Made Bold
“One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, ‘Ask him which one he means.’
Leaning back against Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’”
John 13:23-25
Picture this scene in your mind. It is the Last Supper. Jesus and His disciples are gathered around the table, celebrating the Passover meal. Jesus has just announced that one of the disciples will betray Him. And the disciples are horrified, each afraid that Jesus could be referring to him.
John, ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved,’ is reclining next to Jesus. Notice the intimacy of the moment when John leans back against Jesus; John’s head on His chest, his ear is pressed up against the very heart of God.
In less than 24 hours, when Jesus is crucified, John is the only disciple witnessed at the foot of the cross. Certainly, John was just as confused about Jesus’s death and just as scared for his life as the rest of the disciples. But John had the irrational boldness of a man who was convinced that he is loved.
Mary and John are some of the first people to be transformed by the love of Jesus, but many others would soon follow. We see a dramatic change in the criminal dying beside Jesus, the Centurion standing guard over Him during the crucifixion, and the two Pharisees publicly retrieving His body for burial. After His resurrection on Easter morning and ascension forty days later, the ragtag band of followers who previously looked so hopeless explode onto the scene with a power and determination that shakes the world. Touched by the love of Jesus, humankind is forever changed.
We are His beloved people and made for just such as time as this, to take His love with us into a world that is desperate for it.
Questions:
Are you convinced that God loves you? How does knowing you are loved change you?
What have you learned about experiencing a deeper relationship with God? What is one step you want to take in your life, as a result of what you have learned?
Prayer:
Spend time in prayer thanking God for the ways that He shown His love to you and others this weekend. Ask for His help to return to ‘normal’ life today changed in some way from what you have experienced here.
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