Ahhh! Nice. I hadn’t thought about John’s self-described name. He himself understood himself as the one who was ‘loved’ by Jesus. Certainly, he felt like Jesus loved him.
I loved reading this. I have previously noticed the emotional dimension in John but had never compared Jesus's emotional expressions as detailed in John to those in the other Gospels.
As an aside, Luke has also seemed a rather emotional Gospel to me, but more due to other people's reactions to Jesus. However, I may just have this impression from little things like his inclusion of Mary's perspective, which has been incredibly meaningful to me as a woman and a mother. (So maybe I just connect better with Luke's Gospel?)
YES to this whole thing! I've done a little musing/blogging on God liking us, but it wasn't until I studied the story of Simon Peter that I discovered this:
"Luke says, 'Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him…' (Lk 9:18), which is a weird sentence if you think about it. It might, though, remind us a bit of Matthew’s saying, 'Jesus withdrew privately to a solitary place,' when we know the disciples were in the boat, too. Apparently, Jesus and the Twelve are so tight at this point that Jesus feels relaxed with them. They often get portrayed as a bunch of buffoons, but evidently they are not a drain on his energy. It sounds like they are a support, and for him, being with them is as good as “being in private.” He feels free to speak to his Father even when they’re around." (From upcoming book.)
I love the idea of Jesus liking to be with people. I'm an introvert but I'm also an Enneagram 2 (I guess), so I really really like people also.
Thanks, Jenn! It is odd: I posted a question on Facebook about whether people thought about the topic and many had not. We almost seem to imagine Jesus as white-knuckling his way through love toward us. But I’m really not convinced. I actually think he liked people—even if sometimes he was just a little annoyed 😒
I loved this!! Thanks so much for this teaching. It makes me want to invite friends over to enjoy and recline. And challenges me to make room for those I may not enjoy so much. I love seeing this side of Jesus and his friendships.
Thanks A.J. for helping me to understand the heart of Jesus! The thought, "loving someone does not necessarily require that we enjoy someone" is so true. I have a few people in my life that Jesus gives me a supernatural patience towards, unexplainable really, because He wants them to be loved!
I think that John, being the disciple “Whom Jesus loved “. Would have a keen perspective on the emotions of Jesus!
Ahhh! Nice. I hadn’t thought about John’s self-described name. He himself understood himself as the one who was ‘loved’ by Jesus. Certainly, he felt like Jesus loved him.
I loved reading this. I have previously noticed the emotional dimension in John but had never compared Jesus's emotional expressions as detailed in John to those in the other Gospels.
As an aside, Luke has also seemed a rather emotional Gospel to me, but more due to other people's reactions to Jesus. However, I may just have this impression from little things like his inclusion of Mary's perspective, which has been incredibly meaningful to me as a woman and a mother. (So maybe I just connect better with Luke's Gospel?)
Great connection with Luke’s portrayal of people’s emotional response to Jesus.
Praying for you, A.J. Thank you for this illuminating content!
YES to this whole thing! I've done a little musing/blogging on God liking us, but it wasn't until I studied the story of Simon Peter that I discovered this:
"Luke says, 'Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him…' (Lk 9:18), which is a weird sentence if you think about it. It might, though, remind us a bit of Matthew’s saying, 'Jesus withdrew privately to a solitary place,' when we know the disciples were in the boat, too. Apparently, Jesus and the Twelve are so tight at this point that Jesus feels relaxed with them. They often get portrayed as a bunch of buffoons, but evidently they are not a drain on his energy. It sounds like they are a support, and for him, being with them is as good as “being in private.” He feels free to speak to his Father even when they’re around." (From upcoming book.)
I love the idea of Jesus liking to be with people. I'm an introvert but I'm also an Enneagram 2 (I guess), so I really really like people also.
Thanks, Jenn! It is odd: I posted a question on Facebook about whether people thought about the topic and many had not. We almost seem to imagine Jesus as white-knuckling his way through love toward us. But I’m really not convinced. I actually think he liked people—even if sometimes he was just a little annoyed 😒
Yes, I agree. I’ll have to join your facebook group I think!
I loved this!! Thanks so much for this teaching. It makes me want to invite friends over to enjoy and recline. And challenges me to make room for those I may not enjoy so much. I love seeing this side of Jesus and his friendships.
We need this reminder! God does actually like us!
I’m studying John’s gospel currently. I think I need to add Voorwinde to my reading list!
Thanks A.J. for helping me to understand the heart of Jesus! The thought, "loving someone does not necessarily require that we enjoy someone" is so true. I have a few people in my life that Jesus gives me a supernatural patience towards, unexplainable really, because He wants them to be loved!