Nouwen uses four words to describe this transformative movement of the Spirit in our lives: Taken, Blessed, Broken, and Given. Being taken, or chosen, is the basis for our being the Beloved. We’re each stamped with the image of God and chosen as His Beloved ones. As we claim our chosenness by saying “yes” to the gift of God’s grace, and live it as our truth, we come to understand we are blessed by God and called to bless others through our prayers and our presence. We continued by acknowledging our brokenness. But Christ takes our brokenness, molds us and restores us, so that we can be given. We give our lives to others, so that they, too, can find a home in being the beloved child of God.
The more I read this book, the more one man came to mind. It’s a man we meet in the New Testament. Some of you have read about him your whole life. Others will be meeting him for the first time today. His name was John. John was fueled and fed by his calling, his self-proclaimed title, as the beloved disciple. He refers to himself throughout the Gospel of John as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” Some see that as a bit prideful, “The one Jesus loved,” or “Jesus’ favorite.” But I sense there was a feeling of, “oh, how he loved me, and I did nothing to deserve it.” John was overcome by the realization that God loved Him so much that He gave him Jesus. What a gift of love.
Let me introduce you to this man. He was likely a manly man with a beard, and wore the rugged outdoorsman-look very well. But he was a softy on the inside. You wouldn’t know it from looking at him, but he was filled with so much passion and devotion that his eyes could well up with tears at the drop of a hat. He was probably one of the most loving men you would ever meet.
John grew up in northern Israel, born in a small fishing village called Bethsaida. His full name was Yohanan Ben Zavdai — meaning John, son of Zebedee - for his dad’s name was Zebedee, and his mom’s name was Salome. He had an older brother named James, and together with their father, they ran their family fishing business, catching fresh water tilapia on the Sea of Galilee. The waters had always been kind to Zebedee, yielding what he needed to be one of the most successful fishermen in Galilee. And like every dad, he hoped his boys would someday take over the business.
When John wasn’t on the lake, he was in the Bet Sharim, otherwise known as the “House of Life.” This was a small room attached to the synagogue where he learned from the Jewish Rabbi, who taught from the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, and from the Psalms. He also studied the Hebrew language, in order to read and write on his own. Little did he or his family know, John would be quite the prolific writer someday – odd for a little fisher-boy from Bethsaida.
One day, when the boys were grown men in their early twenties, they were out fishing, as they had done hundreds of days before. James and John, had heard about a prophet, who wandered in the wilderness proclaiming the Messiah was coming. Neither of these things were new to them — a prophet, a man claiming to speak on behalf of God — or a man saying the Messiah was coming. You see, in the Jewish faith, they always lived with a hope and expectation that God was going to save His people. They read about it. They studied it in their Jewish school. They sang about it in their Sabbath services. Being staunch Jews, they longed for the Messiah.
The fact there was a prophet said to be walking the earth just a few miles away was thrilling! Prophets were spiritual heroes! It had been nearly 400 years since the last notable prophet lived and spoke to the people. And this prophet’s impact was ripping through the Nation of Israel. His name was also John, but he was known as “The Immerser” or “The Baptizer.” This prophet didn’t just speak; he would call his listeners into the water to be immersed. A sort of object lesson. He said repeatedly, “Repent! Repent! The Kingdom of God is at hand.” Water immersion was a way for people to physically get wet and say, “Yes, I repent! I wash myself of my sin.”
James and John no doubt had long talks under the starry skies of Galilee, wondering if there was any credibility to this cleansing that John the Baptizer was calling them to do. The idea of being immersed in water wasn’t new to them. Jews had used ritual baths called mikvahs for centuries. Before making a sacrifice to God, they would go down into these baths to purify themselves, or at least symbolize leaving their sins and their pasts behind. This new strange prophet was doing the same thing, except it wasn’t by the temple, and it wasn’t in a mikvah. He used whatever water he could find, mostly making use of the large river flowing down the middle of the country called the Jordan.
