Have you ever thought about how John became “John, the beloved”?
While hanging on the cross, Jesus turned to His mother Mary and said, “Woman, here is your son,” and said to John, “Here is your mother” (see John 19:26-27).
I always used to wonder why Jesus said that to John. Why not Peter or the other 10 or any of the 72 who followed Him? Why John?
I remember laying on a yoga mat on the floor of my hotel room years ago when the Holy Spirit began to speak to me about John. He began to speak about intimacy. John had a deep intimacy with Jesus. In John 13, the bible talks about John laying his head on Jesus’ chest. There was an intimacy and brotherhood that gave John permission to get that close to Jesus.
I began to long for this same intimacy with Jesus and continued to wonder why John was the one Jesus trusted with His mother after He died. It was on that floor that the Holy Spirit began to reveal the truth of identity to me.
John knew the truth of His identity because He first knew the truth of Jesus’ identity. Because John knew whose He was, He then knew who He was and could open up his heart to receive the love of Jesus.
John loved himself the way that Jesus loved him. Jesus knew this and therefore knew that John could be entrusted with His mother.
It is only by receiving our identities as sons and daughters of glory that we can truly love like Jesus loved. It is only by receiving that we can truly give.
Once we begin to understand the fullness of who He is, we can then understand how He loves us and then love others out of an overflow of the love He has for us. In loving ourselves, we have the capacity to love others with the love of Father God.
It is not what we do that defines us. It is God’s perfect love that tells us who we are.
For more on this Spirit-filled topic, listen to Kingdom Family Talks on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
