A Study of John 13:31-38

“When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.””

John 13:31-38 ESV

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

After Judas left to betray Jesus, Jesus said the Son of Man is now glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in the Son of Man, God will also glorify Him in Himself and do so immediately. Jesus then addressed the disciples as “little children” and said He would only be with them for a little bit longer. They would seek him, but in the same way He said to the Jews, they could not come where He was going. Then Jesus gave them a new commandment to love one another just as He loved them. It is by loving one another that all people will know they are His disciples.

Next, Peter asked Jesus where He was going, and Jesus told him they could not follow Him now, but they would follow Him later. Then Peter asked why he couldn’t follow Jesus now and declared he would lay down his life for Him. But Jesus asked if Peter would really lay down his life, and then predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before the rooster crowed.

Textual Analysis and Implication (what is being said and what does this mean?):

In the previous verses Judas left to betray Jesus. Now, after Judas left, in verses 31-32 Jesus says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once.” It seems now that Judas had gone to commit his act of treachery, the often spoken of “hour” in John’s gospel has come and Jesus says as much with these words. God will now glorify the Son, God will be glorified in the Son, and importantly this glorification will happen “at once.” Jesus did not speak only of the glory He would return to when He ascended back to Heaven, but of the shame and suffering of the cross. The impending arrest, beatings, humiliation, crucifixion, death and resurrection are what Jesus now refers to as glory. The entirety of this coming event will display God’s saving sovereignty and initiate the coming of His kingdom. Judas’ leaving to bring all of this about is the actual commencement of Jesus’ glorification.

The theologian John Trapp in speaking of this passage had this to say, “He calls his death his glory, esteems his crown of thorns more precious than Solomon’s diadem; looks upon his welts as spangles, his blows on the face as ingots, his wounds as gems, his spittings on as sweet ointment, his cross as his throne.”

Next, after speaking of His glory, in verse 33 Jesus says, “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’” The previous words about Jesus’ soon to come glorification leads into one of the primary themes of this final discourse from Him which is to prepare the disciples for His departure. The term “little children” is not an insult. It is translated from the Greek word “teknia,” and it is a tender, endearing form of address. “My dear children” would also be a good translation of “teknia.” This is the only place the word is used in John’s gospel, but John also uses it seven times in 1 John to address his readers.

As Jesus says He will only be with them a little while longer He could be referring to either His death or His ascension to Heaven. He will address both of these in the following chapters. Up to this point Jesus told the “Jews” twice that soon they would look for Him and be unable to find Him (John 7:33-34, 8:21). In these cases “Jews” referred to the opponents of Jesus which mostly meant the Jewish leaders. It obviously didn’t refer to His own followers who were also Jews. But here Jesus tells his disciples the same thing. This would have been very hard for the disciples to hear. They had left everything to follow Jesus and expected to be part of a new political kingdom He would bring in as the Messiah, but now He told them He was leaving.

While they did not yet fully understand, the tone of these words from Jesus was very different from the announcement He made to the Jewish leaders. While the Jewish leaders were told they would be unable to find Jesus (John 7:34), Jesus will tell His disciples that He is going to prepare a place for them (John 14:1-3) where they will join Him one day. In contrast to this, the Jewish leaders are told they will die in their sin (John 8:21), but the disciples are told that because Jesus lives, they will also live (John 14:19).

After this, in verses 34-35, Jesus tells the disciples He is giving them a “new” commandment to love one another just as He has loved them. Then He also says people will know they are His disciples because of their love for one another. Jesus will speak more about His departure later in this discourse, but here He begins to tell His disciples how to conduct themselves when He leaves by giving them a “new command.”

This new command is easy enough for a child to understand, but lofty enough so that even the most mature followers of Christ still struggle to live up to it perfectly. The standard of love Jesus tells His followers to live up to is none other than His own which He demonstrated at the beginning of this chapter by humbly washing their feet. As this footwashing foreshadowed His selfless death on the cross, these words would provide the disciples with an even more profound standard of love to adhere to soon enough, and of course they provide this profound standard to us who follow Jesus today. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners at enmity with Him. Few would die even for a friend, but who would die for an enemy? With this lofty standard of love set for us, none of us can say we perfectly follow it on this side of eternity. But with God’s Spirit working within us, we are enabled to live out this command of Jesus with increasing obedience day by day, and when we fail to live up to it, He is always gracious and faithful to forgive us.

Importantly, the Greek word used for “new” (kainen) does not mean brand new or never heard of before. It implies freshness or the opposite of outworn. So the command Jesus gives is not new in that no command like it had ever been given. The OT law given through Moses commanded the people to “Love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deut. 6:5) and also “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am Yahweh.” (Lev. 19:18). Furthermore, Jesus previously taught all the law and the prophets were built on these two commands (Mark 12:28-33). This brings up the question then, what did Jesus mean by referring to it as new?

One reason is that it presents a new standard of love, “As I have loved you.”, but another reason is that it provides an example for the new order coming in under the new covenant made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice. In so doing this command provides the foundational command for the community of Jesus followers raised up by the redemption God planned and accomplished. Besides being a command to love like Christ, it also exhibits the kind of love that exists between God the Father and God the Son, and put into practice, it will bring about the same loving unity among the followers of Christ. Therefore, this new command is not only a command for Jesus’ followers to obey in response to the God Who loves us and laid His own life down for us, it is also a privilege and ability granted to us to be able to love like this. And when we love like this, it provides a watching world with an example and proclamation of the one true God Who loves them and desires to save them. This is why Jesus ends this command with, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples.”

