This morning I will be teaching from John 13.21-38. It is the the Johannine version of the Last Supper with Jesus predicting his betrayal and the character known as the Beloved Disciple becoming a prominent figure for the rest of the story. In this passage everyone but the Beloved Disciple panics when Jesus says he will be betrayed. What is amazing is the the Beloved doesn’t know if it is him, but that doesn’t matter. He remains close to Christ. He is asked by the great disciple Peter to ask Jesus who it is. The Beloved Disciple is close enough to Christ to be able to ask him. In the midst of turmoil, the Beloved Disciple is comforted because he is loved by Christ, not because of any merit of his own.

One man who knew this concept well was Henri Nouwen. Oddly enough, I came across some sermons he gave on being the beloved. There are eight parts that can be found here (the first one is embedded below). I recommend these wonderful talks by a man whose humility and identity of Christ shone a bright light into our world.