John 15:13 Explained
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." — John 15:13 (KJV)
Spoken hours before he did it, which is what separates this sentence from every other definition of love.
Read it in context: John 15 · The Book of John. Also gathered under verses about love.
John 15:13 in context
What does John 15:13 mean?
The Greek behind 'lay down' is deliberate placing, not losing — a life set down rather than taken. The measure of love here is not intensity of feeling but what a person is willing to hand over, which makes it testable. And it is said by someone about to demonstrate it, so the sentence is not a maxim; it is a prediction.
What is the context of John 15:13?
The upper room, the last evening. Jesus has washed their feet and is talking about vines, branches and remaining. Verse 13 comes inside a passage where he stops calling them servants and starts calling them friends — and the word 'friends' in this verse is not decoration.
How do I pray John 15:13?
Ask what laying something down would cost you today — an hour, a preference, being right about something. Start there rather than at the heroic end. Then pray for one person by name and ask what they actually need, which is usually smaller and duller than dying for them and harder to keep up.
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