John 13:21-25 NASB95
When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” [22] The disciples began looking at one another, at a loss to know of which one He was speaking. [23] There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. [24] So Simon Peter gestured to him, and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” [25] He, leaning back thus on Jesus’ bosom, said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”
95% of the gospel of John is unique to the other three Gospels. That doesn’t make the gospel of John better than the other three, but it is clearly unique. Biblical historians believe John was about 95 years old, still on the Isle of Patmos, when he wrote his gospel. Some examples of the uniqueness of John’s Gospel, the “I am” and the “Verily, verily (Truly, truly) statements of Jesus are only found in John. The words “I thirst” and “It is finished” are only found in the fourth Gospel. John alone records the story of Jesus’s encounter with Nicodemus, the story of the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the washing of the disciple’s feet, the upper room discourse, Thomas’s doubts about the resurrection of Christ, and Jesus asking Peter three times if he loved Him as Jesus restored him. These are just some of the examples. There are many more. The point is John saw things and heard things that either the other disciples didn’t see and hear or meant something more to him than they did to the others. I believe John’s Gospel was unique because John’s relationship with Jesus was unique.
In the upper room when Jesus said that one of the twelve was going to betray Him, the disciples began to discuss among themselves as to who it was. According to Luke’s account, they also began to immediately dispute with each other as to who was going to be the greatest. I can only imagine what this scene must have been like. While this is going on, John is leaning on the breast of Jesus. I can also imagine that in that posture, John was not engaged in the conversation with his brother disciples at all. At some point, Peter gestured to John and said to him, “Tell us who it is of whom He is speaking.” In response, John asked Jesus who it was but notice that Peter didn’t ask John to ask Jesus. Peter simply requested that John tell them who it was. I believe Peter asked John this question because he knew that there were just some things that Jesus told John that He didn’t tell everyone else. He at least believed that John saw and heard things that others didn’t. By the way, in 13:23, John referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus was always loving (that’s the grammar here).” Four more times in John’s Gospel, he refers to himself in those terms. Is all this recorded to let us know that John had a relationship with Jesus that no one could ever have? I don’t believe that. I believe the story is recorded by the Holy Spirit to prompt us to want to be in such an abiding place with Christ that He can tell us things – show us things – that are for our ears and eyes only. I want to be so postured, dwelling between His shoulders, in my relationship with Jesus that He can reveal to me all the dreams of His heart. Of course, all of us can be that person. I don’t know about you, but that’s who I want to be.