Today’s story from the Gospel of John takes place at the empty tomb on the day of Jesus’ resurrection. At the outset of this reflection, I must ask the age-old question again—just who was that “other disciple whom Jesus loved” running with Peter toward the tomb and mentioned anonymously three more times within eight verses? Was it John the Apostle, son of Zebedee? John the Presbyter? John of Ephesus? John of Patmos? John the Evangelist? Is it you? Is it I?  

For centuries, biblical scholars have debated the identity of “the one whom Jesus loved.” Since the end of the first century, the Beloved Disciple has been commonly identified with John the Apostle and Evangelist. However, the noted twentieth-century New Testament scholar Raymond E. Brown, having thoroughly studied the main theories of the Beloved Disciple’s identity, believed that, rather than the apostle and evangelist, he was a relatively minor figure during Jesus’ ministry and later became a very important person in the Johannine community.  

Let us imagine that the Holy Spirit, guiding the hand of the Gospel writer, meant to leave a challenge for John’s audience. His anonymity allows us to project ourselves into the experience of the Beloved Disciple, to learn more deeply how to love and be loved by Jesus Christ, thus becoming his faithful witnesses. Today, let us claim the only identity that ever matters—“I am the disciple whom Jesus loves, for I truly see and believe.”