The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved
Starting off, have you ever wondered if you would have recognized Jesus of Nazareth as the Son of God had you been alive during his mortal ministry?
For many years, faithful Israelites, had waited and prayed for the promised Messiah. When they met Him, How did they know that He was the promised One? The answer is the same way that all of us have come to know the Savior. We all had to "come and see." We read about him in the scriptures, hear his doctrine, and observe the way that He lived. We feel His spirit. We discover along the way that the Savior knows us and loves us and wants to prepare us to receive "greater things."
Who is this disciple that declares that he is "Whom Jesus loved." It is John. John was a disciple of John the Baptist. Later on, he became one of the first followers of Jesus Christ and one of His Twelve Apostles. He wrote the Gospel of John, several epistles, and the Book of Revelation. He also referred to himself as the "other disciple."
From John we learn that Jesus was in the beginning, "the Word." and He was with God. We learn right off the bat that Jesus existed in the beginning. He was with God and existed before His mortal life. We realize that He was chosen as our Savior from the beginning.
It was John the Baptist that inspired John to follow Jesus Christ. John the Baptist declared that he was sent to bear witness of the true Light. He told John the Beloved that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and John followed Him.
We learn from John that all things were made by Jesus Christ. That he was there from the beginning. That there is nothing on this earth that He did not make. We learn that Jesus Christ is the Life and LIght of Men. That He came into the world, and the world perceived Him not.
John the Beloved also bears witness of John the Baptist, who he was and his role. John the Baptist was not the Light, but he helped prepare others so that they would be ready to receive the Light when He came. Jesus Christ is that Light, and He is the Light that lightest every man who comes into the world.
A line that really stands out to me is that "the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and they received Him not." But, those that did receive Him, he gave them power to become the sons and daughters of God.
John tells us that he was born, not of blood or the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. That Jesus Christ was made flesh, and dwelt among us. He is the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
No man has seen God unless he has borne record of the Son, because it is only through Him that we can be saved.
I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know it through both the scriptures and through my own personal testimony through the power of the Holy Ghost. He fulfills all Old Testament prophecies. I have know that Jesus is the Christ since I was a small child. I remember times when I was scared or lost and needed help that I prayed and He answered me. He let me know in my mind where I needed to go and what I needed to do. When I was afraid, he impressed my mother to come home to reassure me. And as simple as it may sound, as a child He even helped me to find my missing socks. I would pray, and He would inspire me to know where to look, I was led straight to the missing sock.
There are so many different experiences that I have had to know that not only is Jesus the Christ, but that He is very aware of me. He is aware of all of us.
I will always remember the day I was baptized. It was a wonderful day and I was with people who loved me. What I will remember the most though, was the feeling that came over me as I was being confirmed a member of the church. I literally felt I was being filled with light. And I felt this warmth fill my entire being. I knew that I had taken upon myself the name of Jesus Christ, that the covenants that I had just made were real, and that God was pleased with me. There was no room for doubt, the spirit was so strong.
John also teaches us that through Jesus Christ, we have the power to become a son or daughter of God. All those who receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ become His sons and daughters. In Romans 8:14-18 we are taught that as many are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons and daughters of God. The Spirit itself bears witness to our spirits that we are the children of God. We learn that if we are children of God, then we are also heirs of God, jointd-heirs with Christ. We are also told that the suffering that we are going through is nothing compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us.
He also learn that God the Father bears record of His Son. Which is just another way that we can know that Jesus is the Christ. Matt 3:17 God the Father declares that Jesus is his Beloved Son. Matt 17:5 We learn of a bright cloud overshadowing them and all heard a voice declare "This is my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him." For those who read the Book of Mormon, we also know of a third witness that God the Father bore record of His son. When the resurrected Lord visited the Americas, the same thing happened. God the Father stated " Behold, my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name-hear ye him." And then we have Joseph Smith's account, where he is introduced to Jesus the same way, by God the Father.
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