John 13:34-35 - A New Commandment from Christ

John 13:34-35 

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.

Message: A New Commandment from Christ

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)."  

What the Lord is Saying: Jesus is in the middle of speaking about His departure from this life. In the previous verses He talks of His glorification - that His mission on earth is soon complete when He will be glorified - bearing the punishment of all people's sin but then also conquering death and ascending to be with the Father. He has shown Himself to be a servant to the disciples and even as He did this encouraged His disciples to serve in the same manner toward one another (v. 14-15). 

Jesus remarks that He is giving them a new commandment and yet this commandment does not seem to be new. Not in the Gospel of John, but in Matthew and Mark, a Pharisee had come asking Jesus what the greatest commandment was in the Law and Jesus took that opportunity to summarize all the commandments speaking of our love for God with all of our heart and then love for our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-39). Going further back to Leviticus (1400 years prior) are these words in 19:18, "You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord." Thus, the principle of loving one another was not knew. I don't think we can simply say that John didn't know about these prior words. 

But here Jesus mentions this as a "new commandment." Again, Jesus spoke previously of washing one another's feet and now in this verse he mentions a bigger principle and purpose and outcome related to loving one another that maybe has it now as a motive that has never been spelled out before. In washing another's feet we speak forth the idea of serving one another. And now the result of loving one another is "By this all men will know that you are My disciples." Jesus will soon be glorified and He will ascend to be with the Father as He has stated the disciples will not be going (v. 32-33). How then are we to live once He leaves? On earth, people saw Jesus and came to know Him through His presence on earth, but once He leaves, how will people come to know the Lord? Through our love. 

This challenges me and us i think to always think about what it means to love one another, truly love one another. It motivates me to really consider others and consider their needs and make them more important than myself (Phil. 2:3 - let each of you regard one another as more important than himself). 

This is a love that when others people see the love they recognize us being from God. All we are doing in our life is meant to point people to Jesus, having been sent by God. Our motivation is to not to only get people to love in the same way, but to know God. We don't want anyone to be rejected by Jesus (12:48). Therefore, we love. No matter the circumstance.

The betrayal has just been mentioned by Jesus. Jesus was betrayed for money, and yet we are to be about love. Jesus' love remains the same for Judas as it does for His other disciples. Keep on loving one another. Don't get focused on how people are reacting. Maybe Jesus is wanting to call attention to this - that we love because He loved us and we keep loving so people will keep seeing the connection we have with Jesus- that we follow Jesus. We are His disciples. We are not simply people who love one another, but our love is because of Jesus loving us. 

My tendency always is when people are rejecting or different from or not agreeing with me, my tendency is to have anger. Yesterday, with my wife I had this bout of selfishness. My wife was focused on others and serving others and being there for others, but I was caught up in a basketball game and wanting to enjoy it, thinking it was the joy I needed. I was struggling, maybe irate, I don't know, but I voiced my displeasure towards her. I was focused on selfish needs, but I should be focused instead on love. On loving others. I think again of those Resolutions from Jonathan Edwards and no. 59: "Resolved, when I am most conscious of provocations to ill-nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly." May I be resolved to be good-natured first, even as anger is raising its head in me. Will I stop and be good natured and love others? 

Summary: Jesus tells us to love one another as He has loved us so that all will know that we are His disciples. 

Promise: Let us ask God to give us the strength to love our fellow believers truly so that we might be a witness to Him in the world.

Prayer: O Lord, I thank you for this great reminder of truth and my need to have love for others, not simply because this is a good trait, but because You have loved me and I want people to know that I am a follower of You. I want to point people back to you so that they accept you as Savior and Lord. Lord, remove my selfishness and remove the tendency I have to be ill-natured or angry. Let me be about love always in relating to others. 

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