Little children, I give you a new commandment: that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another — the term "little children" (teknia) reveals the tenderness with which Jesus addresses his disciples now that Judas has gone; they are vulnerable, about to be orphaned, in need of the deepest instruction. The new commandment (entolē kainē) is not entirely new in content (the law already demands love of neighbor) but is new in its standard and its source: "as I have loved you." Jesus' love becomes the measure; his willingness to die for those who betray him is the norm. This commandment is not merely ethical instruction but the fundamental law of the kingdom, the rule governing all relationships within the community of faith.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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