The New Uniform: John 13:31-35
Introduction: The Traitor's Exit
The stage has been cleared. The air in the Upper Room, thick with sorrow and confusion, has just been purged of its most toxic element. Judas Iscariot, with a piece of bread dipped by the Lord Himself in his hand and Satan in his heart, has just departed into the night. And John tells us, with a kind of dreadful finality, "it was night." This was not just a comment on the time of day. It was a theological statement. Judas went out from the Light of the World into the outer darkness, the natural habitat of all traitors.
And it is precisely at this moment, with the act of betrayal now irrevocably in motion, that Jesus turns to His remaining disciples and begins to speak of glory. This is jarring. We would expect Him to speak of sorrow, of fear, of the coming agony. But His first word after the traitor leaves is "Now." Now the hour has come. Now the purpose of the ages is reaching its crescendo. Now the Son of Man is glorified.
What Jesus is about to do is recalibrate their entire understanding of glory, of love, and of identity. He is giving them their marching orders for a world that will be defined by His absence. He is giving them a new law, a new identity, and a new strategy for winning the world. And it is all centered on the very thing the world thinks is the opposite of glory: the cross. The world thinks glory is about power, and thrones, and conquest. Jesus tells us that glory is a cross, a tomb, and a resurrection. The world thinks love is a sentimental feeling. Jesus tells us it is a bloody sacrifice. The world thinks identity is about self-expression. Jesus tells us it is about self-denial for the sake of others.
This passage is the charter of the Christian church. It is the constitution of the new covenant community. If we want to know who we are and what we are to be doing, we must listen with great care to these words, spoken in the shadow of the cross.
The Text
Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately. Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even 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.”
(John 13:31-35 LSB)
The Strange Glory of the Cross (v. 31-32)
We begin with this stunning declaration about glory.
"Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, 'Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.'" (John 13:31-32)
The departure of Judas is the trigger. It sets in motion the final, terrible events of the passion. And Jesus sees this not as a tragedy, but as a triumph. "Now is the Son of Man glorified." How is He glorified? By being arrested, mocked, spat upon, scourged, and nailed to a Roman cross. This is the central paradox of our faith. The moment of deepest shame, from a human perspective, is the moment of highest glory from a divine perspective.
Why? Because the cross is where the character of God is most brilliantly displayed. It is the ultimate revelation. On the cross, we see the perfect justice of God, as the full penalty for our sin is poured out. We see the infinite wisdom of God, as He devises a way to be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. And we see the unfathomable love of God, in that He does not spare His own Son but gives Him up for us all.
But notice the reciprocity. "God is glorified in Him." When the Son perfectly obeys the Father, even to the point of death, the Father is glorified. The Son's obedience puts the Father's righteousness and love on display for the whole universe to see. And because of this, the Father's response is immediate. "God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately." This points forward to the resurrection and ascension. Because the Son humbled Himself to the point of death, the Father will highly exalt Him, giving Him the name that is above every name. The glory of the cross is immediately followed by the glory of the crown. The shame of Friday is answered by the glory of Sunday morning. This is a tight, unbreakable union. The Father glorifies the Son, and the Son glorifies the Father. It is a perfect, eternal, Trinitarian dance of love and honor, and the cross is the center stage.
A Loving Farewell (v. 33)
Jesus then turns to the disciples with a tender and sobering word.
"Little children, I am with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’" (John 13:33 LSB)
He calls them "little children." This is a term of deep affection and intimacy. He is their teacher, their Lord, but also their spiritual father. He knows they are about to be orphaned, and His heart is full of compassion for them. He is preparing them for His departure. For three years, they have had the constant, physical presence of God incarnate. If they had a question, they could ask Him. If they were in danger, He was there to protect them. Now, that is about to change.
He tells them what He had previously told His enemies, the Jews: "Where I am going, you cannot come." But the meaning is entirely different. To the Jews, it was a statement of judgment and separation. They could not come because of their unbelief. To the disciples, it is a statement of mission and temporary separation. They cannot come now. He is going to the Father via the cross and the resurrection, a path He must walk alone. They will follow later, but for now, they have a job to do on earth. He is not abandoning them in judgment; He is commissioning them for service. This temporary separation is necessary for the next phase of God's redemptive plan, which involves them.
The New Commandment (v. 34)
In light of His departure, Jesus gives them the defining ethic of the new community He is forming.
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." (John 13:34 LSB)
Now, in what sense is this commandment "new"? The Old Testament was filled with commands to love. Leviticus 19:18 says, "you shall love your neighbor as yourself." Jesus Himself had called this the second greatest commandment. So what's new?
The newness is not in the command to love, but in the standard of that love. The old standard was "as yourself." The new standard is "as I have loved you." This changes everything. How has He loved them? He has loved them by taking on flesh, by teaching them, by patiently enduring their foolishness, by washing their filthy feet, and by going to a cross to die for their sins. His love is not a reciprocal love; it is a sacrificial, initiating, self-giving love. It is a love that serves when it is not deserved. It is a love that lays down its life for its friends.
This is a radically different kind of love than the world knows. The world's love is a transactional love. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." The world's love is an affinity love. "I love people who are like me, who agree with me, who make me feel good." Christ's love is a covenantal love. It is a rugged, committed, unconditional love that is based on a promise, not a feeling. He is commanding us to love other Christians not as we love ourselves, but as He has loved us. This means we are to love them sacrificially, when it costs us something. We are to love them when they are unlovable. We are to wash their feet. We are to bear their burdens. We are to forgive their sins against us. This is the new standard.
The Badge of Discipleship (v. 35)
Finally, Jesus explains the apologetic power of this new kind of community.
"By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35 LSB)
This is the identifying mark of a true Christian. It is not a fish sticker on your car. It is not the theological precision of your doctrinal statement, as important as that is. It is not your political affiliation. The definitive, non-negotiable, universally recognizable badge of a disciple of Jesus Christ is a supernatural love for other disciples of Jesus Christ.
This love is our uniform. An army is recognized by its uniform. The church is to be recognized by its love. When a watching, cynical world sees a diverse group of people, people who would otherwise have nothing in common, people from different races, classes, and backgrounds, loving each other with a fierce, sacrificial, foot-washing loyalty, they are forced to ask why. When they see Christians forgiving one another, bearing with one another, and serving one another, it is a powerful witness to the reality of the gospel that has transformed them.
This is our greatest apologetic. Francis Schaeffer called it "the final apologetic." A community of genuine love is a supernatural phenomenon. It cannot be explained by sociology or psychology. It is a visible demonstration of the invisible kingdom of God. When the world sees this kind of love, it is a signpost that points directly to the cross of Jesus Christ. They will know that we have been with Jesus, because we love like Jesus.
This means that our bickering, our divisions, our gossip, and our unforgiveness are not just personal failings. They are acts of treason. They obscure the glory of Christ. They are a betrayal of our King and a disservice to a lost world that desperately needs to see a plausible representation of the gospel. When we fail to love one another, we are taking off the uniform and putting on the enemy's colors. But when, by the power of the Spirit, we love as He loved, we become a living, breathing advertisement for the glory and grace of God.