The “New” Commandment

John 13:31-35

31When he went out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. 32If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and he will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you for a short time: you will look for me, and just as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going you are not able to come,’ now I also say to you.

34I give to you a new commandment, that you should love one another, just as I loved you so that you also would love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

context

• Jesus had washed the disciples’ feet as an example of loving and humble service (John 13:1-17)–They were to love one another in

the same way (function)

context

• Jesus the forewarned them that one of them would betray him (John 13:18-19)–By doing this he demonstrates he

is fully aware and in control of what will happen

context

• NB the specific location of the ‘new’ commandmentForewarning of Judas’s betrayal

(13:18-30)The ‘new’ commandment (13:31-35)

Forewarning of Peter’s denial (13:36-38)

context

• Both fail to love as Jesus commanded–Peter will be forgiven and restored (John 21)

context

• The ‘new’ commandment is part of a larger discourse (John 13:31-17:26)

• As such it introduces an important issue–“the problem of the personal

pronoun”

“the problem of thepersonal pronoun”

• The pronoun “you” (singular or plural) refers to the audience being addressed by the speaker

• Statements using this pronoun do not necessarily apply to anyone else– “I want you to have this”– “I will give you X, if …”

“the problem of thepersonal pronoun”

• Too often we ignore this pronoun when we are reading scripture

• We simply assume that “you” means “us”

“the problem of thepersonal pronoun”

• Yet this may not be the case–“Do you know what I have done to you?” (John 13:12)–“I tell you this now, before it takes

place, that when it takes place you may know that I am he.” (John 13:19; cf. 14:29)

“the problem of thepersonal pronoun”

• Yet this may not be the case–“They will put you out of the

synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering a service to God.” (John 16:2)–“…I did not say these things to you

from the beginning because I was with you.” (John 16:4)

“the problem of thepersonal pronoun”

• At other times the referent is ‘extended’–“Has not Moses given you the

law?” (John 7:19)–“If you love me, you will keep my

commandments.” (John 14:15)• “If anyone loves me, he will keep my

word” (14:23)

the ‘new’ commandment

• What does this mean for our understanding of John 13:31-35?

• Do we have good reasons for concluding this applies to us as well?

the ‘new’ commandment

• Consider 1 John 4:19-21

the ‘new’ commandment19“We love, because he first loved us. 20If anyone should say he loves God and hates his brother, he is a liar. For the one hating his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21and this is the commandment we have from him, the one loving God also should love his brother.”

the ‘new’ commandment

• In 1 John the commandment is extended beyond the original group of disciples

• John indicates this applies to all disciples

the ‘new’ commandment

• Thus we too have been commanded to love one another

• Jesus loved his disciples (including us) so that we could and would love one another– “Just as I loved you so that you would

love one another” (13:34)

the ‘new’ commandment

• This love is to be the identifying feature of Jesus’ disciples

• Is this how people know that we are his disciples?