John 13:34
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.
A new commandment
The phrase "A new commandment" introduces a significant directive from Jesus. The Greek word for "new" (καινός, kainos) implies freshness or something unprecedented. This commandment is not new in the sense of time, as the call to love is rooted in the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18), but it is new in its depth and application. Jesus elevates the command to love by embodying it perfectly and calling His disciples to follow His example. This commandment is foundational for Christian ethics and community life, emphasizing the transformative power of love.

I give you
The phrase "I give you" underscores the authority of Jesus as the divine lawgiver. In the context of the Last Supper, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His impending departure. The use of "give" (δίδωμι, didōmi) indicates a personal and intentional act, highlighting the importance and personal nature of this commandment. It is a gift from Jesus to His followers, meant to guide their interactions and relationships.

Love one another
"Love one another" is the heart of the commandment. The Greek word for love here is "ἀγαπάω" (agapaō), which refers to a selfless, sacrificial love that seeks the best for others. This type of love is not based on emotions or feelings but is an act of the will, reflecting God's love for humanity. In the historical context, this commandment was radical, as it called for a love that transcended social, ethnic, and religious boundaries, uniting believers in a common bond.

As I have loved you
The phrase "As I have loved you" sets the standard for the love Jesus commands. Jesus' love is the model for Christian love, characterized by humility, service, and sacrifice. This is exemplified in the preceding verses where Jesus washes the disciples' feet, demonstrating servant leadership. The ultimate expression of His love is His sacrificial death on the cross. This phrase challenges believers to emulate Christ's love in their relationships, emphasizing that true love involves self-giving and putting others' needs above one's own.

So you also must love one another
"So you also must love one another" reiterates the command with an emphasis on its necessity and urgency. The use of "must" (δεῖ, dei) indicates an obligation, not a suggestion. This love is to be the defining characteristic of Jesus' disciples, serving as a witness to the world of their relationship with Him. In the early church, this commandment was pivotal in shaping the community's identity and mission, fostering unity and mutual care among believers. It remains a timeless call for Christians to live out their faith through love in action.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The speaker of this commandment, Jesus is addressing His disciples during the Last Supper, a pivotal moment before His crucifixion.

2. The Disciples
The immediate audience of Jesus' command. They are His closest followers and are being prepared for His impending departure.

3. The Last Supper
The setting of this teaching, where Jesus shares a final meal with His disciples and imparts crucial teachings and commandments.
Teaching Points
The Newness of the Commandment
While love was a part of the Old Testament law, Jesus elevates it by making His own sacrificial love the standard. This "new" commandment is rooted in the Greek word "kainos," which implies freshness or a new kind of love.

The Model of Christ's Love
Jesus' love is selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional. Believers are called to emulate this love, which is demonstrated through His life and ultimately His death on the cross.

Love as a Mark of Discipleship
Jesus indicates that love for one another is the defining characteristic of His followers. This love serves as a testimony to the world of their relationship with Him.

Practical Expressions of Love
Love should be active and visible, manifesting in acts of kindness, forgiveness, and service. It is not merely an emotion but a commitment to the well-being of others.

The Empowerment of the Holy Spirit
Believers are empowered by the Holy Spirit to love as Jesus loved. This divine enablement is crucial for fulfilling this commandment.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding the context of the Last Supper enhance our comprehension of the commandment to love one another?

2. In what ways can we model our love for others after the love Jesus demonstrated?

3. How does the command to love one another serve as a witness to the world of our faith in Christ?

4. What are some practical ways we can show Christ-like love in our daily interactions with others?

5. How can we rely on the Holy Spirit to help us love others, especially when it is difficult to do so?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 John 4:7-21
This passage expands on the theme of love, emphasizing that love comes from God and that those who love are born of God and know God.

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus summarizes the Law and the Prophets with the commandments to love God and love your neighbor, showing the foundational nature of love in Christian ethics.

