One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved,
was reclining at table close to Jesus (Jn 13:23)
We see John always in the
inner circle of Jesus with Peter and James. Though we don’t know the chemistry
of this companionship, we see John as the one who always claims himself as the
beloved disciple of Jesus. Whether Jesus has a partiality among his disciple is
questionable. Rather, John is believed to be the youngest of the disciples and Jesus may have a special concern towards him.
John is the one who followed
Jesus with Andrew and was the son of Zebedee and the brother of James. Jesus
calls him and his brother, the sons of thunder. The voice of this thunder can
be heard in the writings of St. John in proclaiming the divine mystery of
incarnation- the love of God made flesh and dwelt among us. He has contributed five
books in the New Testament and says the world itself could not contain the
books that would be written if every act of Jesus to be written.
John has seen the glory of
Jesus in the Mount Tabor and witnessing this glory to others by saying ‘we have
seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and
truth’. He was reckoned worthy to recline on the breast of the Lord, listening
his heartbeat. It would be beating a
little faster as the physical departure is always painful and the betrayal of
his own disciple is on the way. As he heard the heartbeat of his
Lord while reclining to him how can he be away from him at the moment of Jesus’
passion. He was the only disciple who followed Jesus and witnessed crucifixion
with Mary and other women.
The true disciple always can
hear the heartbeat of Jesus. They can see the
world with that sound in his or her ear. Every Eucharist also calls us to recline to his breast
like a child at his mother’s breast feeling freedom from all tension. In Jesus
we find physically a place to lean on, to feel safe and secure at every life
situation. Let us lean on to him and find the true meaning of love in him like John the Apostle.
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