You’re My Favourite
John 13:23 (NIV)
“One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.”
John 20:2(NIV)
“So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
We named our second born John, after Larry’s father who sadly had died before we got married. We have four wonderful children, the two sons I have mentioned this week plus two beautiful daughters, Rachel and Amy.
On first reading it sounds as if John regarded himself as Jesus’ favourite disciple (nicknamed the ‘Beloved Disciple’). Much more likely, rather than boost his own ego, John is emphasising God’s love for him and how it has transformed his life. Jesus clearly loved all his disciples: he washed their feet on the night he was betrayed – even Judas’ feet – his betrayer.
We, like most parents, love all our children equally. But that doesn’t mean that we love our children, or indeed close friends, in identical ways. I remember many years ago Juan Carlos Ortiz, preaching at our church about tolerance, explaining how our God loved us in different ways. He likened it to an earthly family where maybe one child liked tennis – so the parents played tennis with them. And another child liked playing the violin – so the parents played music together, and so on…
Sadly some children do experience the wrong side of favouritism and even abuse, and this can have a deep effect on their lives. Sometimes people find it difficult to love God because of their childhood experience and hence have a distorted view of fatherhood. The truth is that God doesn’t have favourites: we are all loved children of God. Our experience is that he blesses us in different wonderful ways.
Prayer — Dear father God, thank for making us as we are, made in your image. Thank you for making us individuals with our own characters, likes and dislikes. Help us to celebrate and enjoy those differences and forgive us when we show bias or favouritism. We pray for those who have been hurt through favouritism or abuse – help us to show your love to them – give us the words to say and the right actions to take.