A New Commandment
TRANSLATION
(31) When (Judas) had departed, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. (32) If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself and will glorify him at once. (33) My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will seek me and, just as I told the Jews, so now I also tell you that where I am going you cannot come. (34) A new command I give you: love one another. Even as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. (35) By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”
(36) Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.” (37) Peter said to him, Lord, “Why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” (38) Jesus responded, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Truly I tell you that the rooster will not crow until you have disowned me three times.”
OBSERVATIONS
Once Judas had departed, Jesus was able to share what was on his heart with the eleven who remained. In the first couple verses, “glorified/glorify” is found five times in two verses (vss. 31 & 32). “God” is also found three times (vss. 31 & 32). The phrase “where I am going you cannot come/follow” occurred twice (vss. 33 & 36) along with the question, “where are you going” (vs. 36). “Follow” was also used three times in two verses (vss. 36 & 37). “Love one another” is found three times in two verses (vss. 34 & 35). Finally, “lay down my/your life for you/me” was repeated (vss. 37 & 38).
OUTLINE
I. The entire purpose of Jesus’ life and ministry was to bring glory to God. (31 & 32)
II. Where Jesus was going after he died the disciples could not immediately follow. (33 & 36)
III. Jesus gave his disciples a “new commandment” to love one another. (34 & 35)
IV. Jesus responded to Peter’s pledge of fidelity with a prediction of his threefold denial. (37 & 38)
IDEA STATEMENT
In view of his imminent departure, Jesus commanded his disciples to concentrate on loving one another as he had loved them rather than focusing on where he was going.
APPLICATION
What is so “new” about the “new commandment” which Jesus gave his disciples in the Upper Room (vss. 34 & 35)? The two great commands of the Old Covenant are likewise concerned with love. First, we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might (Dt. 6:5), and then we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves (Lev. 19:18). These were not new commands but were well known throughout the centuries of Israel’s history and were the two cited by Jesus when he was asked by one of the scribes to name the most important of the commandments (Mk. 12:28-32).
By careful observation we can find at least three reasons why Jesus named this call to love one another “a new commandment.” First, it was new in SCOPE, that is, regarding those whom we are directed to love. Jesus used the phrase, “one another,” to indicate that we are to love all those who are in a discipleship relationship with himself. Later in this same Upper Room Discourse Jesus told his men, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (Jn. 15:16). In other words, we are disciples not by our decision but by his calling. Likewise, we are in a relationship with other disciples not by our choice but by his. It can at times seem difficult, if not impossible, to love those with whom we did not initially choose to be associated. However, according to Jesus’ command, we are to love all those who love him. We are all followers of Jesus whether we like it or not, and we are to learn to love one another despite our differences because of him.
A second reason why Jesus called this “a new commandment” was the STANDARD to which we are called: “just as I have loved you.” In essence, we are to love our fellow disciples in the same way that the Savior has loved each of us, enough to stoop with a towel and basin and wash their feet. While we might be inclined to take this literally, the true significance of this language has more to do with forgiving each others’ sins than it does with cleaning dirty feet. No matter how often we are offended by our fellow disciples, no matter how deeply we are hurt, misunderstood, or shabbily treated, we are to forgive our brothers and sisters and thus show them Jesus’ self-sacrificing love. This may seem like an impossibly high standard until we realize that he has given each of us the supernatural enablement we need to love each other as we rely on his indwelling Holy Spirit.
A third reason why Jesus called this “a new commandment” had to do with the SIGNIFICANCE of such love, the impact it will have. Consider his words again: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (vs. 35). Francis Schaeffer used two phrases to describe this kind of love: “the mark of the Christian,” that is, what distinguishes us from all other faiths, and “the final apologetic,” that is, what makes the greatest impression on an unbelieving world for the sake of the Gospel. We can never fully grasp what this kind of love can accomplish until we devote ourselves to carrying out the Savior’s command and see how our obedience can be used by him as a testimony to those who are observing our behavior.