Whom Jesus Loves

Tuesday, 3rd March 2026 

Yesterday morning, in my enthusiasm to release my blog entry before making my way up to JB, I had made a claim about the word "disciple" not appearing in the epistles without first verifying it.  Had this been shown to be otherwise, I would have lost whatever (little) was left of my credibility haha.

Today, after doing the morning devo, I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to do a Google AI search, and voila!

The word "disciple" (mathetes) is absent from the Epistles because it specifically described followers in Jesus’s earthly ministry (Gospels) or early church formation (Acts). Post-resurrection, the church was established, shifting the focus from "learning/following" to being "in Christ," with new covenant identities like "saints," "brethren," and "believers" taking precedence. 

Key reasons for the shift in terminology:

• A New Reality: The Epistles address a post-Pentecost, "in-Christ" reality where believers are joined to Him, making "student/teacher" language (disciple/rabbi) insufficient.
• Identity Shift: The focus moved from followers of a teacher to being members of Christ's body. The term "saint" (holy one) or "brother/sister" (adelphoi) better reflects this new, intimate relationship.
• "Disciple" as Foundational: The term "disciple" was mostly used in the Gospels and Acts to describe those following Jesus or the Apostles, a period when the church was being built on that foundation.
• Synonymous with Christian: In Acts, "disciple" was used interchangeably with "Christian." As the church grew, "Christian" became the more common, widespread identifier. 

While the term is absent, the reality of making followers of Jesus remains in the Epistles through teaching and mentorship. 

Having settled my heart about the above, God then brought to mind the phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved", and how John was so "thick-skinned" to refer it to himself in his own Gospel.  

Yes, readers, I have verified this :-)

The disciple whom Jesus loved is widely identified by tradition and biblical scholars as the Apostle John, one of the twelve disciples and author of the Gospel of John. He is depicted as having a close, personal relationship with Jesus, reclining next to him at the Last Supper and standing at the foot of the cross.

Key details regarding this title:

Context: The phrase appears only in the Gospel of John (13:23, 19:26, 20:2, 21:7, 21:20).

Ps Prince has preached a sermon explaining the above by contrasting Peter and John.  Peter boasted about his love for Jesus, even claiming that, as recorded in Mt 26:33, "If all these others fail you, I will not". John, on the other, boasted about Jesus' love for him.   In other words, Peter proclaimed his love for Jesus, John proclaimed Jesus' love for him.  The former's focus was on himself, the latter's focus was on Jesus.

So what lessons can we draw from the above, keeping in mind that we are now "sons and daughters" rather than "disciples"?

We proclaim that we are a child whom Jesus loves :-)

And fellow NewCreationers, we are so very blessed, because every single word of the lyrics of the following song entitled Whom Jesus Loves (hence the title of today's post) is from the very Holy of Holies.

Note how the lyricist uses the word "child" in place of "disciple".  Did he depart from Scripture? Not at all. He had rightly divided the word because John used that phrase containing that word in his gospel, but not once in his 3 epistles nor in the book of Revelations.

In 3 Jn 1:2, he said "Beloved, I pray you to prosper concerning all things and to be in good health, just as your soul prospers."

And the lyricist used that word "beloved" in the song too!

I'm a child, whom Jesus loves
Embraced by God above
In mountains high and valleys deep
I lean upon, Your love for me

On Calvary, You took my sin
My soul, my life, set free
I am the righteousness of God
In Christ, I live forevermore

Your promises are certain
You love me to the end
You're with me in the fire
But You won't leave me there
Your miracles unfolding
And blessings undeserved
'Cause I am Your beloved
The child whom Jesus loves

Speaking of rightly dividing the word, I have lots and lots to share about that, so stay tuned!