MPV Commentary

Self-Confidence--His Fall Predicted.

31. When Jesus had left, He said, "Now is the Son of man glorified." These words imply that up to this moment our Lord had spoken under a painful restraint, the presence of a traitor within His fellowship preventing the free and full outpouring of His heart. The restraint was removed, and the mighty volume of living waters burst forth in a torrent that only ceased when He left the supper room and entered on the next stage of His great work—the scene in the Garden.

But with what words did Jesus break the silence after Judas' departure? By no reflections on the traitor, and by no reference to the dread character of His approaching sufferings. Instead, He announced that the hour of His glory had arrived! This is remarkable, as He repeats the word "glorify" five times in brief clauses, as if a coruscation of glories played about the Cross.

God is glorified in Him—the glory of Each reaching its zenith in the Death of the Cross!

32. If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and straightway glorify Him—referring now to the Resurrection and Exaltation of Christ after this service was over, including all the honor and glory then put upon Him.

33-35. Little children—from the height of His own glory He now descends with sweet pity to His "little children," all now His own. This term of endearment is used nowhere else in the Gospels and once only by Paul (Galatians 4:19). Jesus says, "You shall seek me—as I said to the Jews" (John 7:34; 8:21), but oh, in what a different sense!

34. A new commandment I give unto you—that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. This was the new feature of it. Christ's love to His people in giving His life for them was altogether new and consequently a Model and Standard for theirs to one another.

35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples—the disciples of Him who laid down His life for those He loved. If ye have love one to another—for My sake, and as one in Me; for to such love men outside the circle of believers know right well they are entire strangers.

36-38. Peter said—seeing plainly in these directions how to behave themselves that He was indeed going from them. "Lord, whither guest thou?"—having hardly a glimmer of the real truth.

Jesus answered, ... thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow me afterwards—How different from what He said to the Jews: "Whither I go ye cannot come" (John 8:21).

37. Why not... now? I will lay down my life for thy sake—He seems now to see that it was death Christ referred to as what would sever Him from them, but is not staggered at following Him thither.

Jesus answered,

38. Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? In this repetition of Peter's words there is deep though affectionate irony, and this Peter himself would feel for many a day after his recovery, as he retraced the painful particulars.

Verily... The cock, &c.—See on Luke 22:31-34.