John 13:31-35

In the gospel of John, Jesus says: "It is by your love for one another that everyone will recognize you as my disciples."

In this part of the gospel of John, Jesus is preparing his disciples for his death. "As I said to the Jews so now I say to you," he teaches, "where I am going you cannot come." (v. 33) What a strange statement! Jesus is speaking to his disciples, who are all Jews, so what is the distinction he is making between his disciples and those he calls "the Jews"? This phrase is used throughout the gospel of John to designate those who oppose Jesus. These opponents are all Jews, but so is almost everyone else in the story. Today we need to clarify that this attack in the gospel of John on "the Jews" does not refer to all Jews and is not a justification for Christian anti-Semitism.

Verse 35 of this passage is quoted above and points to the love that the disciples are to have for each other. This is not a commandment to love our enemies, as we find in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, (Mt. 5:43-48, Lk. 6:27-31) nor even to love our neighbors, which might be taken to mean our people even if they are not part of our faith community. In the gospel of John the love that Jesus commands is faithfulness among the disciples, as they face opposition and efforts to divide them.

Grace and peace...Bob