Are You God’s Favorite?
If you’re not, you can be and should be! Before you write me off as some crackpot, hear me out. I know the bible says God shows no favoritism (Deut 10:17, Acts 10:34, Ro 2:11 etc.) However, the Apostle John definitely considered himself to be loved in a special, extraordinary way by Jesus, compared to the other disciples. John was one of the three disciples closest to Jesus, and of the three he was the closest. He (John) describes himself as "the one whom Jesus loved" and he meant loved more than the others. The other disciples recognized this fact also.
"When he had said this, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, "Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, at a loss as to whom he meant. One of his disciples, the one whom Jesus loved, was reclining at Jesus’ side. So Simon Peter nodded to him to find out whom he meant. He leaned back against Jesus’ chest and said to him, "Master, who is it?" Jn 13:21-25
When Peter wanted to know who Jesus was talking about when he said, "one of you will betray me," he asked John who was reclining on Jesus’ breast to find out. John was Jesus’ closest and best friend. When all the disciples including Peter deserted Jesus when He was dying on the cross, John was there at Jesus’ side. He was the only man present along with three women. John was the one Jesus entrusted with the care of His own mother. He was the one whom Jesus loved and he was Jesus’ best friend.
Martha’s sister Mary also had this kind closeness to Jesus. When Jesus was around all she wanted to do was sit at His feet and listen to Him.
"As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me." The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." Lk 10:38-42
Mary loved Jesus deeply and her primary aim in life was to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him. Everything else was in a very distant second place to Jesus. In return, Jesus loved being around Mary. When the time for Passover was near and He had only six days before going to the cross, where did Jesus go? He went to Mary’s house!
"Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil." John 12:1 ff
Passion and love cuts both ways, like a two edged sword. Mary had great affection and love for Jesus and Jesus in return had great affection and love for Mary. When Mary’s brother Lazarus had died and had been dead for four days, Jesus came to their home. Martha went out to meet Jesus first and said, "Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus’ response to Martha was a great teaching in the word of God - "I am the resurrection and the Life."
He also said to Martha: where’s my Mary who loves me so much? Martha went back and said to Mary: "The teacher is here and is asking for you." (Jn 11:28) Mary gets up immediately and goes out to meet Jesus. She says exactly the same thing as Martha - "Lord if you had been here, my brother would not have died. However this time Jesus reacts in a completely different way. He weeps and walks to the tomb and raises Lazarus from the dead!
Jesus has many servants but few lovers. Servants like Martha can receive many wonderful blessings from Jesus. But passionate lovers like Mary can touch Jesus’ heart deeply and get Him to raise someone from the dead. People with Mary’s passion and love for the Lord can move Him in a way that other people can’t. The love that John and Mary had for Jesus touched Him deeply and released from Him deep treasures from His heart. Servants receive knowledge but passionate lovers of Jesus "experience the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Jesus which surpasses all knowledge." (Eph 3:18-19)
Jesus’ high priestly prayer to His Father in John 17 was that we all would be driven by this single-minded passion and love for Him. In fact He prayed that we would love Him with the same intensity of love and passion as His Father had for him! God the Father’s passion has always been and always will be Jesus.We are expected to love Jesus with the same passion that The Father has for His Son.
" I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them." John 17:26
If Jesus prayed this prayer to the Father for us that means that the grace to love Jesus with this tremendous passion and single-mindness is available to us. Not only that, the example of John and Mary shows us that it can be done.
This love and passion has to be sought, cultivated, allowed to grow and defended or the devil will steal it right out of my heart. Some say that feelings and emotions are not important in the Christian life as long as I’m obedient. But emotions were a part of Jesus’ life!
"In the days when he was in the flesh, he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence." He 5:7
What wife would settle for a husband who was faithful but completely lacking in love and passion for her? Will God settle for obedience without passion and love for His Son Jesus? Isn’t the greatest command to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?
How do we get, cultivate and grow in that passionate love for Jesus that bible calls us to? We need to spend time with Jesus. Yes we need to even "waste" time on Jesus, like Mary did. Meditating in His word, talking to Him, listening to Him. Getting to know Him deeply. I can’t love a person I don’t know very well. My prayer time has to be more than my laundry list of things I need.
I need to remember that I’m meeting a real person. Jesus laughs, talks, encourages, reveals His thoughts and ideas, convicts, rebukes, weeps, rejoices, dances, sings, withdraws, comes near, gets angry, turns over tables, chastises, punishes, rewards, empowers, blesses, sustains, upholds, grieves, etc. I need to remember I can make Him angry and I can make Him sing, dance and rejoice over me.
For me to grow in passion and love for Jesus I must remove all barriers between us, namely my sin. I must never assume I’m innocent and my prayer from my heart must be: "Search me O God and know my heart, test me and know my thoughts. See if my way is crooked and lead me in the way of old." (Ps 139:23-24) On my own I’m incapable of producing passion for Jesus. I can change and focus my mind, but only the Holy Spirit can change my heart.
It’s the Holy Spirits job to pour His love into our hearts. Divine love can only be divinely acquired. All I can do is pray that the Father will help me love Jesus the way that He does. I have to put my confidence in the Holy Spirit’s ability to lead me, not in my ability to follow.Passion for the Son of God can’t be earned; it’s a complete gift! God ’s greatest and most gracious gift
I must fix my eyes on Jesus and leave them there! As I pray and seek this passion and love for Him, it will come in ever increasing and generous amounts. It may take months or even years but it will come. And as that passion comes, as it permeates my heart, it will conquer a thousand of my sins. I will no longer need to try and stop sinning through will power, which is a disaster. I will love what He loves and hate what He hates. My sin will drop off me as naturally as sweat off my body on a hot summer’s day
John really was the best friend of Jesus, the one whom Jesus loved. But John doesn’t have to be the only one who is Jesus best friend. We all have only a brief 15 minutes here on earth, why not be like John and Mary and choose the best part, passion for Jesus. The heart of Jesus is big enough to accommodate many more best friends. The breast of Jesus is big enough for many more of us to lay our heads there. He will make you feel that no one has as deep and as special a relationship with Him as you do. You will hear Jesus whisper deep in your soul that you are His favorite.
***** JESUS IS LORD *****
