The Bible Said What?Sample

The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved

The author of the gospel of John was believed to be the John who was one of the first disciples to be called by Jesus. Although his name is mentioned in the other three gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it’s not actually mentioned in the gospel of John. Instead, he refers to himself in the third person with the nickname “The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved.” In other translations he’s also been called “The Beloved Disciple.”

So, why didn’t John mention his own name? Was he egocentric in referring to himself as someone Jesus loved? Does this mean that Jesus loved John the best and had a second-level love for the other 11 disciples? Something to note is that John didn’t just refer to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” he also plainly referred to himself in the third person. In John 20, he just called himself “the other disciple.”  We won’t know for sure, but scholars and theologians have some insights about John’s choices. 

First of all, the fact that John’s actual name isn’t mentioned in the entire book of John might lead us to recognize his desire for anonymity. That he truly didn’t want people to focus on him but on the Savior of the world and what He’s done for humanity. If John’s desire was to truly be as anonymous as possible, then the nickname “the disciple whom Jesus loved” would line up with that thinking. People throughout the ages may have wondered who the author of John was, and if that’s the case, then his goal was achieved. 

Secondly, how John referred to himself in his culture more than likely doesn’t come across the same in our cultures. When he calls himself “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” he may have been just emphasizing the life-changing power of Jesus and how He changed his life. Look at it this way: that nickname would be similar to us giving ourselves a nickname that talked of God’s love for us like “favored by God” or “cherished by God.” Or, we might even call ourselves a “child of God,” but we certainly don’t mean that others aren’t favored, cherished, or children of God. 

Ultimately, we can know that Jesus loves every single human on the planet. He came to earth, died a death that we deserved, and rose from the grave so that we could experience and enjoy eternity with our Father in heaven.