“A New Commandment”
Seeking Jesus First - June 27, 2026
“A New Commandment”
Please Read John 13:31–35 (NKJV)
Reflection
After Judas left the room, Jesus spoke these words:
“Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.”
The Greek word translated “immediately” carries the sense of something happening very soon — without unnecessary delay. While the full exaltation of Jesus would be completed through His resurrection and ascension, the process of glorification would unfold rapidly. Within days He would rise from the dead, and during the forty days that followed, before ascending to the Father, He would declare to His disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). The Father was about to glorify the Son quickly and powerfully.
In the very next breath, Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
This was not simply a command to love in general. It was a command to love as Jesus had loved them — with humility, sacrifice, patience, and faithfulness, even to the end. He had just washed their feet, including the feet of the one who would betray Him. He was about to lay down His life for them. This kind of love would be the distinguishing mark of His disciples.
The world would not primarily know they belonged to Jesus by their knowledge, their miracles, or their separation from the world. They would know by the way His followers loved one another. This love would be supernatural — it would only be possible through the life of Christ in them.
Application
Today, consider how you are loving the people around you. Are you loving others the way Jesus has loved you — with humility, patience, and sacrifice? Or has your love become selective, convenient, or conditional?
Renew your mind with this truth: The love of Jesus is the standard, and it is also the evidence that we truly belong to Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you one person or situation where you have been withholding love, holding onto offense, or loving only when it is easy. Choose today to love as Jesus loved — not in your own strength, but by surrendering to His love flowing through you. Let your love for others be a clear testimony that you are His disciple.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the new commandment Jesus gave us — to love one another as He has loved us. Thank You that He demonstrated this love through humble service and by laying down His life. Forgive us for the times we have loved others only when it was convenient or when we felt they deserved it. Renew our minds today to love as Jesus loved. Help us to walk in humility, patience, and sacrificial love toward one another. May the way we love each other be a clear witness to the world that we belong to Jesus. Strengthen us to live out this new commandment by the power of Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, giving thanks for the living Word of the Lord. Amen.