Five times in his Gospel, John refers to ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’. The common understanding (albeit questioned by some) is that this is the apostle John’s way of speaking of himself. Assuming that this is the case, what’s the import of this description? I think we can dismiss two suggestions straightaway: that it displays proud egotism on John’s part, or that it discloses favouritism on Jesus’ part.
One reading of the title is that Jesus, in his humanity, had a special affection for John. This perhaps because of a natural kinship in personality, or perhaps because John more quickly grasped the spiritual realities concerning his Saviour. This is not to say, however, that John received special treatment.
Yet perhaps there’s a better way of understanding the description of this disciple. Maybe it represents how captivated John was by Jesus’ love for him. John, as he wrote his Gospel, was well aware of his own failings, and to describe himself as the ‘disciple whom Jesus loved’ was an expression of modesty and humility as it reflected the awe and wonder in his heart that Jesus should ever have loved the likes of him.
