The Lord commanded His disciples to love one another as He loved them, signifying that it involved service and sacrifice. He would demonstrate the greatest love through His suffering, death, and resurrection. Moreover, Jesus called His disciples friends instead of servants because He would give His life for them, and He revealed to them the Father’s plan. The Lord Jesus emphasized His sovereignty by clarifying that He chose the disciples and not the other way around. The Lord would prepare them because the world would hate and persecute them.
