"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
— John 13:34-35 (NIV)
John 13:34-35 is the pair people mean when they search the range for Jesus' new command and the public mark of discipleship. This page is both verses and a plain reading. The single-verse page for the command is John 13:34. The longer John 13 study is Love one another: John 13. The next chapter's love command is John 15:13 and How to love like Jesus: John 15.
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The verses
John 13:34-35 (NIV) reads: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
Verse 34 gives the command and the measure ("as I have loved you"). Verse 35 gives the visible result: love for one another is how outsiders recognize disciples.
What the verses are saying
Jesus speaks in the upper room. The command is not vague kindness; it is patterned on his love for them — already shown in the foot washing and soon shown at the cross. Verse 35 makes the church's mutual love a witness. Doctrine alone is not the badge named here; love among disciples is.
This page holds the two-verse unit people search together. Stay on John 13:34 for the single reference. The chapter study is Love one another: John 13.
How people use John 13:34-35
People look up the range for sermons on church unity, membership classes, and friendship that costs something. It pairs with 1 John 4:19 when the topic is love that starts with God, and with 1 John 4:8 when the topic is knowing God by love.
Questions people ask
What does John 13:34-35 say?
Jesus gives a new command to love one another as he has loved them, and says everyone will know they are his disciples if they love one another.
Why are verses 34 and 35 often read together?
Verse 34 is the command. Verse 35 is the public mark. Searchers who want both the duty and the witness look up the range.
What makes the command new?
The measure: "as I have loved you." Love of neighbor was already known; Jesus ties the disciples' love to his own love for them. See John 13:34.
Is this only for the first disciples?
John records it for the church that reads the Gospel. The mark in verse 35 is how "everyone" recognizes disciples — then and now. See Love one another: John 13.
Where should I read next?
For the single verse, read John 13:34. For the chapter study, read Love one another: John 13. For love that lays down life, read John 15:13.
