Exposition of John 13:31-35: Formation of Apostolic Community
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."
I. LAYING THE FOUNDATION OF APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY (vs. 31-32)
A. THE CONTEXT OF JOHN 12-14 (MATTHEW 26:1-30; MARK 14:1-26; LUKE 22:1-34)
1. Jesus was served supper at Mary and Martha’s home in Bethany six days before the Passover.
During this supper, Mary poured a pound of very costly spikenard oil onto Jesus’ feet as a deep sense of worship
and gratitude. Jesus acknowledged her act as a preparation for his burial. In Mark 14, there was another woman who
poured an alabaster flask of fragrant spikenard oil unto Jesus’ head two days before the Passover at the house of Simon,
the leper. This event happened also at Bethany; two miles from Jerusalem.
2. Jesus entry to Jerusalem during prior to Passover to be glorified in his sufferings, death and resurrection.
The expectation of the people was high about Jesus showing up for the feast of the Passover after all the works his
had done in their midst. The recently miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead in Bethany intensify the whole religious
fervor and an impending action from the religious authority who was envious of the popularity of Jesus. Caiaphas the
high priest of the year prophesied that one man should perish on behalf of their nation.
3. Jesus, the Passover lamb and the Lord’s supper in the upper room.
Jesus took the supper (the Lord’s supper) at Passover once with humanity during his earthly life and will do so again
when perfected saints gather around him in His kingdom reign. (Luke 22:16). The upper room would continue as the
community gathering point for the disciples after Jesus’ death and resurrection. It became a place for them to tarry in
Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high.
4. Jesus’ serving His disciples and purifying them.
Jesus identify himself as the Passover lamb and instituted the sacrament of the Lord’s supper through the breaking
of bread and sharing of wine. After the supper, he arose and girded himself with towel and began to wash his disciples’
feet. He explained about their sanctification or cleansing and emphasized that not all of them are clean (pointing to Judas
Iscariot the son of Simon). Jesus commanded his disciples to follow his example of washing one another’s feet for
purification and serving one another.
5. Jesus’ shifting out his betrayer through sharing of bread.
In John’s account, Jesus revealed the identity of his betrayer to the disciple who leaned on his bosom by citing “Who ate
my bread, Has lifted up his heel against me” Ps. 41:9 and then he dipped the bread into the wine and gave it to Judas.
Jesus also told Judas to carry out what was in his heart quickly. The Scripture described, after Judas took the bread,
Satan entered him. From that point onwards Judas was absence from the Jesus and the disciples until the Garden of
Gethsemane. It was interesting to note that in Luke’s account, the eleven were in dispute about who should be the
greatest at this point i.e. right after the supper and the washing of feet.
6. Jesus preparing His disciples for one another in light with His departure to the Father
Jesus also warned Peter that Satan has asked for him and He has been praying for Peter as Peter has been
declared to be cleaned by Jesus earlier but would denied Jesus three times not so long from now. Jesus emphasized
that he would be departing from them for while but they would see him again. That he said in reference to his
resurrection and their calling as witnesses to His resurrection.
7. Jesus preparing His disciples for the presence and indwelling of His Spirit that would sustain them.
Jesus emphasized so clearly that it was to the disciples’ advantage that Jesus is returning to the Father in heaven and
as He was going to send them His Holy Spirit to indwell within them and be with them. The Holy Spirit would convicts the
world of sin, righteousness and judgment and would declare what belongs to Jesus to the disciples. The Holy Spirit is
the Spirit of truth.
B. CHRIST AND HIS GLORIOUS WORKS IS THE FOUNDATION OF THE APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY (HIS BODY).
1. Jesus emphatically commanded the disciples to partake of His flesh and His blood (John 6:53-54) expressed in the
sacrament of breaking of bread and partaking of the wine. Jesus was glorified as the Passover Lamb who took away the
sins of the world. His complete atonement and works on the cross made him the foundation and cornerstone of the
apostolic community. Jesus laid down his life as the greatest expression of love for His bride. He became the “Bride price”.
Love would be the hallmark and core expression for Christ apostolic community on the earth.
C. SHIFTING OUT THE INFLUENCE OF SATAN AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY.
1. The process of forming the apostolic community includes shifting out the betrayer. Judas, the son of perdition saw
the miracle of the resurrection of Lazarus and heard Jesus taught on his burial and resurrection when Jesus was anointed
twice in Bethany by fragrant spikenard oil. Judas also was around to partake of the Passover supper when Jesus fervently
desire to partake with his twelve disciples. It was in the context of the communion table, that Judas was released to carry
out the evil intention of his heart energized by Satan. It was interesting to note, Satan entered Judas after took break with
Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11, when Paul expounded on the table of the Lord, he warned about some disciples partaking of
the Lord’s table in unworthy manner and became sick or even died due to judgment of God.
