JESUS’S NEW COMMANDMENT IN JOHN 13:34-35: “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR MORE THAN YOURSELF” IN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Using historical critical exegesis, this paper argues that Jn 13:34-35 commands a radical love that requires Christians to love their neighbours more than themselves. The aim of the paper is twofold. First, the paper demonstrates that there is a consistent ethical teaching of radical love in John’s Gospel and second, it shows that the ethics of John’s Gospel is not inward looking as some have claimed. If Christians love others as themselves, they fulfil a demand of the Mosaic Law. Jesus reinterpreted the Law in Jn 13:34 and commanded a higher standard of love for his followers. Therefore, Christian mission demands the Jesus standard―loving others more than yourself. Jesus’s example and teaching serve as the gift and the demand.