John 13:31-38

THE SACRIFICING SERVANT OF CHRIST

Text 13:31-38

31

When therefore he was gone out, Jesus saith, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him;

32

and God shall glorify him in himself, and straightway shall he glorify him.

33

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 unto you.

34

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

36

Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow afterwards.

37

Peter saith unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee even now? I will lay down my life for thee.

38

Jesus answereth, Wilt thou lay down thy life for me? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

Queries

a.

Why did Jesus say, Now is the Son of man glorified?

b.

How is love one another a new commandment?

c.

Was Jesus questioning the courage of Peter in John 13:38?

Paraphrase

When Judas had been sent out to consummate his evil scheme, Jesus said, Now I have willingly sent the traitor to seal my death now by this act is the Son of man glorified and God is also glorified. And God shall glorify the Son in intimate union with himself and in just a few hours shall he glorify him in the ultimate victory!
Oh, my little children, I will be with you only a few hours longer. And the time is coming very soon when you will long for my presence but I must tell you, as I told the Jews, Where I am going you cannot follow. Since I am about to leave you I am giving you a new precept to follow. This new precept is built upon a new conceptit is that you love one another with the same self-sacrificing love with which I have loved you. If you shall do this, all men shall know that you are my disciples even though I be not with you in bodily presence.
Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where could you possibly be going that we cannot follow you? Jesus replied, I am going where you cannot follow me now, though you will follow me later. Peter asked quickly, Lord, what can possibly keep me from following you right now? Why, I am ready even to lay down my life for you! Jesus replied, Will you indeed lay down your life for me? I most solemnly assure you the rooster will not crow at coming daybreak until you have disowned me three times.

Summary

Jesus shows the marks of a true and loyal disciple both by example and precept. one who will sacrifice self-will. Peter, trusting too much in self, shows he has the wrong concept.

Comment

At the moment of the Lord's betrayal and arrest it would seem to the disciples that their Master had become the victim of unfortunate circumstances. But later when the Holy Spirit should call to their minds His complete mastery of the situation even before the betrayal they would glorify His name. Judas did not escape detection. Judas did not even steal away secretly to do something which was against the plan of Jesus. Here, this night, the Lord of the universe willingly and purposefully sends his betrayer off to do his deed. The sacrificing servant of God is glorified in a majestic surrender of self.
God the Father, in intimate union with the Son, is also glorified by His majestic giving up of His only-unique Son. At the Father's command is an unnumbered host of angelic warriors. At the instant word of the Father they would have slain every human enemy of His Son. But the glorious love and mercy of the Father for a world in sin kept this command from being issued.
And soon, very soon now, would the ultimate victory be accomplishedthe victory over sin upon Golgotha and the victory over death in Joseph's tomb. Then shall the Son of man be glorified indeed. Then shall all His claims to deity be vindicated for all time.
The subject of his glorification in death, resurrection and ascension leads Him to make preparation for His physical departure from among them. Just as He told the Jews at the feast of Tabernacles, some six months earlier, now He tells His disciples He must leave them. They will long for His presence but where He is going they cannot follow immediately. He must ascend to the Father, but they must remain behind in the world until they are called up higher at death. And until their decease (exodus) and reunion with Him they will know His living presence by keeping the new commandment which He leaves with them.
Is this a new commandment? Has He never before given them the precept of love to keep? The newness of the commandment is contained in that His disciples are to love one another even as their Master has loved them. No such love could have been commanded before because no such love had ever been exhibited before! This love of Jesus for men goes even deeper than the command for a man to love another as he loves himself, for Jesus loves us more than we love ourselves. It is only by allowing Christ to dwell in us through faith that we can even come near to comprehending what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge (cf. Ephesians 3:17-19)! The dimensions of His love are as boundless and limitless as faith! If His disciples have this love for one another, His presence will be living and abiding in them and working through them. And by such love will the whole world know the presence of Christ and know that such men are His disciples. Doctrinal correctness is not all there is to Christian discipleship, as important as that is (1 John 2:3-4), but a Christ-like love for one another is equally essential (cf. 1 John 2:8-11). This is the type of love that would cause a Paul to write, For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh (Romans 9:2). By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples.

What a contrast between the selfless love of Christ and the love of self of Judas. The love that moved Jesus to willingly sacrifice Himself is the self-sacrificing love which is to be the distinguishing mark of a disciple of Christ.
The manner in which John records this section gives us the impression that Peter, in all his impetuosity and eagerness to demonstrate his loyalty to Jesus, brushed aside the teaching on love and directed the conservation abruptly back to the ominous note of impending conflict. If his Master is about to engage in battle he sees no reason why he cannot follow Him into the thick of the conflict. He is ready now!

If there is a fight to be fought for the right he is prepared now. Even if he must die he would go with his Master. He is ready and willing to lay down his life in battle for the Christ. Peter was no coward. He armed himself with a sword and would have challenged those who came to arrest Jesus in the garden (John 18:10-11). He had the bold courage to follow the authorities as they led Jesus to the very house of the high priest and stood without until allowed to enter.

We do not believe that cowardice prompted Peter to deny the Lord and take an oath that he never knew Him. We believe Peter would have quickly admitted being a disciple of Jesus if the Master had just given the signal to fight. Perhaps he emphatically denied being the disciple of Jesus hoping to remain incognito until Jesus would give the signal to resist. When Peter finally realized that his Master was not going to resist he gave up his ambitions for the Messianic kingdom. That seemed to be Peter's troubleambition for the Messianic kingdom in his earthly concept of it. He had not denied self! We believe that basically Peter denied the Lord in that he refused to deny his own self-ambitions. When Jesus offered not the least bit of resistance, Peter, with the other disciples scatterednot because they were cowards, but because their aspirations and ideals were dying (they supposed) with Him. When Jesus had prophecied His death at Cesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13-28), Peter rebuked Him for thinking such a thing should happen to the Messiah. It was here that the Lord told Peter he was minding the things of men. It was in connection with that very rebuke that Jesus warned the disciples they must lose their lives for His sake in a sense different from physical death. Before Pilate, Jesus said, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews (John 18:36). Jesus forbade the disciples to fight to rescue Himthe very thing that the disciples would have done!

We believe that in essence Jesus is saying, Peter, I know you are willing to fight and die physically for your concept of Me as the Messiah. But Peter, are you willing to put self to death and accept My concept of the Messianic kingdom. I assure you, Peter, you will deny Me before morning comes. Peter was not yet ready to crucify himself (cf. Galatians 2:20).

Quiz

1.

How was Jesus glorified by His actions there in the upper room?

2.

Why does Jesus give His new commandment?

3.

What is new about this commandment?

4.

What will be the results of keeping this new commandment?

5.

Was Peter afraid to die physically for Jesus?

6.

In what way was Peter unwilling to lose his life for Jesus?