A New Commandment

By Ted Mock

November 19, 2025

John 13:34-35 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.

The night He was betrayed, Jesus spoke those words.  In the upper room, heavy with unspoken fears in that shadowed hour, the Lord pressed upon His disciples a single, shining mark—love one another.

This was not a suggestion. He called it “A new commandment.”  The old law said, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Lev. 19:18).  Christ raised the measure — “as I have loved you.”  He had washed their feet, fed their hunger, and now prepared to bleed for their sins. His love stooped, served, and sacrificed. Ours must follow.

Peter would soon deny. Thomas would doubt. Judas had already left to betray. Still, Jesus commanded love—love that covers sins, bears burdens, and believes all things (1 Cor. 13:7).

John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.  Obedience begins here.

Look outward. 1 John 4:11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.  The world watches. Quarrels, cold shoulders, and sharp words brand us false. But when believers forgive quickly, speak kindly, and lay down preferences, strangers glimpse the Saviour. By this shall all men know….

Today, love the brother who wounded you. Serve the sister who overlooks you. Pray for the one who slanders you. Let your love be no vague feeling but deliberate action—cards written; meals shared. 1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  His love first—ours in response.

If the lost cannot see our love for fellow saints, how can we expect them to believe our words when we tell them God loves sinners?

Reflection—Write another copy of John 3:16 in your life by being to another what God is to you.