John 13:34-35
Bible Verses. Also called John 13:34-35, A new commandment I give unto you, Love one another, As I have loved you, The New Commandment, Mandatum novum.
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
John 13:34-35 is the passage in which Jesus, at the Last Supper, gives his disciples the new commandment to "love one another." He declares that their love for one another is the mark by which others will know they are his disciples. Discussion centers on what is "new" about the commandment and whether the scope of this love is limited to the church.
About this articleAI draft from a Korean source. Notes on Korean Protestant practice. No sources listed. Not yet reviewed by a person.
- Origin
Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
- Perspective
Includes notes on Korean Protestant practice; other traditions are noted where they differ.
- Sources
None listed yet. The article draws on the biblical text and general reference works. Add a source
- Review
Not yet reviewed by a person. Last edited by a person: never. Translation updated 5 November 2026. Edit history
Context
John 13 opens before the Passover with Jesus washing his disciples' feet. He then foretells his betrayal, and after Judas Iscariot goes out into the night (v. 30), Jesus declares that the time of his glorification has come and that the disciples cannot yet come where he is going (v. 33). Verses 34-35 are a commandment given by the departing teacher to the disciples he is leaving behind, and they mark the beginning of the Farewell Discourse of chapters 14-17.
Interpretation
- What is new: The command to love one's neighbor already appears in Leviticus 19:18. Many interpreters therefore locate the newness not in the content of the commandment but in its standard: "as I have loved you," that is, the love of Jesus, who washes feet and lays down his life, becomes the new measure (15:13). Another view holds that the commandment is new because it is given to the community of the new covenant.
- Love as witness: Verse 35 states that the disciples' love for one another becomes a witness to the world. The verse is read to mean that the life of the church community is itself a form of evangelism.
Questions of Application
Because "one another" refers to the community of disciples, some interpreters hold that the commandment focuses on love within the church. The more common view, however, is that this does not narrow the love of enemies (Matthew 5:44) or the love of neighbor; rather, love within the church is the starting point for love directed outward. Amid frequent denominational divisions and church conflicts, the passage is also often cited as grounds for self-examination.
The name "Maundy Thursday," used for Holy Thursday in the church calendar, is generally understood to derive from mandatum novum ("a new commandment"), the opening words of this commandment in Latin.
Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.
In Korean Protestant churches, the passage is read at the foot-washing service and the Communion service held on the Thursday of Holy Week, and it is frequently used for church mottos and in wedding sermons.
Related Passages
See also 6
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