“If anyone would come after Me,
They must deny themselves
And take up their cross
And follow Me!
Mark 8:34
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” John 21:20-21.
The phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is a literary device used to describe John the Apostle, who is considered to have had a closer relationship with Jesus than any other disciple. John was a cousin of Jesus and was with Him on most of His significant trips. John was also in awe of Jesus’ loving character and witnessed Him feeding the hungry and showing compassion for the sick.
The meaning of the name John is “Jehovah Favored.”
This recounting of John following Peter and Jesus makes me think of another man in the Book of Exodus who wanted to remain in God’s presence – Joshua.
Exodus 33:8-11 tells us: Whenever Moses went out to the Tent of Meeting, all the people would get up and stand in the entrances of their own tents. They would all watch Moses until he disappeared inside. As he went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and hover at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses.
When the people saw the cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, they would stand and bow down in front of their own tents. Inside the Tent of Meeting, the Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Afterward, Moses would return to the camp, but the young man who assisted him, Joshua son of Num, would remain behind in the Tent of Meeting (NLT).
After Moses died Joshua lead the God’s people into the promised land: “Serve the Lord! But if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served, or the gods of the land in which you dwelt. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Joshua 24:14-15 NKJV.
The Lord’s inner circle was Peter, James, and John. They knew the Lord is fair in everything He does and is full of kindness. That He is close to all who call on Him sincerely. That He fulfills the desires of those who reverence and trust Him. That He hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love Him. These men chose to praise the Lord and to call on all people everywhere to bless His holy name forever and forever! Psalm 145:17-21 TLB.
“We boldly say what we believe trusting God to care for us, just as the psalm writer did when he said, ‘I believe and therefore I speak!’ But this precious treasure – this Light and Power that now shine within us – is held in a perishable container, that is, in our weak bodies. Everyone can see the glorious power within must be from God and is not our own.”
“For we are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don’t know why things happen as they do, but we don’t give up and quit. We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We are knocked down, but we get up again and keep on going.”
“These bodies of ours are constantly facing death just as Jesus did. So, it is clear to all that it is only the living Christ within Who keeps us safe. Yes, we live under constant danger to our lives because we serve the Lord, but this gives us constant opportunities to show forth the power of Jesus within our dying bodies. Because of our preaching we face death, but it has resulted in eternal life for you.”
“We know the same God Who brought Jesus back from death will also bring us back to life again with Jesus and present us to Him along with you. These sufferings of ours are for your benefit. And the more of you who are won to Christ, the more there are to thank Him for His great kindness, and the more the Lord is glorified.”
“This is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the Lord is growing every day. These troubles and sufferings won’t last very long. Yet, this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! So, we don’t look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us; instead, we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever,” 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 TLB.
Let us be as these great men of faith and come near to God, because He will surely come near to us (James 4:8). Yes, it is good for us to draw near to God, to put our trust in the Lord God and make Him our refuge. That we may tell of all His works (Psalm 73:28 AMP), and all He is doing and has done in our lives.
Seek the Lord while He may be found!
Call on Him while He is near!
Let the wicked forsake their ways
And their stinking thinking!
Let them turn to the Lord!
He will have mercy on them!
Turn to our God,
For He will freely pardon!
Isaiah 55:6-7