The Gospel of John

John 13:31–38

A New Commandment & Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture. From memory, determine the central points.

1.         Already the Jews had Moses’ commandments that stated they were to love God with all their being and their neighbor as themselves. (see Deuteronomy 6:4–5 and Leviticus 19:17–18)

2.         Loving the neighbor however, applied only to Jewish neighbors, not Gentiles.

3.         In the “Parable of the Good Samaritan”, is the story of a Gentile, a despised Samaritan taking care of a person in need. (see Luke 10:25–37) It is the Samaritan who proves to be a neighbor. This is an absolutely revolutionary concept for Jesus’ hearers.

4.         Now Jesus’ disciples are to love, and the Greek word transliterated into English letters, is agape. Jesus’ followers  are to agape one another. (Would this include Judas?) Agape love means, in addition to much more, the seeking of the well-being of another person no matter what the cost.

5.         This, from the mouth of a Jewish person is nothing short of extraordinary! They are to love each other as Jesus loves them. And Jesus is about to give up His life for them, and us, by the way.

6.         We will ask ourselves: Are we capable of this? Circumstances may never arise that would call for such love, but then again…

7.         In the next paragraph, or pericope , John goes on to detail Peter’s denial of Jesus, which would occur the very next day. (see John 18:15–18 and 25–27)

8.         Now, Jesus said He was going to a place His disciples could not come, at least as we know from the rest of the Gospel, not now.

9.         Peter wants to now where Jesus is going. Jesus responds that Peter could not follow Him then, but he would later. (Is Jesus referring to Peter’s own crucifixion?)

10.       Peter boasts he will lay down his life for his Lord. Jesus asks, “Will you.” Then closes the conversation by telling Peter that before the rooster crows (between 2 and 4am) Peter will deny Him.