John, a Man's Man
I’m walking through the Gospel of John with my youth at my house and with that in mind and with the approaching Easter celebration, I’m reposting some thoughts I had last year at this time.
I was spending some time today reading the different gospel accounts of the Resurrection as I spiritually prepare for the Easter celebration. Those who have read books or Scripture several times know what it is like to suddenly see something new in the words that were not obvious before or that you simply missed because you were looking for something else.
Today I had that experience with John, the one Jesus loved. Now, I had never missed that statement before because John says it over and over again in the Gospel of John and it always strikes me as humorous when he refers to himself that way – “the one Jesus loved”.
Today I was reading and comparing the different account of the women trying to convince the men that Jesus had risen. [Note who comprehended the truth first. 
] Anyway, in the gospel of John, note John’s description of what happened.
“Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, ‘They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him.’ Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter.” John 20:2-4
I was laughing out loud when I read this. Of all that was going on – Christ’s body was missing from the tomb – John makes sure to mention that he and Peter were running neck and neck and he got there first – outrunning Peter. Doesn’t that just sound like guys? I mean, really who cares? Women wouldn’t mention those facts. There would be a simple statement that they ran to the tomb (maybe a sidenote about what shoes were carrying them there so quickly) but other than that, we’d get to the point – JESUS isn’t there!!
John, “the other disciple” goes on to say in the next verse
“Stopping to look in, he [John] saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed.”
Just in case you missed the point in the first few verses, John wants to remind you that he got there first. He outran Peter. Oh, and yes, he took one look at the evidence and believed. Way to go, John, the beloved, the one Jesus loved, the one who outran Peter. This account sounds just like my high school guys.
John was a man’s man.
Happy Easter. Whether you can outrun John or not, I do pray that you will take a look at the evidence and believe. Believe that you, like John, can lay claim as the one Jesus loves.
