comes in chapter 13 of John’s Gospel, at the Last Supper. Jesus has just revealed that one of those gathered there would betray him.
The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. Lying back on Jesus’ chest was one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. So Simon Peter nodded to this disciple and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” He then simply leaned back on Jesus’ chest and said to Him, “Lord, who is it?” (John 13:23-25)
The next mention is at the Crucifixion, and it likewise is evidence of an extraordinary closeness between Jesus and the disciple:
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:26-27)
It is noteworthy that John was the only one of the Apostles present at the Crucifixion. The rest were hiding.
“Lord, what about this man?”
The third mention of the “disciple whom Jesus loved” is in today’s Gospel Reading. Mary Magdalene has just returned from Jesus’ tomb, and tells Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple that “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” (John 20:2). Peter and the Beloved Disciple set out to see for themselves:
They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first; and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. (John 20:4-5)
The last three mentions of the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved come in the final chapter of John’s Gospel. He is the one who first recognizes the Risen Lord after a miraculous fish catch on the Sea of Galilee (John 21:7). Next, after Peter has told Jesus three times that he loves him (thus redeeming himself for his triple denial on the night of Jesus’ trial):
Peter turned and saw following them the disciple whom Jesus loved, who had lain close to his breast at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” (John 21:20-22)
Finally, there is the passage we saw at the beginning, in which the author reveals that he himself is the Beloved Disciple, and that we should therefore trust his testimony (John 21:24).
A Man After God’s Own Heart
What are we to make of all this? Let’s start with the fact that we first see the term “Beloved Disciple” when John (presumably) “leaned back on Jesus’ chest.” That is to say, near his heart (some translations render the Greek στῆθος, stethos, literally “chest” as “heart”). Now, we noted above, Jesus loves all his disciples. But think back to King David, whom scripture describes as “a man after His [i.e., God’s] own heart.” (1 Samuel 13:14) John is also, literally and figuratively, a man after God’s own heart. God has a special place for those who return his love.
Next, we can take John’s presence at the Crucifixion a couple of different ways. We can (and should) see it as an example of God’s grace. God has given John the courage to go where none of the other Apostles dared. We might also see it as God’s favor to John because he was, first, a man after God’s own heart. He put love of Jesus first. And of course, at the foot of the cross this happens:
When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home. (John 19:26-27)
As Jesus himself said on another occasion: “ Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much.” (Luke 16:10). And in what bigger matter could Jesus ask John to be faithful than in the care of his Blessed Mother, the Arc of the New Covenant (see Revelation 11:19-12:1)?
A Follower of Jesus
Also, notice that John’s heart continues to follow the heart of Jesus, even after he follows him to the foot of the cross. We saw above that he follows (and passes) Peter on his way to Jesus’ tomb. He is following Peter and the Risen Christ again by the Sea of Galilee at the end of the Gospel. John is the model of the disciple who leans into the heart of Jesus. Like Mary the sister of Martha (see Luke 10:38), he has “chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from” him.
That might also help explain the Evangelist’s coyness in identifying the Beloved Disciple until the very end. John is our model, the type of what we should strive to be. Any of us can be beloved, if we lean into Jesus’ heart.
An Invitation
This could also explain why John would insert himself so prominently into the climactic scenes of Jesus’ story. It’s precisely because it’s not about him, it’s about us. Jesus dies on the Cross for us. And, just as St. Paul puts his personal stamp on his letters to help draw the recipients into what might otherwise seem so huge as to be unattainable, John is inviting each one of us to be the Beloved Disciple. That is, to simply lean into the heart of Jesus, and let his Love draw us on. Any and every disciple can be the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved.
Featured image top of page: detail from The Last Supper, by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1480-1486
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