NOTES for Joh 13:31-38
As He was leaving His disciples, Christ called them children. The first thought that comes to mind at this form of address is of His close relationship with His disciples, of the love He brought into the world. But if we remember Whom Christ constantly called His Father, with Whom He abides in indissoluble unity, we must acknowledge that, behind the comparison of His relationship with His disciples to that of a father and his children, there lies another testimony to Himself as God.
Christ's words that He is giving a new commandment often cause bewilderment. What could be new about the commandment to love, when great sages and teachers seem to have called for it before? In fact, even those sages who recognised the value of love understood it in ways that differed, to one degree or another, from the Gospel's understanding. But that is not even the point. The newness of the commandment Christ gives lies in its close connection with His self-sacrifice. As He goes to the cross, He commands us to love one another as He Himself has loved us. Jesus had already called on His disciples to take up their cross and follow Him. This does not mean that everyone is literally required to go to their suffering, but readiness for sacrificial self-giving, moved by love, must become the norm rather than something exceptional.
This is extremely difficult and still seems impossible. The Lord knows that we are weak and, for the most part, unable to live up to the high standard He has shown us. But the height has been shown. He will help us rise to it.