It had already been a night to remember but it was going to end with a bombshell, about betrayal and denial.  When Jesus spoke of His betrayer, the disciples wondering who it could be, asked John to find out. “Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved…Then, leaning back on Jesus' breast, he said to Him, "Lord, who is it?“ (John 13:23-25).

The disciples were all invited to the dinner, but one disciple chose to sit the closest to Jesus.  John leaned upon the chest of Jesus as He reclined at the table and could ask Jesus questions that others dared not ask. We wonder what made John feel so comfortable that he could lie on the chest of another man and what freed John from being self-consciousness, so he could follow his heart.

This incident tells us so much about John and even more about Jesus.

Of course, Jesus loved all His disciples, but it was said that Jesus loved John more than the others, because John was the one able to receive the most love from Jesus.  Of all the disciples, John understood Jesus the best. He knew how Jesus wanted to love and to be loved. John knew to get up close and lean on Jesus as the fitting response to the love of the Creator. 

What does it tell us about Jesus? Jesus wants us to trust Him and to be comfortable and unselfconscious in His presence. It tells us that Jesus is affectionate. It tells us that He is fatherly and that He wants us to come very close to Him. It shows us that Jesus was consistent in His love, because John was in no doubt he would be received with joy.

Friend, the confidence that John had to do what others didn’t do, came from knowing Jesus’ love in a way that others didn’t know. Today get up close to Jesus, lean back on him and enjoy his love. The closer you get, the more  you’ll hear.