John 15:13
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
In the vine and branches discourse, just after commanding His disciples to love one another, Jesus defines the highest love as self-sacrifice -- a love He himself was about to demonstrate on the cross.
What Does John 15:13 Mean?
Jesus is declaring that the highest form of love a person can show is to lay down his own life for those he loves. There is no greater proof of love than self-sacrifice -- to surrender what is most precious, one's very life, for the sake of another. With these words Jesus sets the standard for the love He has just commanded His disciples to have for one another.
These words point unmistakably to what Jesus himself was about to do. Within hours He would lay down His life, not for the deserving but for those He calls "friends." The wonder deepens when we recall the surrounding context: He gives this teaching to disciples who would soon fail and scatter, yet He counts them friends and dies for them. His love is the living embodiment of the very thing He describes. By placing this saying beside His command to "love one another, as I have loved you," Jesus shows that genuine love is measured by what it is willing to give up. Most of us will not be called to literally die for someone, yet the principle reaches into daily life: love spends itself for the good of others, setting aside comfort, preference, and self-interest. The greatest love is not love that takes but love that gives, and its perfect picture is Christ laying down His life for His friends.
In the Original Language
The Greek "meizona" (μείζονα) means greater, and the phrase "ten psychen autou the" (τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ) means to lay down one's life or soul -- to surrender one's very being for another.
Cross References
“This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”
- John 15:12
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
- Romans 5:8
“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
- 1 John 3:16
Application
Let your love be measured by what you are willing to give up for others, following the One who laid down His life for those He called friends.