A New Commandment
The Gospel of John details the Last Supper account of Jesus and his twelve disciples. John thoroughly explains what was said and the actions Jesus took in celebrating the Passover with his close pupils. In chapter thirteen of his book, John gives an account of Jesus washing his disciples' feet. Of course, there was some consternation since Peter originally objected to the Messiah washing his dirty feet. But Jesus would not be dissuaded. The Lord said, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." Upon hearing this, Peter swung the pendulum all the way to wash not just his feet but also his hands and head!
Jesus washed all the disciples' feet, and the supper went on until Jesus became troubled in His spirit. He informed the disciples that one of them was going to betray the Messiah. Jesus used a piece of bread to indicate the betrayer would be Judas Iscariot. He dipped the bread in a bowl and passed it to Judas, instructing him, "What you are about to do, do quickly." Judas left. As soon as he did, Jesus announced the glorification of the Son of Man. The time had come for the Son of Man to be glorified and for God to be glorified through Him. "If God is glorified in Him [the Son of Man], God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify Him at once." Jesus' mission had hit a milestone. Things were going to be different.
At the Last Supper Jesus gave the disciples a New Commandment to “Love one another.”
First, Jesus was going somewhere, and even though the disciples might want to go with Him, they could not go. Jesus had already told the crowds they could not go where He was going. Now we understand that the disciples were unable to go there either. This must have been a little hard to hear. For three years, these men had been companions with the Messiah. They all had plans for the future, and all their plans involved Jesus. But now Jesus was going where they could not go. Later in the account, Peter asks Jesus, "Where are you going?" Jesus simply tells him, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later." But before this discussion and the subsequent prediction of Peter's denial of his Christ, Jesus shares something with his remaining disciples, whom He now refers to as "children."
In verse 34, Jesus gives the men a "new commandment." What was this new commandment? "Love one another." What? Is this a new commandment? Jesus had been instructing the disciples in love, how to love, and who to love for the last three years! How can "love one another" be a new commandment?
According to Jesus, the Greatest Commandment is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." The Second Commandment is like the greatest, "Love your neighbor as yourself." That second one seems very similar to this new commandment. I wonder if the disciples were looking around at each other, wondering how loving anything could be a new commandment.
So, what's the deal with this new commandment? Could it be that the newness of this commandment was not in love itself? Surely, if we are commanded to love our neighbors, "one another" is included. But the new commandment may have nothing to do with who to love, but rather, the way to love. As Jesus went on with the new commandment, He said, "As I have loved you, so you must love one another." Why must we do this, Lord? Because "by this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Aw - that's it.
The new commandment was different because of the way and purpose behind it. Jesus was speaking with the original proclaimers of the Kingdom of God. The carriers of the good news He had shared while walking on the earth. The Lord knew these men would be commissioned to take the Gospel to the world. He needed them to love one another a certain way. Remember, the Son of Man, Jesus Himself, was now glorified in the Father. The Greatest Commandment was intended to orient humans properly to God Almighty with total commitment and love. The Second Commandment was to properly orient humans toward each other under the Law established under God Almighty.
This New Commandment was something different. It was established under the glorified Son, who in Himself glorifies the Father. It was intended to properly orient humans to the Son so that they might find the Father. The way of orientation was through Jesus' disciples loving one another just as Christ Jesus had loved them, and the disciples included all believers, including us! By showing the love of our Lord, we let the whole world know that we are disciples of the glorified Son of God, which leads them to salvation found only in the Son.
This New Commandment could not have been issued at any point in history before Jesus was glorified. There was no point in loving like Jesus loved unless God glorified Him as the Son. There is no point in loving one another like the Son of God loves us unless the Son of God is the Savior, the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lords. God has glorified the Son and is glorified in Him. Now, when we love one another as Christ loves us, we draw others unto their loving God and Savior.
For more on the Greatest and Second Commandment read The Second.