John 13:23 — Community Reflections

JOHN 13:23 — KING JAMES VERSION 0

“Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.”

One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him — the Beloved Disciple appears for the first time in John's Gospel at the moment of deepest intimacy and greatest danger, positioned literally at Jesus' side, closest to his heart (literally reclining on his bosom in the posture of covenant fellowship). The epithet "whom Jesus loved" is not sentimental but theological: it marks the Beloved as the one who receives Jesus' love most fully, who rests in the knowledge of being chosen. The positioning at the table foreshadows John's position at the cross and at the empty tomb; this disciple will be present through death and resurrection.

Church Fathers on John 13:23

Our Lord after His twofold promise of assistance to the Apostles in their future labors, remembers that the traitor is cut off from both, and is troubled at the thought: When Jesus had thus said, He was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say to you, that one of you shall betray Me.
Chrysostom · 4th century

This did not come into His mind then for the first time; but He was now about to make the traitor known, and single him out from the rest, and therefore was troubled in spirit. The traitor too was now just about to go forth to execute his purpose. He was troubled at the thought of His Passion being so near at hand, at the dangers to which His faithful followers would be brought at the hand of the traitor, which were even now impending over Him. Our Lord deigned to be troubled…
Augustine · 4th century

His being troubled in spirit, was the human part, suffering under the excess of the spiritual. For if every Saint lives, acts, and suffers in the spirit, how much more is this true of Jesus, the Rewarder of Saints.
Origen · 3rd century

Read all 32 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a reflection on this verse

No reflections on this verse yet. Be the first to write one!