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NASB | John 21:20 ¶ Peter, turning around, *saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 21:20 ¶ Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His chest at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray You?" |
Bible Question: When John says "the disciple whom Jesus loved" who is he refering to? I am a new Christian and I was told it represents all Christians and also that it refers to John himself. What is correct? |
Bible Answer: jswife: NASB John 21:20 Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" Basically, there are three steps involved in Bible study. We must ask: 1) What does the passage SAY? 2) What does it MEAN? 3) How can I apply this in my life? We know what the Bible means by what it says. We need to be careful that we don't get carried away when we start spiritualizing the narrative portions of the Bible. In the immediate context of John 21:20, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" means John and only John. If it referred to "all Christians", then the verse would mean that: All Christians leaned back on His bosom at the supper. Of course, no such thing happened. As far as we can determine from the biblical account, there were no more than 13 people present at the last supper. All Christians of all ages were not even there. My point? When the plain sense makes good sense, seek no other sense lest it be nonsense. Grace and peace, Radioman2 |