1 Corinthians 13
Known as the "Love Chapter," it describes the characteristics of love, reinforcing the depth and breadth of the love Jesus commands.
As I have Loved'Alexander MaclarenJohn 13:34
Brotherly LoveJ. H. Wilson, M. A.John 13:34
Christ's Law of LoveLyman Abbott, D. D.John 13:34
Love One AnotherJ. L. Nye.John 13:34
Love the Cure for ColdnessJohn 13:34
The Eleventh CommandmentC. Stanford, D. D.John 13:34
The Eleventh CommandmentS. H. Tyng, D. D.John 13:34
The New CommandmentJohn 13:34
The New CommandmentB. Dale, M. A.John 13:34
The New CommandmentDean Stanley.John 13:34
The New CommandmentBp. Christ. Wordsworth.John 13:34
The New CommandmentR. Fuller, D. D.John 13:34
The New CommandmentC. B. Symes, B. A.John 13:34
The New CommandmentBp. H. Goodwin.John 13:34
The New Commandment and the OldDean Alford.John 13:34
The New Commandment of Love to One AnotherF. W. Robertson, M. A.John 13:34
The Social Principles of ChristianityT. G. Horton.John 13:34
The Victorious Power of LoveClerical LibraryJohn 13:34
The Winning Power of LoveJohn 13:34
Mutual LoveJ.R. Thomson John 13:34, 35
The New CommandmentB. Thomas John 13:34, 35
People
Jesus, Judas, Peter, Simon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Commandment, Law, Love, Loved
Dictionary of Bible Themes
John 13:34

     2015   Christ, compassion
     6604   acceptance, human
     7925   fellowship, among believers
     7936   love feast
     8206   Christlikeness
     8217   conformity
     8241   ethics, basis of
     8405   commands, in NT
     8441   goals
     8449   imitating
     8827   selfishness

John 13:34-35

     1175   God, will of
     2048   Christ, love of
     2363   Christ, preaching and teaching
     5765   attitudes, to people
     6698   newness
     7032   unity, God's people
     8164   spirituality
     8210   commitment, to God's people
     8298   love, for one another

Library
December 16 Morning
Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.--JOHN 13:1. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.--Greater
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

May 16 Morning
A servant of Jesus Christ.--ROM. 1:1. Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.--If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.--Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.--Being made free from sin, and become servants
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 10 Morning
The disciple is not above his master.--MATT. 10:24. Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord.--If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep your's also.--I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 4 Morning
Leaning on Jesus' bosom.--JOHN 13:23. As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you.--They brought young children to him, that he should touch them. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.--Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.--A high Priest . . . touched with the feeling
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

July 28 Morning
Walk in love.--EPH. 5:2. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.--Above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.--Love covereth all sins. When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.--Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again.--Rejoice not when thine enemy
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

September 4 Evening
What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.--JOHN 13:7. Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. When I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becamest mine.--Whom the Lord
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

October 21 Evening
The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.--JOHN 13:16,17. There was . . . a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief,
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

August 30. "Happy are Ye if Ye do Them" (John xiii. 17).
"Happy are ye if ye do them" (John xiii. 17). You little know the rest that comes from the yielded will, the surrendered choice, the abandoned world, the meek and lowly heart that lets the world go by, and knows that it shall inherit the earth which it has refused! You little know the relish that it gives to the blessing to hunger and thirst after righteousness, and to be filled with a satisfaction that worldly delight cannot afford, and then to rise to the higher blessedness of the merciful, the
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Love of the Departing Christ
'... When Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the world, He loved them unto the end.'--JOHN xiii. 1. The latter half of St. John's Gospel, which begins with these words, is the Holy of Holies of the New Testament. Nowhere else do the blended lights of our Lord's superhuman dignity and human tenderness shine with such lambent brightness. Nowhere else is His speech at once so simple and so deep. Nowhere else have
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'Is it I?'
'And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto Him, Lord, is it I? 25. Then Judas, which betrayed Him, answered and said, Master, is it I? He said unto him, Thou hast said.'-MATT. xxvi. 22, 25. 'He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto Him, Lord, who is it?'--JOHN xiii. 25. The genius of many great painters has portrayed the Lord's Supper, but the reality of it was very different from their imaginings. We have to picture to ourselves some low table, probably a mere tray
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Dismissal of Judas
'... Then said Jesus unto Judas, That thou doest, do quickly.'--JOHN xiii. 27. When our Lord gave the morsel, dipped in the dish, to Judas, only John knew the significance of the act. But if we supplement the narrative here with that given by Matthew, we shall find that, accompanying the gift of the sop, was a brief dialogue in which the betrayer, with unabashed front, hypocritically said, 'Lord! Is it I?' and heard the solemn, sad answer, 'Thou sayest!' Two things, then, appealed to him at the moment:
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Cannot and Can
'Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek Me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go ye cannot come; so now I say to you.'--JOHN xiii. 33. The preceding context shows how large and black the Cross loomed before Jesus now, and how radiant the glory beyond shone out to Him. But it was only for a moment that either of these two absorbed His thoughts; and with wonderful self-forgetfulness and self-command, He turned away at once from the consideration of how the near future
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Seeking Jesus
'... Ye shall seek Me.'--JOHN xiii. 33. In the former sermon on this verse I pointed out that it, in its fullness, applies only to the brief period between the crucifixion and the resurrection, but that, partly by contrast and partly by analogy, it suggests permanent relations between Christ and His disciples. These relations were mainly--as I pointed out then--two: there was that one expressed by the subsequent words of the verse, 'Whither I go, ye cannot come'--a brief 'cannot,' soon to be changed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

