The Effects of Love

"When Jesus saw... the disciple whom he loved standing nearby..." ~ John 19:26

The "disciple whom [Jesus] loved" is generally agreed to be the apostle John. He was one of the inner three disciples who enjoyed a special relationship with Jesus. When Jesus saw John in the above verse He was hanging on the cross. I think it is interesting that he was the only disciple who did not flee when Jesus was arrested and he refers to himself as "the disciple whom [Jesus] loved". Did John think that Jesus did not love the other disciples? I doubt it. Did the other disciples not know that Jesus loved them? Probably not. However, it seems that John understood the love of Jesus much more deeply than the rest of the disciples and it affected him greatly. It gave him the courage to stand at the foot of the cross when most others had fled.

It is a good week to think about this love and the powerful effect it has. May we all be compelled by such "perfect love" that "drives out fear" (I John 4:18).

By His Grace,
Taylor