In the introduction of John's Gospel we are informed that this text deals with the mystery of the person of Jesus from a first-hand
account of his ministry. I suggest the mysteries revealed in this text concern "the disciple whom Jesus most loved", and why he was
so loved. On a cursory reading of the text, one would suspect that it is John whom this statement is referring to, or possibly the
'rock' Jesus planned to build his church on, Peter. It is necessary to do a little detective work so that a potential hypothesis can be
put forth to answer this conundrum. I will use support from the text, including the wedding at Cana, the resurrection of Lazarus,
and the crucifixion of Jesus, to show my thoughts on this mystery. It is my intent to show that the 'disciple Jesus most loved' is
Lazarus, that his raising was an initiation into discipleship, and that the reason for his being most loved, was his sister Mary's
relationship with Jesus. It is not an original argument, my own knowledge of it comes from secondary material by Michael
Baigent, specifically, Holy Blood, Holy Grail.
Within the story of the wedding of Cana are the first clues concerning the nature of this relationship between Jesus and Mary
Magdaline, even though she is not mentioned. It is in the actions of another Mary, the mother of Jesus, that we see who it is that
is being married. Mary, the mother of Jesus, becomes concerned when the wine runs out. If they were merely guests at a
wedding this concern would seem odd. One would suspect that this consternation would be applicable to the bride or groom's
family, not to a guest. She instructs the servants as if she were in charge. Such an action would normally be a breach of
decorum on such an important occasion as a wedding. Once Jesus has solved the problem, the steward addresses the
bridegroom, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk."(John 2:10). At this
point we have a declaration that Jesus did this. Perhaps it is implicit in the right livelihood of Jesus that he would go that extra
mile for the guests of the wedding, but in view of the following arguments, it is possible that the bridegroom whom the steward
was addressing, was none other than Jesus.
The majority of our mystery is within the raising of Lazarus. In 11:2 we see that the mysterious woman who anointed Jesus, so
he could properly die as the sacral king (for an elaboration on this idea see John 11:49-53 or Frazier's Golden Bough),
was none other than Mary Magdaline. The intimacy depicted is particularly telling, for no other disciple is allowed this physical
intimacy, save perhaps for the kiss Judas receives at Gethsemene. The message she sends to Jesus to tell him of her brother's
illness is revelatory, she says, "Lord he whom you love is ill." His response suggests that it is not an illness that leads to death
but one which leads to glory. The lack of immediacy with which he reacts suggests that either this illness must run the course, so
his resurrection can take place, or that Jesus was aware of the situation prior to its revelation. If Lazarus' death was a spiritual
one, and not literal, his resurrection can be seen as an initiation. Jesus' only display of emotion in either Matthew or John, is
weeping at Mary's sorrow. None of the other disciples are given anything like an initatory experience or shown the level of
intimacy which Lazarus and Mary Magdaline are shown. It is important to note that Jesus did not say he was going to raise
Lazarus from the dead; in 11:11 he states that "he is asleep and that he is to be awakened", the exact command he gives
Lazarus is not "rise", but "come out". If this initiation was Lazarus taking on the ministry or discipleship of Jesus, then the plans
of the high priests to put Lazarus to death are particularly telling, considering none other of Jesus' disciples are so condemned.
The strongest evidence for this hypothesis lies in the depiction of the crucifixion. The other gospels all agree that the women,
Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdaline were present at the crucifixion. In John the mysterious figure "the disciple
whom Jesus loved most" is present; the other Gospels do not place him, or any of the other disciples at Golgotha. The words
of Jesus to his mother and the "most loved disciple" at the crucifixion fully illuminate the relationship between Jesus and Mary
Magdaline. In 19:26-27 Jesus says to his mother, "Woman, here is your son." and to Lazarus, the most loved disciple, "Here is
your mother." If Jesus is indeed married to Mary Magdaline, Lazarus is his brother-in-law, and would have a familial
responsibility to his mother-in-law once Jesus had left the building.