I can imagine these two brothers, perhaps with their dad, sitting in the fishing boat, talking about John the Baptizer…
Maybe John said to his older brother, James, “Do you think that John guy really is a prophet?”
“I don’t know… but I think it’s odd that he eats locusts and honey,” James may have replied.
“Yeah, but remember that verse, in the writings of Isaiah, that says there will be ‘one crying in the wilderness, making straight the way of the Lord, making straight the highway for our God in the wilderness?’ Do you think this could be the guy?”
After a long pregnant pause, perhaps James replied, “Well, only time will tell. If he is that voice crying out, then the Messiah will be here soon… Now, come on, help me pull in this net.”
Curiosity gripped John’s soul, or maybe you could say it was a calling. But whatever it was, John couldn’t stay away. Soon John packed a few fish and some loaves and headed out to see this John guy for himself. Sure enough, there he was, wearing nothing but animal skin. He stood in the murky water of the fast-flowing Jordan River, preaching to the crowd on the shore. At the conclusion of his sermon, he invited people to come into the water to be baptized as a symbol of repentance.
This dirty, and seemingly crazy man, was persuasive. His words gripped your heart, as if they were from God. John, son of Zebedee, grew convinced that this really was a prophet and quite possibly could be the last prophet before the Messiah comes.
At that moment, John was all-in. He bought it - hook, line, and sinker. It only took one day with John the Baptizer to convince him that he wanted to hang up his fishing job and follow this man. James felt the same way. Their friend, Andrew, too.
You can imagine the late-night conversation by candlelight back in Bethsaida with their father. “Dad, we’re going to become disciples of John the Baptizer and leave the family business, at least for a while.” The whole family felt their father’s disappointment. I’m sure they didn’t want to let their dad down, but they also realized this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity. Zebedee was proud they held to the faith so strongly, but why couldn’t they just stay at home and hear about this John guy from afar? Perhaps their mother had to step in to unruffle the feathers.
You can almost hear Salome say to Zebedee, “Honey, let them go… this is their dream. Don’t confine them to your dream.”
“But dear, really?! You want our boys to go eat locusts and honey, and play in the Jordan River all day? What will we tell our friends?”
“Zebedee, you’re over reacting. They will be fine. They are men. Let them learn. If it doesn’t work out, they’ll be back.”
With a dad’s perplexed, and perhaps broken heart, they went to become disciples of John the Baptizer. Their mission was clear: prepare the way for the Messiah. Little did John, son of Zebedee, know… he grew up at nearly the same age, as a part of the same generation, under the same political environment, with the same Jewish rituals, only about 24 miles away, from Jesus in Nazareth.
John left his dad’s business and all that was familiar to him. He wandered by the Jordan River, in the wilderness of Israel, to help a traveling preacher hold daily revival services. This was not just any preacher; He was preparing the way for Christ.
John observed the mannerisms and emotions of John the Baptizer. He knew when He was fired up; he knew when he was sad; he knew when he needed a break or some food; but he also knew when he was amazed. In the writing of John himself, he records the moment he saw his mentor, hero, and teacher become paralyzed by the awesome presence of the Messiah, the very moment he was living and preaching for. Hear these words from the Gospel of John, chapter 1:
John was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “Where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So, they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.”
“Behold the lamb of God!” the Immerser cried out. With those words, John turned his allegiance from John the Baptizer to Jesus the Messiah. It was a moment that John will never forget. He even remembers the exact time it happened, “about the tenth hour”, which was four o’clock in the afternoon. They stayed with Him, for that night was the first night of their thrilling lives as Apostles of Jesus Christ.
John was there for all of the big moments: the Transfiguration, the miracles, the teachings, the parables… the Upper Room, the Garden. It was John who, with Peter, followed Jesus to the High Priest’s Courtyard for the trial. It was John that stood at the Cross with the women, when all the other disciples had abandoned Jesus. It was John to whom Jesus spoke from the Cross and asked to care for His mother, Mary. And, in fact, John the Beloved did so. He brought Mary to live with him in Ephesus, where he cared for Mary all of her life. John was faithful to the responsibility and calling Jesus placed upon him, which ultimately defined his loving, caring, faithful, and obedient character.
