What does it mean to have love for one another (John 13:35)?

Answer

In John 13:35, Jesus establishes mutual love as the distinctive mark of all Christians: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (ESV). To comprehend the full significance of the command to have love for one another, it is essential to consider the entire context of John 13.

Having announced His imminent departure and insisting that His disciples cannot presently accompany Him “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 13:33), Jesus proceeds to outline His expectations for them during His absence. Unfortunately, the disciples continue to struggle with the fact that Jesus’ departure is imminent (verses 36–38). This prompts Jesus to offer an extended explanation about His departure. The hope is that His words would bring comfort to their troubled hearts see John 14:1.

In John 13:34, Jesus issues a new command: “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” (ESV). This is a simple command, yet we consistently fail to comprehend it and obey it. There are many reasons for this:

• We do not recognize the depth of our sin and self-centeredness (Matthew 26:31-35;Mark 9:33-37).

• We do not appreciate the love of Jesus (John 1:10-11).

• We do not measure ourselves against the standard of Jesus’ love (John 13:1-20).