12 Days of Christmas/Day 3 (St John)

In the litergical tradition of the 12 days of Christmas, December 27th is celebrated as a day of rememberance for St John. I personally love the Gospel of John and his following letters. My belief is that many writers have an affinity for John's letters because of their poetic, emotional, and theological breadth. He has a way of taking deep concepts and making them personal in a raw, vulnerable way. It's for this reason that John is highlighted on the 3rd Day of Christmas. He stirs our sense of wonder as he makes the connection of the nativity to the revelation of Jesus being the Divine Word. Also celebrated is his close, intimate relationship to Jesus as a disciple. Remember, it is John who calls himself, "The disciple whom Jesus loved." (John 20:2)

Sadly, we miss the point when we take his declaration out of context. John is not saying that Jesus loved him more than the others. If we look at the crux of John's message throughout all of his writing, we see that he highlights the importance of remaining, or abiding, in the love of God through all that we might encounter. I believe that John had to learn the lessons of love the hard way, and in that, he never got over the fact that Jesus loved him. Why do I think that?

It was John, along with his brother James, who were called the "Sons of Thunder." This knickname was given because of their fiery, impatience when it came to dealing with people they saw as rejecting Jesus. Although they were loyal, they displayed a rather immature, zealousness in wanting to protect Jesus by calling down judgment on others. Their ambition was also on display, much to the ire of the other disciples, when they requested seats of honor around the Lord's throne. However, we see deep humility and genuine affection for others in John's later writings. The transformation that took place in this thunderous personality is truly remarkable, and can only be the result of learning to be loved by the One whose very essense is love.

Remember, "Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices in the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8, NIV) And, it was this love that John experienced first-hand from Jesus.

Subsequently, it is the Apostle John who writes, "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19). In other words, when John calls himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved" he is saying, "I'm the one that had to learn how deeply loved by God we all are, and by doing so, I became a genuine follower of Jesus."

Do you know how much God loves you?