John 13:37 (GNV)

Passage

Peter sayd vnto him, Lord, why can I not follow thee now? I will lay downe my life for thy sake.

Nearby Context

John 13:35 By this shall all men knowe that ye are my disciples, if ye haue loue one to another.

John 13:36 Simon Peter said vnto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Iesus answered him, Whither I goe, thou canst not follow me nowe: but thou shalt follow me afterward.

John 13:37 Peter sayd vnto him, Lord, why can I not follow thee now? I will lay downe my life for thy sake.

John 13:38 Iesus answered him, Wilt thou lay downe thy life for my sake? Verely, verely I say vnto thee, The cocke shall not crowe, till thou haue denied me thrise.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "peter", "sayd", "vnto", "lord", "follow", "thee", "downe", and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "peter" and "sayd", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 36's "Simon Peter said vnto him Lord whither..." into verse 38's "Iesus answered him Wilt thou lay downe...", so "peter" and "sayd" 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 "peter" and "sayd" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.