A Rash Vow
'Jesus answered him, Wilt them lay down thy life for My sake? Verily, verily I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice.'--JOHN xiii. 38. In the last sermon I partly considered the dialogue of which this is the concluding portion, and found that it consisted of an audacious question: 'Why cannot I follow Thee now?' which really meant a contradiction of our Lord; of a rash vow; 'I will lay down my life for Thy sake'--and of a sad forecast: 'The cock shall not crow till
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Servant-Master
'Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.'--JOHN xiii. 3-5. It has been suggested that the dispute as to 'which was the greatest,' which broke the sanctities of the upper chamber, was connected with
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Glory of the Cross
'Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God he glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him.'--JOHN xiii. 31, 32. There is something very weird and awful in the brief note of time with which the Evangelist sends Judas on his dark errand. 'He ... went immediately out, and it was night.' Into the darkness that dark soul went. That hour was 'the power of darkness,' the very keystone of
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

'As I have Loved'
'A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another: as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.'--JOHN xiii. 34, 35. Wishes from dying lips are sacred. They sink deep into memories and mould faithful lives. The sense of impending separation had added an unwonted tenderness to our Lord's address, and He had designated His disciples by the fond name of 'little children.' The same sense here gives
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Quo Vadis?
'Peter said unto Him, Lord, why cannot I follow Thee now! I will lay down my life for Thy sake. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for My sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice.'--JOHN xiii. 37, 38. Peter's main characteristics are all in operation here; his eagerness to be in the front, his habit of blurting out his thoughts and feelings, his passionate love for his Master, and withal his inability to understand Him, and his self-confident
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

October the Twentieth the Lord as the Servant
"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He came forth from God, and goeth to God...." --JOHN xiii. 1-20. And how shall we expect the sentence to finish? What shall be the issue of so vast a consciousness? "He took a towel, and girded Himself ... and began to wash the disciples' feet." So a mighty consciousness expresses itself in lowly service. In our ignorance we should have assumed that divinity would have moved only in planetary orbits, and would have
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

25TH DAY. Heavenly Illumination.
"He is Faithful that Promised." "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter."--JOHN xiii. 7. Heavenly Illumination. As the natural sun sometimes sinks in clouds, so, occasionally, the Christian who has a bright rising, and a brighter meridian, sets in gloom. It is not always "light" at his evening-time; but this we know, that when the day of immortality breaks, the last vestige of earth's shadows will for ever flee away. To the closing hour of time, Providence may be to him
John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser

Love is the Touchstone by which the Reality of Truth is Perceived...
1. Love is the touchstone by which the reality of truth is perceived, and by it shall all men know that ye are My disciples (John xiii.35). I also make use of the sword of justice, so that at first sight some are inclined to think that, like Solomon, I intend to finish My work without mercy (1 Kings iii.16-28), but My object, like his, is to apply the touchstone of love which will bring out the truth, and show that you are the children of that God of Love who gave His life to save yours. You ought
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

The Paschal Meal. Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet.
(Thursday Evening of the Beginning of Friday.) ^D John XIII. 1-20. ^d 1 Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus knowing that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto his Father, having loved his own that were in the world, he loved them unto the end. [Since the second century a great dispute has been carried on as to the apparent discrepancy between John and the synoptists in their statements concerning the passover. The synoptists, as we have seen in the previous section,
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

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