John the Apostle is called in Scripture the one “whom [Jesus] loved.”
Interesting that Scripture would refer to one in particular as holding such a special place in Jesus’ heart.
Even more interesting is that it’s only in one of the gospels that deems John so special, and it just so happens the author of that gospel is John, himself.
So, was it true that Jesus really favored John over all the others? Or was it that John felt so loved by the Lord that he referred to himself in such a way? I suspect the latter.
I have six kids; they’re all grown now, but for years I’ve whispered in the ear of each of them, “You’re my favorite.”
It was always fun to watch their facial expression when they heard my whisper. They knew I loved all my children and tried to treat them all fairly and equally, but they were still gladdened by the words from their dad that he favored them. I even once wrote them a song called My Favorite and sang it to them in a backyard family concert.
Something many don’t realize about favor is that it doesn’t have to be competitive. Jesus loved all His disciples, yet John felt it firsthand so strongly that in his writings he called himself the one whom He loved, as if he were the only one. I told each of my kids they were my favorite and I meant it every single time. God’s favor reaches to all who will believe in Christ. In Him there is neither male nor female, Jew nor Greek, slave nor free…Yet His love is so powerful that each of us feels kind of like it’s all for us. And it is.
Of course, there is the feeling many have that they aren’t favored by God. It needs to be clarified for everyone that you are God’s favorite. You’re the one He loves. John was one of many Jesus loved, and you and I are each one of millions. The point is that, as St. Augustine said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.”
The next question, having established that we are favored by God, is what we’re going to do with that favor. John wrote one of the four canonical Gospels, three canonized epistles and the book of Revelation, all while taking the good news about Jesus to the first century region of the Mediterranean. The grace-filled love of God may be the most motivating force that can enter the human heart. So how about we start thinking about what we’re going to do with that force. And if we don’t know how to begin, we start by telling people that we’re God’s favorites and they are, too.
