New Commandment

Text and Content

The new commandment appears in John 13:34-35. The King James Version renders the passage: "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Jesus Christ repeats this saying later in the same farewell discourse (John 15:12, 15:17). In John 15:12-13, he describes that love as the love of one who will "lay down his life for his friends."

Background

These words were spoken at the Last Supper. They come immediately after Jesus washed the disciples' feet (John 13:1-17) and Judas Iscariot left the room (John 13:30), and they stand at the opening of the farewell discourse delivered on the eve of the crucifixion. The Greek word translated "new," kainos, is commonly explained as meaning new in quality rather than recent in time. Some scholars, however, caution against drawing too sharp a distinction between it and neos. The verb translated "love" is agapaō, which shares its root with agape.

In the Latin Vulgate, John 13:34 begins with the words mandatum novum ("a new commandment"). The English name for Thursday of Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, is generally understood to derive from this word mandatum.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

The command to love one's neighbor already appears in Leviticus 19:18. Jesus identified this command as one of the greatest commandments (Mark 12:28-34), and Paul likewise describes love as the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14).

1 John 2:7-8 calls this commandment "no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning," while at the same time calling it "a new commandment." Both 1 John and 2 John 1:5 present mutual love as evidence of knowing God (1 John 4:20-21).

Interpretation and Debate

What is new. Interpretations generally fall into three categories:

• The new-standard view: what is new is the standard "as I have loved you," that is, the love revealed at the cross.
• The community-focused view: what is new is that this love becomes the distinguishing mark of the community of disciples.
• The covenant-focused view: this view emphasizes that the commandment was given in the era of the New Covenant.

The scope of love. The phrase "one another" in the text refers to love among the disciples. For this reason, some scholars hold that the Johannine writings focus on love within the community. Others read the passage alongside Luke 6:27-36, which speaks of loving one's enemies, and explain that love within the community extends outward as a witness to those outside it.

Relationship to the law. It is sometimes claimed that the new commandment replaces the Ten Commandments or the Old Testament law as a whole. The text, however, does not say this directly. Many Protestant traditions, particularly the Reformed tradition, hold that love does not abolish the law but summarizes and fulfills it. The emphasis placed on this question varies depending on how one understands the relationship between law and gospel.

In the Korean Church

The new commandment is frequently cited in sermons on reconciliation and unity within the church. Some churches read John 13 at Maundy Thursday services during Holy Week or at a foot-washing service. In traditions that follow the liturgical calendar, such as the Catholic Church and the Anglican Church of Korea, a foot-washing rite is sometimes performed on that day.