How John does it:

John is never called “the disciple whom Jesus loved” until chapter 13 and the distinction is only used five times in the Book of John.

Verse19:25 says, “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.”

Jordan explains, “You got three Marys there. Mary is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Miriam. The rebellious sister of Moses. It’s interesting that around the foot of the Cross there’s Mary, Mary and Mary. Bunch of rebellious people and there stands ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’

“Again, John can’t help but say, ‘I was standing there. I’m the one he loves.’ That didn’t mean he didn’t love everyone else; John was just conscious of it that that’s what filled his mind. When he describes himself, that’s how he wants you to think about Him.

“The passage continues,’When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
[27] Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
[28] After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.’

“The Lord Jesus Christ is dying, his mother’s standing there. Who could He trust to take care of His mother? The disciple who was conscious above everything else of how much Christ loved him.

“You see, that kind of consciousness causes a person to be ready for service. He takes His most precious possession, a mom, and commits it to the trust of this one who was conscious above everything else of Christ’s love for him.

“People have the idea that if you preach grace, if you preach the love of God for people, and make people stand in that wonderful love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus, ‘Oh, they’ll just go out and live any way they want to live.’

“This issue of where service comes from, the grace of God teaches us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously and godly. The grace of God teaches you not just to do it, but how to do it.

“In Chapter 20 you see him at the resurrection and this probably the strangest one of the mentions. The passage begins, [1] The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
[2] Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.;

“There’s something in that about that love of Christ initiating. The disciple whom Jesus loved was the first one to get there. There’s something about that love taking the lead, stepping out with the dare of faith at a very critical moment.

“Then you come to chapter 21 and you see that he was one of those fellows on the boat there fishing. But he wasn’t just one of them, he said in verse 6, ‘Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find.’ It says, ‘They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
[7] Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.’

“He had a spiritual perception to see the Lord-- not circumstances, not himself, not the situations they were in, but the Lord, recognizing him.

“Verse 20 says, and this is like falling off a log, Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?
[21] Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?
[22] Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.’

“What’d Jesus tell Peter just to do back at the end of verse 19? Follow me. Pete looks around and sees John, what’s John doing? He’s already doing what Christ just told Peter to do. Pete’s trying to play catch-up here, folks.

“That disciple whom Jesus loved, there’s something in that for you because in Ephesians 1:6, Paul says he’s made us accepted in the beloved. You’re the one He loves. You be loved and there’s a great example of that in that disciple whom Jesus loved.

“When it says he leaned on his breast at supper, and said, ‘Lord is it he?’ if you go back to chapter 1:18, here’s the way book starts out: ‘No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.’

“So the book begins with the Lord Jesus Christ in the bosom of the Father, coming forth to be the Word manifest in the flesh, you behold.

“Now when you come to the end of the book, you find a redeemed man described as leaning on the bosom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Back there you had Christ leaning on the Father’s bosom, and here you have one of the little flock leaning on Christ’s bosom. Literally they’ve taken the place of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“They have His place in the Father’s heart by having His place in the Son. ‘No man comes to the Father but by me.’ It’s what’s accomplished by Christ, it’s the love of Christ for them, what he talked about in chapter 13:1, that gives them that position: ‘Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.’

“So what you’ve done is gone from a Christ position over here to His giving that over there to His disciples. In this case, it’s the nation Israel; His sheep. You and I fortunate that God also had a plan to include us.

“There’s a song Down South that goes, ‘Yes, He included me, Jesus included even me.’ We used sing that at the mission and you get the bums rocking on that song. A lot of them are saved, and ‘he included me.’ "