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what did 'love' mean to john's original audience in the context of their world?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

John 13:34-35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."”

This passage comes from Jesus' last discourse with his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion, as recorded in the Gospel of John, written by John, one of Jesus' closest followers. It's set during their final meal together, often called the Last Supper.

What does it mean for love to be the defining mark of a community?

Then — the setting

The Gospel of John was likely written in the late first century CE, perhaps in Ephesus, to a mixed audience of Jewish and Gentile believers, and potentially those outside the faith. For John's original audience, the concept of 'love' (agapē in Greek) was not unique to Christianity. Greek philosophy had terms for various kinds of love, like eros (romantic/passionate), philia (friendship), and storge (familial). However, Jesus' command here, particularly 'just as I have loved you,' introduces a distinctive quality. It was a love that was self-giving, sacrificial, and actively seeking the good of the other, even to the point of death, and was to be directed especially within the community of believers.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, love is frequently commanded, especially towards God ('love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might' - Deuteronomy 6:5) and towards one's neighbor and even the foreigner (Leviticus 19:18, 34). This love is often rooted in God's covenant loyalty (hesed) and justice. Jesus' command in John 13:34-35 builds upon this rich Old Testament tradition but also refines and intensifies it. By saying 'just as I have loved you,' he sets his own self-giving, divine-human love as the new standard, elevating it beyond merely human affection or covenant obligation to a sacrificial, transformative love that flows from his identity and mission. The New Testament, particularly in Paul's letters, further expands on agapē as the highest virtue and the summation of Christian ethics (e.g., Romans 13, 1 Corinthians 13), echoing Jesus' teaching that this love is the distinguishing mark of his followers.

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Read alongside it

Leviticus 19:18
This Old Testament command to 'love your neighbor as yourself' provides an important backdrop to Jesus' 'new' commandment.
1 John 4:7-8
The Apostle John further develops the theme of love as essential to knowing God and being born of God.
Romans 13:8-10
Paul reiterates that love fulfills the law, showing its foundational importance for Christian conduct.

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