The Beloved Disciple of Jesus Christ.
There are many debates and disagreements when it comes to
who is the author of the Gospel of John but when I read the Gospel of John, I
see a figure who is a beloved disciple and example for many of us.
How can we be symbolic figures of a disciple who was close
to Jesus at the Last Supper? John 13:23, ‘The disciple Jesus loved was
reclining next to Jesus.’ Can we too share in the passion of Jesus? And can we
behold the mother of God? Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing
near her, Jesus said to his mother ‘woman, this is your son.’ Then to the
disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that moment the disciple made
a place for her in his home.
St. John teaches us to believe as he believed and he
believed in the resurrection 20:8, ‘Then the other disciple who had reached the
tomb first also went in, he saw, and he believed.’ Because of his belief and
the love, trust, and confidence he shared with Jesus he has the eternal
Christian message of life, truth, love, and honesty. John 21:20:24, Peter
turned and saw the disciple Jesus loved following then, the one who had leaned
on his breast at the supper and had said to him, ‘Lord, who is it that will
betray you?’ Seeing him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘What about him, Lord?’ Jesus
answered, ‘If I want him to stay, behind till I come, what does it matter to
you? You are to follow me.’ The rumor then went out among the brothers that
this disciple would not die, Yet Jesus have not said to Peter, ‘He will not
die.’ But ‘if I want him to stay behind till, I come.’ This disciple is the one
who vouches for these things and has written them down, and we know that his
testimony is true.
John 11:25-26, Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection. If anyone
believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and
believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’
No matter what we find and what research may tell us it
comes down to what we believe and what speaks to us from reading the Gospel of
John. We all have different perspectives, and we are inspired and encouraged to
act out the word of God in different ways. I believe that there is life after
death or some spiritual existence after we die, and I believe that we can live
the best way we can while we are still alive, and Jesus supports and cheers us
on as we run our races in a hostile world. But what he commands and expects of
us all is to love one another John 15:17.
So, challenge yourselves to love yourself, love your
neighbor and love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and body.
May God Bless Always,
Written and created by Katie Robinson
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