John 13:31-35 (WEL) Then as soon as he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 “If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will immediately glorify him. 33 “Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so I now say to you, too. 34 “I give you a new commandment, love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you must also love one another.” 35 “In this, all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
V31 Then as soon as he had left, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in him.
Jesus makes two statements: 1) the Son of Man is glorified and 2) God is glorified in him.
The Son of Man is glorified:
- The Son of Man is a Messianic term from the Old Testament—Daniel 7:3, Isaiah 9:6-7, and Isaiah 7:14.
- Son of Man is to inform us of Jesus’s humanity (Philippians 2:6-8 and Acts 3:13).
- Glorified, not by the Cross, but by His ministry in obedience to God the Father’s instructions. Jesus was faithful to death. Then He was glorified by His physical resurrection, ascension, and seated at the right hand of God the Father as King of kings and Lord of lords.
God is glorified in Him
- As the Son of God and Son of Man, it was the goal of Jesus to glorify the Father.
- To praise, thank, and worship the Father—Matthew 15:31.
- To obey His commands and rules—1 Samuel 15:22.
- To serve Him faithfully—Acts 3:26
We are also to glorify the Father—1 Peter 4:11.
- His is our Father because we, who have believed in the Lord Jesus for salvation, have been adopted—Romans 8:15.
- We glorify Him through our thoughts, desires, words, and deeds—1 Corinthians 10:31.
V32 “If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will immediately glorify him.
It was Jesus’s goal to glorify His Father, God the Father; so should we have the same goal.
Truly God is glorified by Jesus through the ministry of Jesus.
Because Jesus glorified His Father, the Father glorified Him.
Principle: If we glorify God the Father through our thoughts, desires, words, and deeds, He will also glorify us in some way. He might do this through peace, and at the Bema Seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10, 1 Corinthians 3:15, and 1 John 3:2-3), where believers are rewarded for service. The Bema Seat of Christ is not a judgment if one is a believer or not.
V33 “Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so I now say to you, too.
When Jesus uses the term children, as here, it refers to disciples and followers of Him.
Jesus clearly tells them that He will be with them for only a short time.
Then, people will want to find Him but will not find Him.
He tells them that where He is going, but they will not be able to go there at least yet.
If they did believe and place their faith in Jesus for salvation, then when they die, they will see Him face to face (2 Corinthians 5:8 and 1 Corinthians 13:12).
V34 “I give you a new commandment, love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you must also love one another.”
The 10 commandments given in the Old Testament are a summary of God’s law given to Israel at Mt. Sinai (Mosaic Law). Now, Jesus gives the summary reason for these laws—God’s love. If we love God, we will obey Him (John 14:15) by keeping His rules in the New Testament (Law of Christ—Galatians 6:2) and love towards each other, whether friends (John 15:13 and 1 John 2:7) or enemies (Matthew 5:44).
The standard of love towards anyone is found in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a.
V35 “In this, all will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”
A disciple is one who obeys, loves, and serves His master. Jesus is our Lord, our Master (John 13:13).
A distinctive trait of Christians is love for one another. This doesn’t mean we are always in agreement, but even in disagreement, kindness is shown.
We learn:
- As Jesus glorifies His Father, so must we.
- The importance of love as defined and understood through God’s words in the Bible.
Questions:
- How do you glorify God?
- How are you doing loving fellow Christians and others?