John 13:31-35

John 13:31-35 - Daily Devotion - 29 August 2026 St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park 31 When Judas had gone out, 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 the Son in Himself—and will glorify Him at once.33 Little children, I am with you only a little while longer. You will look for Me, and as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you: ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”REFLECTIONSWritten by Queenie FavelleAs I read this passage, the question that came to my mind was: Why is it a ‘new’ commandment that Jesus is giving to the disciples? Loving each other is basically the summary of the law of Moses (see Leviticus 19:18).But I quickly realised that Jesus is referring to his example of loving each other, which is laying down his life for them. Even though Jesus knew that he would soon die on the cross, his preoccupation is not his own suffering, but what will happen to his disciples. He tenderly calls them his ‘little children’ and he spends the next 2 chapters comforting them before he heads to the cross.Jesus’ love for us is to the point of death, and we are to love each other in the same way. This really is a big challenge, because we so often want to put ourselves in front of others and think about the ‘sacrifices’ we make for church. But Jesus’ love is a high calling. It is love that is willing and sacrificial, not counting the cost.And when we love like Jesus does, it has an evangelistic edge. It is a gospel witness to others. As they see what kind of love we show each other, they get a glimpse of the love that Jesus has shown us. Our love for each other will be attractive to many non-Christians, especially in our individualistic and self-centred society. How we love will have a bearing on how others perceive Jesus.Reflect now on how we are going with showing real love for each other. Is our love stingy, or is it the kind of willing, sacrificial love that Jesus has shown us on the cross? ABOUT THE AUTHORQueenie is a member of our Fairfield Morning congregation.