The Disciple whom Jesus loved is a term used 6 times in the Gospel of John, describing a diciple who Jesus loved in a different way then the others. According To John 21:24, the Gospel of John is based on the written testimony of this disciple. this disciple is not mentioned in any other New Testament accounts of Jesus. Later at the crucifixion, Jesus tells his mother, "Woman, here is your son", and to the disciple whom he loved he says, "Here is your mother."
Theorized Identities[]
John The Apostle[]
The closing words of the Gospel of John state explicitly concerning the beloved disciple that "It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true."
Eusebius, writing in the fourth century, recorded in his Church History a letter which he believed to have been written by Polycrates of Ephesus (c. 130s–196) in the second century. Polycrates believed that John was the one "who reclined upon the bosom of the Lord", suggesting an identification with the beloved disciple.
The assumption that the beloved disciple was one of the Apostles is based on the observation that he was apparently present at the Last Supper, and Matthew and Mark state that Jesus ate with the Twelve. Thus, the most frequent identification is with John the Apostle, who would then be the same as John the Evangelist. Merril F. Unger presents a case for this by a process of elimination.
James, The Brother of Jesus[]
James D. Tabor argues that the beloved disciple is James, brother of Jesus (the type of relative to Jesus, brother or cousin, depends on how one translates the word). One of several pieces of evidence Tabor offers is a literal interpretation of John 19:26: "Then when Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, Woman, behold your son." However, elsewhere in the Gospel, the beloved disciple refers to the risen Jesus as "the Lord" rather than as "my brother".
Tabor also cites a passage of Jesus referring to James as "my beloved" (twice) in the 2nd century apocryphal Second Apocalypse of James as indicating James to be the beloved disciple. This passage reads:
And Jesus kissed my mouth. He took hold of me saying: 'My beloved! Behold, I shall reveal to you those things that the heavens nor the angels have known. Behold, I shall reveal to you everything, my beloved. Behold, I shall reveal to you what is hidden. But now, stretch out your hand. Now, take hold of me'.
Trivia[]
- It is this disciple who, while reclining beside Jesus at the Last Supper, asks Jesus who it is that will betray him, after being requested by Peter to do so.
- When Mary Magdalene discovers the empty tomb, she runs to tell the disciple whom Jesus loved and Peter. The two men rush to the empty tomb and the beloved disciple is the first to reach it. However, Peter is the first to enter.
- It is unknown what's the reason to why this disciple's name is never told. it is often thought that the reason for his identity being obscured so readers may better identify with the disciple and his loving relationship with Jesus.
- In John 21, the last chapter of the Gospel of John, the beloved disciple is one of seven fishermen involved in the miraculous catch of 153 fish.
- Also in the book's final chapter, after Jesus implies the manner in which Peter will die, Peter sees the disciple whom he loved following them and asks, "What about him?" Jesus answers, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."
- The other Gospels do not mention anyone in parallel circumstances who could be directly linked to the disciple whom Jesus loved. For example, in Luke 24:12, Peter runs to the tomb. Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not mention any one of the 12 disciples having witnessed the crucifixion.
- The "Different Love" Jesus Feels Towards The Disciple Whom He Loves Is ἠγάπα (Agape Love). it is often debated whether Jesus's "Different Love" Reffers To Divine Love or Attraction(Romantic or Sexual, The First More Likely). Though some may claim that agape is used only as divine love, this claim cannot be supported in the Bible or more in precisely the LXX (Septuagint). In the story of The Rape of Tamar by her brother Amnon in 2 Samuel 13, we are told in 13: 1 that “… καὶ ἠγάπησεν αὐτὴν αμνων υἱὸς δαυιδ.” (“and Amnon the son of David loved (agaped) her”). Here agape is used for the love of attraction(in this case, lust) which would finally lead to rape. Thus, likewise, Jesus’ love for this one special disciple could be attraction.