The theme of love lies at the heart of the Fourth Gospel, pervading every aspect of the book. The Synoptic Gospels focus on the theme as well, but in John’s Gospel Jesus directs his disciples to love God and their neighbor, based on Deuteronomy 6:4–5 and Leviticus 19:18. In John’s Gospel, Jesus’s only command for his disciples is to love one another (15:12), and he assures the reader that God loves those who keep his commandments (14:21, 23). John points to Jesus’s death as an example of the type of love that Jesus expects his disciples to have (cf. 3:16; 15:13). Love in the Gospel of John argues that to understand John’s concept of love requires understanding more than what Jesus taught in the Gospel. It requires understanding his actions
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A third theme is that Jesus’s “hour has not come” (cf. 2:4; 7:30; 8:20). John indicates that the “hour” refers to his death, distinguishing his ministry from the point of his suffering (12:23). A fourth theme is that believers will be gathered at the point of Jesus’s death. Jesus, the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, will gather them to himself (10:15–16). In the upper room discourse, Jesus states explicitly that he will draw all people to himself when he is “lifted up” (12:32). The fifth theme is that the Gospel looks forward to a time when Jesus will be glorified. In John’s Gospel this occurs after his death, though the Son is glorified through the cross (11:4). Moloney summarizes “The glory of God shines forth from the cross, as Jesus makes love known. However, the glorification of the Son takes place through the cross” (Moloney 96). The upper room discourse plays a significant role in defining love in the Gospel. Moloney notes that Jesus acts love out through washing the feet of the disciples (13:1–38), discusses it with his disciples (15:12–17), and prays for it (17:1–26). This provides context and definition for Jesus’s death as an act of
A third theme is that Jesus’s “hour has not come” (cf. 2:4; 7:30; 8:20). John indicates that the “hour” refers to his death, distinguishing his ministry from the point of his suffering (12:23). A fourth theme is that believers will be gathered at the point of Jesus’s death. Jesus, the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep, will gather them to himself (10:15–16). In the upper room discourse, Jesus states explicitly that he will draw all people to himself when he is “lifted up” (12:32). The fifth theme is that the Gospel looks forward to a time when Jesus will be glorified. In John’s Gospel this occurs after his death, though the Son is glorified through the cross (11:4). Moloney summarizes “The glory of God shines forth from the cross, as Jesus makes love known. However, the glorification of the Son takes place through the cross” (Moloney 96). The upper room discourse plays a significant role in defining love in the Gospel. Moloney notes that Jesus acts love out through washing the feet of the disciples (13:1–38), discusses it with his disciples (15:12–17), and prays for it (17:1–26). This provides context and definition for Jesus’s death as an act of