27 December 2021
Feast of Saint John, Apostle and evangelist
Today the Church celebrates St. John, the apostle and evangelist, who is traditionally represented with an eagle in Christian iconography. John was one of the first disciples called by Jesus. The Gospel of Mark recounts Jesus’ call to John and James, his brother, as they were fishing. They are called the “sons of thunder,” which is either a comment about them or their parents! John had a prominent role in the early Church, and his status might explain the attribution of the fourth gospel narrative to him. The gospel of John comes from a different literary tradition than the other gospels. With the lectionary cycle, we only encounter short selections in our weekly or daily liturgies. I would encourage reading the Gospel from beginning to end to appreciate its literary achievement and its unique perspective of Jesus.
Our Gospel passage today points to an innovation in John’s writing. We have a reference to the “other disciple whom Jesus loved.” The disciple is not given a name, only identified by the way Jesus see this disciple. This individual could have been known to John’s community as a central link to Jesus’ ministry. The disciple is present at the last supper and at the foot of the cross with Mary. We see in our passage today that this beloved disciple runs with Peter to the tomb after Mary Magdalene tells them the tomb is empty. This beloved disciple is one of the earliest witnesses to the Resurrection. The importance of being a witness to the event of the Resurrection and Jesus’ true identity is central to John’s Gospel. It is all the more curious why this witness is never explicitly named.
While I do not know for sure why, the beloved disciple’s anonymity has a creative effect. The “beloved disciple” description leaves a space that we can occupy in prayer. We can imagine ourselves at the table of the last supper. We could place ourselves at the foot of the cross, weeping with Mary as she looks upon her son. We can wonder at God’s love to raise Jesus from the dead as we gaze upon the empty tomb. The central identifying trait is the love Jesus has for the disciple. The question is for us if we can accept Christ’s love for us. We may feel at times we are disciples of Jesus but not beloved. What John shows us today is that our loveliness in God’s eyes draws us closer to Christ. The place of the beloved disciple is one Christ invites to assume, and he gives all we need to occupy the space by giving his love first.