John the Beloved lived until he was 94 years old. He was the only disciple not to die a martyr’s death for his faith. He was a pillar of leadership, a close associate of Peter, and helped to establish the Church. John wrote 5 of the 27 books in the New Testament, four of which were named after him – the Gospel of John, 1, 2 and 3 John. And he wrote Revelation, likely while he was in exile on the Island of Patmos. As the beloved disciple, John primarily wrote about love and faith. His ethos - his nature, personality and passion – was breathed onto the pages of Scripture. He was a man used by God in great ways; the words he wrote are precious and relevant to us, even today.
Nouwen writes that our lives are God-given opportunities to become who we are, to affirm our own spiritual nature, to claim our truth, to integrate the reality of our being, but most of all to say “Yes” to the One who calls us the Beloved. The One who created us is waiting for our response to the love that gave us our being. God not only says “You are my Beloved,” but God also asks “Do you love me?” He offers us countless ways to say “Yes”. And that is what we call our spiritual life journey, the chance to say “Yes” to our inner truth.
John models this concept for us. Jesus chose John to follow Him. John was blessed to live and learn with Jesus for three years. And Jesus used John’s passion and pride to giveothers a model for how to deeply love Jesus and become a beloved disciple. This man experienced deep grief and loss, fear and doubt, pain and joy. He was like us, an ordinary person transformed by an ever-powerful God for extraordinary purposes. We all need Jesus; no one got that more than John. He knew he needed the hope and love of Jesus Christ. Without it, he could do nothing.
John saw Jesus as the perfect picture of love. We know this from his quintessential verse in John 3:16, “For God so LOVED the world that He gave His only Son…” John understood that if we did not have Jesus, we would not have love. In John 17:23, he recorded Jesus saying to God, “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that You sent me and that You love them as much as You love me.”
John experienced that God’s love will never leave us the same. In John’s gospel, he rarely uses his name or speaks in the first person. He simply calls himself, “The disciple whom Jesus loved.” My son, Mackenson in Haiti, once said to me, “God loves me so much. I can feel it. I am telling you - He loves me more than anyone else.” Though his words sounded prideful, he was trying to use English to say, “God’s favor is on me, and it doesn’t make sense…” It reminded me so much of the Beloved Disciple’s words, as John called himself, “The one Jesus loved.” He had a sense of the love of God in His life that was so real, so present, so powerful, yet so undeserved.
John was a man moved by this love, fueled by God’s love shown through Jesus. Though he may have been a burley fisherman, at his core he was a lover. John loved Jesus, and Jesus truly loved John. As a result of that love, John was propelled to teach us to love God and love others. John’s writings focus on the ideas that when we understand we are beloved by God, we will live as the beloved child of God. Love will shine through in our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Our memory verse today is from 1 John 3:18, “Dear children, let’s not merely say we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.” The mere outflow of God’s love in us is God’s love through us. It starts with us and what God has done for us on the Cross. His continual love for us through care, teaching, and encouragement should merge into a river of overflowing blessings to others.
Beloved ones, as we wrap up this series today, I pray that you, like John, will be fueledand fed by your identity as a Beloved child of God, living as though you ARE His beloved child, His beloved disciple. And I pray that you will remember these words of belovedness, the words we have heard each Sunday, that the Lord offers to each of us. Repeat them daily, and know you are beloved:
I have called you by name, from the very beginning. You are mine. And I am yours. You are my Beloved, on you my favor rests. I have molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother’s womb. I have carved you in the palms of my hands and hidden you in the shadow of my embrace. I look at you with infinite tenderness, and care for you with a care more intimate than any other relationship on earth. I have counted every hair on your head and guided you at every step. Wherever you go, I go with you. Wherever you rest, I keep watch. I will give you food that will satisfy all your hunger and drink that will quench your thirst. I will not hide from you. You know me as your own, as I know you as my own. You belong to me. Wherever you are, I will be. Nothing will separate us. We are one.
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