29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's
body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 1 Cor 11:29-30 NKJV
2. Jesus also performed an act of purification unto his disciples through the washing of the feet but no account was
confirmed that Jesus did wash Judas’ feet but Jesus clearly revealed that there was an unclean disciple in their midst
which would be revealed in that hour. Both the Lord’s table and the later feet washing was Jesus statement of a setting
apart of people sanctified by the Lord and partaking His divine life. The former was in communion with Himself and the
latter an example he set for us to perform to one another. He must endeavor to serve one another and love another to
the point to give no room to darkness and the Devil.
3. After such profound, prophetic act and teaching by Jesus, the disciples actually were involved in a dispute about
who would be the greatest among them in Judas absence. The unclean disciple has left to carry his act of betrayal and
the clean disciples had a little power struggle in their midst. Jesus with great patience reinforced the truth about true
greatness in His kingdom.
II. SUSTAINING APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY WITH HIS PRESENCE (v. 33)
A. JESUS EXPLAINED ABOUT HIS IMPENDING DEPARTURE FROM THE APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY.
Jesus proclaimed that He was glorified and God was glorified in Him and He was returning to His father in Heaven as
his work on earth was finish. Jesus told the disciples that where was going they could not come immediately but they
would follow suit.
B. JESUS EXHORTED THEM TO RELATE TO HIM THROUGH HIS SPIRIT WHO WOULD INDWELL THEM AND BE
WITH THEM.
Jesus also clearly explained to the disciples in great details about the coming of the Holy Spirit and how the disciples
would relate to Jesus through Him in His bodily absence on the earth. In fact, the Holy Spirit will have much more
revelation about Jesus Christ to give to the disciples and much work to do in the world through the disciples.
C. THE APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY MUST BE A PURE AND HOLY COMMUNITY REPRESENTING HIS BODY.
The apostolic community would be the habitation of the most high God and the living temple of the Holy Spirit. In
John 17, Jesus interceded for this “immature apostolic community”. He prayed for unity in the Spirit among them, those
that would be added to them and affirmed the fact the glory that Father gave Jesus had been given to them and they
would be love with the same love that the Father love Jesus Christ.
III. EXPRESSION AND IMPACT OF APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY (vs. 34-35)
A. SUPREMACY OF CHRIST’S LOVE AS A CORE EXPRESSION IN THE APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY.
1. In the absence of Judas Iscariot, Jesus began to reveal a new commandment to the disciples. From the beginning,
Jesus’ disciples knew about the greatest commandment of the law and Jesus was not here to abolish the law but to fulfill
it and to bring it to fullness. In the greatest commandment, it was man’s expression of love to God with all of our hearts,
soul, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. The “self” capacity to love is the main focus. It was given
under the set of condition that the law was given as tutor to the righteousness of faith in Christ that would be revealed.
“Self-love” was used as the benchmark or safety mechanism to preserve a covenantal community as most human beings
are inherently self-loving. If we love others like the way we would love ourselves, love would still be very prevalent in the
community life.
2. In this new commandment, Jesus Christ commanded us to love one another based upon the essence and expression
of His love for us. In this new commandment, we can walk in obedience because we are being rooted and grounded in His
love. We could no longer just depend on our own might and our own resources to express love to God and others
religiously. God who became flesh in Jesus Christ has given Himself for us as a demonstration of His love and how that
same love could be attainable and walked out in the context of an apostolic community with presence and the power of
the Holy Spirit.
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was
given to us. Rom 5:4-5 NKJV
B. THE WORLD WOULD RECOGNIZE THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE APOSTOLIC COMMUNITY THROUGH LOVE
EXPRESS IN SACRIFICE, PURITY AND SERVANTHOOD.
1. Jesus prophesied over the newly formed apostolic community that only when such love (agape) is real in their
midst, the world will understand and know who Jesus Christ truly was.
2. Such expression of love as stated again in Ephesians 3:17-19, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;
that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length
and depth and height-- to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of
God.” is the vision body of Christ being perfected.
C. CHRIST AND ONE ANOTHER FOR ALL ETERNITY.
God is preparing for Jesus a Bride for all eternity. A bride that will prepared and made ready with indwelling and
empowerment of the Holy Spirit and washing of the word of God. This Bride will be the saints of all ages from every
tongue tribes and nations.