John an Apostle; son of Zebedee and brother of James; known as St. John the Evangelist or St. John the Divine. He is traditionally credited with having written the fourth Gospel, Revelation, and three epistles of the New Testament. • the fourth Gospel.
The book of John was written by the Apostle John, known as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He wrote this letter to Jews and believers around AD 80-85. Some major themes include salvation through Christ, the end of the age, and eternal love for all.
John is one of my favorite gospels to read because it is written from a man who understood God’s love in a very real way. The other three gospels give us a beautiful account of Christ’s life on earth, but John writes in a way that inspires us to know Jesus’ love the way he did.
John was one of Jesus’ disciples. He walked with Him. He saw His miracles firsthand. He listened to His teaching. And He experienced the love of Christ daily.
“The disciple Jesus loved was sitting next to Jesus at the table.” John 13:23
When John describes himself as “the disciple Jesus loved” he isn’t saying that Jesus loved him more than any of the other disciples. John actually wrote this book anonymously—we only know through Biblical study who the author is. And because he wrote this for all people, we know that he wanted the reader to put themselves in his shoes. He wanted us to adopt the name, “the one Jesus loves,” for ourselves.
You are the one Jesus loves.
I am the one Jesus loves.
We are the ones Jesus loves.
When we become aware of the love God has for us—it changes everything about us. God’s love is so powerful that the weight of shame, discouragement, depression, loneliness, and fear fall in His presence.
When you see yourself as God does—as one who is loved, adored, and cherished by Him—you will learn to live in complete freedom.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36 (NIV)
Love frees us. It allows us to live, fully accepted, as who we are today. We don’t need to change a thing—we are completely loved. Just as we are.
John ends his gospel with one of my favorite verses in the whole Bible. After writing this book on the account of Jesus’ many miracles on earth, John says, “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25, NLT)
This was true of John—and it is true for you and me. God has done so much good in our lives, we could never even remember it all to write it down. God’s love is so vast, there isn’t enough paper in the world to contain it.
Remember—you are the one Jesus loves.
I am the one Jesus loves.
We are the ones Jesus loves.
Let’s live in that love today.
XO-
Sabrina