Love One Another, That All May Know (J52)

When Judas left, “Now I am glorified,”
Jesus said, “and God is glorified, too;
Soon I go to where you cannot abide;
You will look for me, but I will see you!
Love one another, as I have loved you,
That you’re my disciples, the world will know;
I give you this command, one that is new.”
Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where will you go?
I will lay down my life to follow you!”
“I tell you, this night, before the cock crow,
Three times you’ll swear that I you never knew,
Yet for me you’d really let your life go?”
Jesus knew a prophecy* on the matter:
“Strike the shepherd; the sheep shall scatter”!

*Zechariah 13:7

Scripture Quoted: John 13:33-35 (NIV)
“ ‘My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now. Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Commentary on: John 13:31-38 (NIV)
After Judas left the Passover meal on Thursday evening, Jesus began teaching His remaining eleven apostles many things, for He had only a few hours left with them before His arrest by the Sanhedrin. When that moment came deep into the night, His trial and crucifixion with its horrible suffering would quickly follow. He would lie dead in a borrowed tomb by 6 p.m. the next day, Passover Friday. He told them that now He was glorified. His mission for which He was sent was successful, the minutes ticking away exactly as planned before the beginning of time. By “glorified” He meant that all authority and power as King of the Kingdom of God, Lord of the universe, and God Himself were now His. Jesus would no longer be Jesus of Nazareth after His death, burial and resurrection but Christ and Creator of the world. He was going back to heaven, where He had been with God from the beginning. His disciples could not go there yet—they had their own suffering to complete on earth—but He could see them and promised to accompany them everywhere. In their hands He was leaving the care and building of the Kingdom of God by telling all people in the world that salvation was available to all.

He gave them a new commandment: Love one another. Every Christian believer is to display love for all other believers. Doing so will be the best way to attract others to believe. Through the past and today, the members of churches have done a poor job of keeping this command. There is internal bickering and brawls that tend to repel new believers. Mahatma Gandhi said he would be a Christian if he hadn’t met so many of them! Yet, it remains the best way to attract the non-believers, and a believer should try his best to love his or her brothers and sisters.

He also predicted Simon Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed next morning. Impetuous Peter vehemently claimed that He would follow Jesus even if it cost him his life. Jesus answered his claim by sorrowfully telling him that he would deny knowing the Savior when accosted outside the house where He was being tried; he would deny Him three times. The prophet Zechariah (in 13:7 of his O.T. book) had predicted that when the “shepherd” is stricken, the “sheep” would be scattered. When Jesus was arrested, the apostles fled.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)