A NEW COMMAND

John 13:18-38

Key Verses: 34-35

“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 that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Today’s passage has three parts. First, Jesus talks about Judas’ betrayal very specifically in order to help his disciples to understand it and to be prepared. Second, Jesus gives a new command to his disciples. And third, Jesus predicts Peter’s denial. This passage reveals the difference between Jesus’ love and the disciples’ love. Most of all, Jesus imparts a new command that Christians must obey. May God help us to accept the command and put it into practice.

First, “one of you is going to betray me.” (18-30)

In this part, Jesus predicts Judas’ betrayal very explicitly. Jesus begins to speak of Judas by quoting the scripture that a betrayal would occur. Look at verse 18. “I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: ‘He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.’” Here Jesus did not say who would betray him to give Judas a chance again to repent and turn his heart. Moreover, Jesus accepted God’s will for him that he would die on the cross for the sin of the world through his disciple’s betrayal. He quoted Psalm 41:9: “He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.” Sharing bread together is the expression of intimate fellowship. We share bread together after the Sunday worship service. Through this Sunday lunch together we share joy and blessing, enjoying good food and good fellowship. But the betrayer who shared Jesus’ bread would lift up his heel against him.” This is a dramatic picture. It is as if a man who reaches out his hands to hug his close friend, but his friend responds by giving him a fatal Karate heel kick in the face. Judas’ betrayal was exactly like that. We can understand Jesus’ unbearable pain here. But Jesus was not knocked down by the betrayer’s heel kick. He understood it as part of God’s world salvation work and as the fulfillment of Scripture.

Now Jesus was preparing his disciples for the painful betrayal. Look at verse 19. “I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am He.” Judas’ betrayal would be a painful event to Jesus. Jesus knew that it would also wound the disciples’ faith tremendously. So Jesus told them about the betrayal in advance so that they could have unshakable faith in Jesus when it would happen. It is amazing to see that in the midst of the betrayal, Jesus planted faith in his disciples even through the painful event.

Look at verse 20. “I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me.” Here the verb “accepts” repeats 3 times. Judas’ fundamental problem was that he didn’t accept Jesus as the Messiah whom God sent. Outwardly, Judas followed Jesus just like the other disciples. He did many things together with the other disciples. Even when he was sent out for the fieldwork training, he healed the sick and drove out evil spirits in the name of Jesus. But he had never opened up his will to Christ Jesus. He had never accepted Jesus as his Lord. He had always pursued his own course, although he had known what Jesus had really wanted from him. Accepting Jesus means having our hearts respond to Jesus. Accepting Jesus means to surrender to Jesus’ will and commit our life to him.

Now Jesus announced this betrayal plainly to the disciples. Being troubled in spirit, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.” The disciples were stunned and shaken by Jesus’ revelation, “one of you is going to betray me.” They stared at one another in dead silence. At a loss, they looked at one another to know which of them Jesus meant. “Is it Matthew who had a previous connection with Romans?” “Is it Bartholomew who was always silent and obscure?” They carefully examined each of them in their mind, recollecting all the suspicious and dubious activities that each had done. But they could not figure out the betrayer. According to Mark’s gospel account, the disciples were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely not I?” Even Judas said to Jesus, “Surely not I?” What a fantastic hypocrite!

Then Peter took the initiative to figure out who was going to betray Jesus. Probably Peter wanted to know the betrayer to lift up his heel against him and give him Taekwondo heel kick and knock him down. So he motioned John who was reclining next to Jesus and said, “Ask him which one he means.” Then John leaning back against Jesus asked Jesus quietly, “Lord, who is it?” John Son of thunder also wanted to know the betrayer to crush him. Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then he dipped the bread and gave it to Judas. This bread was the mark of Jesus’ friendship. This bread was Jesus’ last appeal to Judas to repent and turn away from his evil plot. But Judas chose not to change his mind but to go on his own way to the end. Judas took the bread and Satan entered into Judas. Then Jesus told Judas directly, “What you are about to do, do quickly.” Judas knew what he meant. But hardening his heart, Judas went out into the night, embraced by the darkness of Satan. He plunged himself into eternal condemnation.

Through this tragic narrative about Judas’ betrayal, we learn striking spiritual lessons. Firstly, Jesus doesn’t coerce sinners but appeals them to turn their hearts to him. The gospel stories show that he never forced sinners to repent and believe in him, although he is God Almighty. He appeals sinners again and again to repent and come to him. Jesus gives us chances again and again to make a personal decision to come to him. Jesus says in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” At this time, may we hear Jesus’ appeal and open our heart door and accept him into our hearts.

Secondly, we have freedom of choice and responsibility for our own choice. We can accept Jesus as our Christ or we can reject him. However we must take responsibility for our own choice. Jesus didn’t hold Judas who walked away into darkness. It was because Judas chose to betray Jesus. As he made his own choice, Judas had responsibility for the consequences of his own decision. Judas went out freely into the darkness. It was tragic but it was his own choice. We have God given freedom to accept and follow Jesus or to reject Jesus and stay in our own course. But we will bear the fruit of our own choice at the end of our lives. May we make a right and spiritual choice to accept and follow Jesus.

Second, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (31-35).

