Jesus’ Glorification, the New Commandment, and Peter’s Denial Foretold
John 13:31–38 (NKJV)
Christ Announces His Departure
31 So, when he 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 Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately. 33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Christ Foretells Peter’s Denial
Matt. 26:34, 35; Mark 14:30, 31; Luke 22:33, 34
36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”
Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”
37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”
38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.
Message
I. The Time Has Come for Jesus to Be Glorified (31-32)
See v31-32.
31 So, when he 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 Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately.
John 13:31-32 NLT is easier to understand. See John 13:31-32 NLT.
31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once.
Judas was coming back with a detachment of troops (See John 18:3) so that Jesus might be arrested. This would be followed by His crucifixion and resurrection. So, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into His glory.” (31a). As a result, God would be glorified because of the Son Jesus (31b) and so, God would give His own glory to the Son (32). After the resurrection, Jesus was seen by them for forty days (Acts 1:3) and then taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God (Mark 16:19). Sitting at the right hand of God reflects the fact God gave His own glory to the Son. Jesus glorified God by humbling Himself and obeying God’s will (Philippians 2:8). Let us read ‘how God glorified this Jesus His Son’ written in Philippians 2:9-11 NKJV.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
All authority has been given to Jesus in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings (Revelation 17:14, 19:16).
II. A New Commandment (33-35)
See v33.
33 Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you.
Jesus called His disciples ‘little children’. It may mean they are like too little children in spirit to glorify God as Jesus does or to go where Jesus is. See v34-35.
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Jesus taught them, who were little children, to love one another as Jesus has loved them. Jesus’ love for them just before He gave them this new commandment is ‘foot washing one another’ in John 13: 1-17. Loving brothers in the Lord is easy and natural, which little children in spirit can do. Loving enemies (Matthew 5:44) may be difficult for little children in spirit to do.
Jesus said, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.” in John 8:31 NKJV. Again, in v35, Jesus says if we keep His new commandment all will know that we are His disciples. Our loving one another is the proof of our being His disciples.
III. A Conversation between Jesus and Simon Peter (36-38)
See v36.
36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?”
Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow Me now, but you shall follow Me afterward.”
Jesus didn’t say the place name Peter wanted to know. Instead, Jesus told Peter that Peter could not follow Him to go to where He was going now but afterward. So, Peter would be where Jesus was going. Where Jesus was going is where God is, who sent Jesus (John 7:33) and Paradise (Luke 23:43). While the Jews would die in their sins and could not come to Paradise (John 8:21, See John 8:24), His disciples would eventually be there (John 14:2, 3). See v37.
37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”
Peter loved Jesus and was confident to follow Him now to go to where He was going. See v38.
38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.
Jesus knew all men and what was in man (38, John 2:24, 25, See John 1:48, 4:17, 18, 5:14, 6:6, 26, 9:3, 10:14). Jesus knows all things that we ever did (See John 4:29). This shows He is God. Jesus knew Peter would disown Him three times before the rooster would crow (John 18:25-27, Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62). Jesus also knows our future. So, Jesus is God. No one knows the future except God. See Ecclesiastes 10:14 NLT b.
14b No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can predict the future.
