BELOVED DISCIPLE

The Apostle John wrote the gospel that bears his name around 85 A.D. Though we can't be sure of exact dates, it appears that when John penned his remembrances of his time with Jesus, the other gospels written by Matthew, Mark and Luke had probably been in existence and widely circulated among the early church for about 20 years. The three synoptic gospels were accurate accounts of Jesus' life and ministry with which the Apostle John heartily concurred.

So, why after more than 20 years, did the aged apostle feel compelled to add his own version to them? He tells us in chapter 20, verse 31: 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.

In the waning years of the first century, a form of gnostic teaching was spreading throughout the Christian community that said Jesus was not THE Christ - the long promised Messiah. Its proponents taught that Jesus was not the Son of God but was the biological son of Joseph and Mary of Nazareth and was a man more righteous and wise than others of his day. They said that THE CHRIST had descended upon Him at His baptism and departed from Him as He hung on the cross. These gnostics called themselves Christians and their teaching had just enough "truth" mixed in with it that it had begun to lure many believers away from true faith.

The apostle John was so grieved by this heresy that he was compelled to put pen to paper under the direction of the Holy Spirit so that there would be no question that Jesus was truly the Son of God - THE Christ!

At the time John wrote, Jesus (in bodily form) had been gone from this earth for more than 50 years. Yet, the passage of time had not diminished the apostle's memory of the time he spent with Him. He remembered

• the One who was absolutely good and without sin
• the One who was completely unselfish; who never was hasty, thoughtless or unkind
• the One who treated all men alike; rich and poor, powerful and weak, friend or foe
• the One who could turn water to wine
• the One who multiplied a tiny bit of fish and bread to feed thousands
• the One who could quiet raging winds and billowing waves with a single word
• the One who was humble and holy, loving and lowly, patient and pure
• the One who had command over demons, disease, and even death
• the One who was never deceived, never discouraged, never dismayed

John knew WHO Jesus was - and he wanted the world to know as well.

John knew who Jesus was AND he knew who he was in Christ. When John wrote his gospel, he identified himself as "the disciple Jesus loved." Has it ever occurred to you that only John referred to himself in that manner? Matthew never called John "the beloved disciple." Neither did Mark. Neither did Luke. Neither did Peter. Neither did Paul.

Yet, John felt so confident and secure in Jesus' love - even after more than 50 years - that he identified himself as "the disciple Jesus loved."

How do you identify yourself, sweet sister? Do you look at yourself and see a disciple that Jesus loves? How confident and secure in Jesus' love are you? I've been asking myself all week: If I truly saw myself first and foremost as a beloved disciple, how would that make a difference in the way I live?

You see, when we are utterly CONVINCED that we are loved ourselves, it frees us to love others. That's why John was able to write: And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:16