What did Jesus say when Judas was gone? In every generation and society there are people who betray their loved ones. Julius Caesar was betrayed by his adopted son and trusted general Brutus. In the bible Joseph was betrayed and sold as a slave by his own brothers. King David was betrayed by his own son Absalom. Elin Woods was betrayed by her husband Tiger Woods. Perhaps, we all experienced the bitterness of betrayal. Betrayal is the hardest thing to bear to everyone. Someone said, “One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death.” How did Jesus overcome the bitterness of the betrayal? Look at verses 31-32. “When he was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.’” Here the word, “glorified” or “glorify” was repeated many times. Jesus’ heart was filled with a desire to glorify God. In the midst of his sorrow and anguish of heart, Jesus saw the betrayal from God’s perspective. Humanly it was tragic and bitter. Moreover, as the result of the betrayal, Jesus would die a cruel death on the cross. But Jesus saw that through this painful event Jesus glorified God. It was because through his death the richness of God’s love would be revealed. We must grow to have spiritual eyes to see God’s purpose in painful events. Joseph in the Old Testament saw God’s purpose in his brothers’ betrayal. Because of his spiritual eyes, he could endure hardship without despair and hatred. When we come to God we can find God’s divine purpose in the event and have the inner strength to overcome it. We can glorify God.

Look at verse 33. Jesus knew that it was time for him to go. The disciples would be left alone in the world. So Jesus helped them to accept the truth that they had to learn to live without his physical presence. Look at verse 34. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Why is “Love one another” a new commandment? In fact, Jesus says in Matthew 22:49 that the second greatest commandment is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” So, Jesus’ command, “Love your neighbor” is seemingly not a new command. However this command is a “new” command, because they have to love others with Jesus’ love not with their human love. “Love one another” is a commandment. It is not an advice or suggestion. In other words, we must obey it whether we like it or not.

Now then what does it mean to love one another? To understand this command we must first understand the word “love.” There are different meanings for the word “love” in English based on the context of how the word is used. I can say, “I love the British Bulldogs.” Or I can say “I love shepherd pie.” Or I can say, “I love my wife.” Or I can say, “I love my children.” I used the same word “love” but I used it for different thing each time. So it is confusing. But in the Greek language that the New Testament was written in, there are actually four different words that we translate as "love" in our Bibles: 1) Eros—passionate romantic love; 2) Philia—brotherly love; 3) Storge—parental love; and 4) Agape—God’s unconditional and sacrificial love that Christ had for us.

In the new commandment, Jesus used the word “Agape.” “Agape one another.” More specifically, Jesus said, “As I have loved you, so you must agape one another.” In other words, we must love one another with God’s unconditional and sacrificial love, not with romantic love or brotherly love or parental love. For three and a half years, Jesus loved them unconditionally, sacrificially and faithfully, by forgiving their sins and faults. He loved them sacrificially by giving his own life to them. Jesus also loved them to the end without giving them up. In this way Jesus showed God’s love agape, and now asked his disciples to love one another as he had loved them.

Until now the disciples had established on their personal love relationship with Jesus. Each one had formed an intimate relationship with Jesus. But they didn’t have love for one another. In fact, they were not interested in loving others. Rather, they were competing with each other to push others out of the way and to promote their own causes. Peter and John competed with each other to receive Jesus’ love and to be recognized as leaders. Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot were natural adversaries. But they all experienced Jesus’ love that touched their hearts fundamentally. And now it was time for them to put Jesus’ unconditional, sacrificial and faithful love into practice, overcoming their self-centeredness and indifference to others. Jesus wanted them to love one another as he had loved them. Later, the disciples grew in Jesus’ agape, and loved one another so beautifully. The book of Acts shows the disciples’ agape. God blessed their love vessel so powerfully and abundantly and many people came to them to learn of Jesus and love others like the disciples. We all experienced Jesus’ unconditional, unfailing and sacrificial love for us. With that love of Jesus we must love our co-workers and Jesus’ sheep. In this way, we obey the new command. I know how much Jesus has loved me. Jesus forgave all my dirty and terrible sins unconditionally until now. When my heart became lukewarm or cold, he didn’t stop loving me, but loved me faithfully and sacrificially. I know I was loveless, unforgiving, critical and impatient, but Jesus has loved me regardless of my sins and faults. Moreover, Jesus gave me his life on the cross. Jesus still loves me even though I give him my complaints, demands and burdens most of the time. I pray that God may help me to love Jesus and love other co-workers with Jesus’ agape. I also thank God for our co-workers who have loved me with God’s love.

Jesus says in verse 35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” When this love of Jesus circulated among them, they could have Jesus in their midst and reveal Jesus’ love to the world. The Spirit of Jesus’ love would mark them as unique among all people in the world. We are called to love others as Jesus has loved us. Most people in the world is lonely and sick because they don’t know and receive God’s love. Just like the Samaritan woman in the Bible, countless people have parched souls because they could not find God’s love. Without exception, we human beings need God’s love. Jesus showed us agape and we are alive in his love. Now we must put this agape into practice among our co-workers. May God make each of us as Jesus’ disciple who loves others with Jesus’ love.

Third, “You will disown me.” (36-38)

Peter did not hear Jesus’ words about loving one another. He only heard Jesus’ words about going away. He wanted to follow Jesus and be with Jesus wherever Jesus was. But Jesus told him he could not follow now. This was Jesus’ word. But Peter did not accept it. He insisted that he must follow Jesus now. He was too confident in himself. He was not trusting in Jesus’ words and humbly doing what Jesus wanted him to do. He thought that he loved Jesus more than anyone else and would lay down his life for Jesus. But Jesus knew he would fail to follow. He predicted his denial, by saying, “I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” It was not to criticize him, but to help him realize that his life was in the hand of God and that he must depend absolutely on God in following Jesus.

In this passage, Jesus commands us to love one another as he has loved us. May we remember how Jesus has loved us and love others with Jesus’ love. May God bless us and enable us to practice Jesus’ love in our daily lives.