Passage
A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 13:34 (ASV)
Nearby Context
John 13:32 and God shall glorify him in himself, and straightway shall he glorify him.
John 13:33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say unto you.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
John 13:36 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered, Whither I go, thou canst not follow now; but thou shalt follow afterwards.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "commandment", "give", "love", "another", "even", and "loved". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "commandment" and "give", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 33's "Little children yet a little while I..." into verse 35's "By this shall all men know that...", so "commandment" and "give" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "commandment" and "give" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.