The Gospel narratives name only three people of whom they make a point in saying Jesus loved them. Of course, studies can be made that would conclude Jesus loves everyone, but, if we want to be specific, the Gospel narratives, and really only the Gospel of John names only three people whom Jesus loved – Mary, Martha and Lazarus (John 11:1-5, 36). Why would this be so? Certainly, Jesus spent more time with the Twelve, and clearly he loved them (John 13:1). Nevertheless, the Gospel of John specifically names only three whom he says Jesus loved.
Moreover, only the Gospel of John refers to the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). Traditionally, this is supposed to be John, the Apostle. However, there is absolutely nothing in the Gospel narratives to show that this is true. All we have is tradition that the “disciple whom Jesus loved” was John, the Apostle. Actually, it could refer to someone else, and, if we use only the Scriptures to identify this disciple, he must be someone other than John, the Apostle. For example, during the last meal Jesus ate with his disciples, he told them that one of the Twelve would betray him (Mark 14:18-20; cf. John 6:70). Peter wanted to know who the betrayer was, but who should he ask? If he asked one of the Twelve to inquire of Jesus who that was, could Peter trust the man to repeat the truth, if he were one of the Twelve? Yet, Peter asked “the disciple whom Jesus loved” who also sat next to Jesus, laying his head upon Jesus’ breast (John 13:23-24). It seems to me that the last person one would ask to find out the truth about this particular matter would be one of the Twelve. Jesus said one of them would betray him, so all were suspect. Therefore, logic tells us that John, the Apostle, cannot be “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”
The only man whom the scriptures ‘name’ as someone Jesus loved is Lazarus. Could Lazarus be “the disciple whom Jesus loved”?[1] I find it really intriguing that only Luke and John mention anything about a person named Lazarus, and Luke mentions him only in what appears to be a play on a rabbinic story (Luke 16:19-31)! Scholarship tells us that the name Lazarus is another name of the Hebrew, Eleazar, and its meaning is whom God helps or God has helped. Since Lazarus was raised from the dead and targeted by the Jewish authorities to be killed, because of how great a number of Jews were turning to Jesus over this miracle (cf. John 12:10-11), it may be that Lazarus is an encrypted name for someone God has helped, in this case he raised him from the dead.
The Gospel of Mark refers to one more individual whom he singles out to say Jesus loved him. It is the rich young ruler who approached Jesus, asking how he might inherit eternal life (Mark 10:21; cf. Mark 10:17-22; Matthew 19:16-22; Luke 18:18-23). I wonder if these references to someone Jesus loved address a very important matter in the life of the believer. Has Jesus, through the pens of the Gospel writers, shown us how God works in the lives of those he loves—from the beginning to the end (cf. Philippians 1:6). If this is true, the rich young ruler, Lazarus and the disciple whom Jesus loved are all one and the same person. Certainly, this is possible, but is it probably true? There are more dots to connect in this study, but once we connect all of them, will they tell us that the rich young ruler, whom Jesus loved (Mark 10:21) and Lazarus, whom Jesus loved (John 11:5) are both the same person? If the Scriptures refer to one person in Mark 10:21 and John 11:5, is that person, who is referred to as Lazarus in John 11:5, the same disciple whom the Gospel of John calls the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20)? In a future study I intend to show this is probably true.
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[1] Author, J. Phillips identifies this disciple as “Lazarus” in his book: The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved; see also free download HERE.
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