Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter,

“It is the Lord!” (John 21:7, NKJV).

 

A variety of thoughts and sentiments run through our hearts and minds in these last few days before Christmas, but one stands out to me today: Because Jesus came to earth as a Babe some 2,000 years ago, lived and loved among us, died for our sins and rose again, He has established our identity.

After the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, humanity lost its close communion with God. Though still beloved by their Creator, Adam and Eve had severed the connection they’d enjoyed before they yielded to temptation. Mankind then began to experience a long, drawn-out siege of amnesia, wasting their lives trying to find fulfillment apart from God because they had forgotten who they were.

Jesus came to restore that severed connection with the Father and to remind us of our true identity: children of God, the disciples whom He loved.

Isn’t that an amazing thought? It wasn’t just the disciple John who could refer to himself as “that disciple whom Jesus loved,” but each and every one of us who has allowed that connection to God to be restored through the atoning work of Christ on the Cross. It is perhaps one of the most powerful aspects of the incarnation, one we don’t stress often enough.

As you walk through these last days of Advent and on past Christmas itself, let yourself ponder this great truth in your heart, as Mary so often did. Then, the next time you have the opportunity to describe yourself to someone, consider including the statement, “I am the disciple Jesus loves.” Perhaps you will even have the chance to open someone else’s eyes to that great truth in his/her own life as well.

Have a blessed Christmas, beloved!