Friends Who Love as Jesus Loves

Jesus repeats the command to love one another according to his own love and defines the greatest love as laying down one’s life for friends. He calls the disciples friends rather than servants because he has made known what he heard from the Father. Their election and mission are also emphasized: Jesus chose and appointed them to bear lasting fruit. The passage joins revelation, friendship, obedience, sacrificial love, and mission; it prevents “abiding” from becoming purely inward spirituality.