QUESTION: What does "He loved them unto the end" mean in John 13:1?
ANSWER: Christ's love is eternal; it cannot cease nor change. It is proved by what He did on the cross (Eph. 5:25). In the present it is shown by what He is doing (Eph. 5:26), in the future by what He will do (Eph. 5:27), and in the glory we will still feast and delight our souls in His love. So here on the journey, until it end, we can count on Him to care for and provide all we need spiritually and temporally. There is no end to His love. "The end" here must, therefore, mean all the way through (Heb. 7:25).
Of Him and His love will we sing,
His praises our tongues will employ,
Till heavenly anthems we bring
In yonder bright regions of joy.
"Yea, I have loved thee
with an everlasting love:
therefore with lovingkindness
have I drawn thee.”
Jer. 31:3