In reading this some might ask, “Where is the love for the world in this command?”. Elsewhere, John’s gospel declares God’s love for the world (John 3:16) and Jesus also sends His followers into the world (John 20:21), so for one thing, it is implied that if Christians are to love like Jesus then they must love the world. Furthermore, John 4:42 makes it clear Jesus is the Savior of the world. This command in no way excludes love for the world. It simply emphasizes a certain focus. It is not that Jesus’ followers are to have less love for the world, but that they are to have more love for each other. Our love as Christians should reflect our status as members of God’s redeemed children who have been adopted into His family, and as a result our love for each other should bear a resemblance to the love that exists between the Father and the Son as we imitate their love. In regard to the world, the result of this should be ever increasing compassion, empathy and efforts of evangelism. As true followers of Jesus we recognize we are merely beggars telling our fellow beggars where to find bread; the living Bread that gives eternal life.

Lastly for this chapter, in verses 36-38 Peter asked Jesus where He was going, and Jesus told Peter he could not follow now, but would follow later. Then Peter asked why he couldn’t follow now and declared he would lay his life down for Jesus, but Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.” It is likely that not only Peter, but also the other eleven disciples were more interested in the statement that Jesus would soon leave them than in the new commandment. But of course it is Peter who asks Jesus where He is going. While there is good intention behind this question, it also reveals Peter is more interested in knowing Jesus’ plans than in obeying His commands at this point. Still, although Peter did not fully comprehend the manner of Jesus’ imminent departure, verse 37 shows he seemed to understand it might involve death.

Jesus responds to Peter in a way that quiets Peter’s rash proclamation and provides information that will be better understood by the disciples later. Peter and the other disciples could not follow Jesus now because it was not their time to die. But more importantly only Jesus is capable of offering Himself as the sacrificial Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world and in so doing reveal the boundless glory of God the Father; the very same glory Jesus has shared with the Father from eternity past. However, while Peter cannot follow Jesus now, he will follow Jesus in death later and then join Him in glory; as will all followers of Jesus. But of course, Peter will be counted among those followers of Jesus who die as martyrs for His name’s sake.

At the moment Peter didn’t understand this and he protested by asking again why he couldn’t follow now, and then declared that he would die for Jesus. Peter did not want to wait to follow Jesus and his question shows he did not yet comprehend the significance of what Jesus was going to do. As we read this though we should not think ill of Peter. Though imperfect and impetuous, Peter also spoke out of true, but confused devotion to Jesus, and in the emotion of the moment he was willing to lay down his life for Jesus. But devotion announced in the warmth of the Paschal dinner table is different from devotion acted upon in the cold darkness of night when enemies come to arrest Jesus. Peter was ignorant of his own human weakness, and his prideful dependence on his ability to stand for Jesus in his own strength is the seed of his eventual denial.

Besides this there is more irony in Peter’s statement exhibited by Jesus’ rhetorical question, “Will you lay down your life for me?”. Who is it that will actually lay down their life for whom? Peter who confidently said he would lay down his life for Jesus would end up denying he even knew Him three times, but Jesus would lay down His life for Peter and for the whole world. But again, Peter would eventually die for Jesus one day in the future, but as the theologian Adam Clarke put it, “Christ must first die for Peter, before Peter can die for him.” Peter would not be able to remain faithful and die for Jesus now, and therefore Jesus foretold his denials, but after receiving the Holy Spirit (Christ in him), Peter would be emboldened and empowered with the strength and humility needed to make good these words to remain faithful to Jesus even unto death.

Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should cause us to think not only of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to Heaven as a revelation of His glory, but also of the cross. The cross which the world may see only as a horrible and shameful implement of torture was used by God to reveal His glory to us in a most profound way. On it Jesus selflessly and willingly died in our place and in so doing revealed His boundless love for mankind, and on that cross He paid for the sin of the world and defeated every power of darkness that gathered against Him. The cross is where Jesus’ victory was accomplished and the resurrection is what provides the proof of His victory.

But before Jesus went to the cross He gave His followers a command to love in a fresh and new way. We are to love each other selflessly like He does. Our love should be an example of the kind of love that exists between God the Father and God the Son, and of the love He has for us and exhibited in laying His life down for us. We can’t love like this on our own, but by the power of God’s Spirit in us we can love like this, and as we follow Jesus we will be able to grow in this type of love day by day.

On the topic of our own strength versus the strength the Holy Spirit provides, we see that Peter would not be able to remain faithful to Jesus when the actual threat of death came upon Him. We need to learn from Peter’s failure that was based in self-reliance. All we have comes from God, and that includes faith and faithfulness. On the night of Jesus’ arrest Peter’s bravado failed him and he denied Jesus three times. But this same man who denied Jesus would go on to boldly preach the gospel and eventually be martyred for the name of Jesus. This transformation from cowardice to courage was made possible by the power of the Holy Spirit working in Peter and this same Holy Spirit is given to every follower of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is God Himself Who indwells all who trust in Christ. Though we all will stumble at times like Peter did, Jesus is always willing and eager to forgive us just like He did Peter. He will pick us up off the ground, dust us off and send us out again empowered by His Spirit to do His will and remain faithful to the end.

Self Reflection:

1. If God’s glory was most powerfully revealed in His suffering on the cross, is it not possible then that His glory may be powerfully revealed as I remain faithful to Him in the suffering I experience in my life?
2. Am I willing to remain faithful to Jesus Who suffered so greatly for me when I am called to suffer for a time? This is only possible by His strength and enabling, and He always does provide the grace needed to sustain me in what He has called me to endure.
3. What does loving the people in my life just as Jesus loves me look like practically speaking?