John 13:37 (YLT)

Passage

Peter saith to him, `Sir, wherefore am I not able to follow thee now? my life for thee I will lay down;'

Nearby Context

John 13:35 in this shall all know that ye are my disciples, if ye may have love one to another.'

John 13:36 Simon Peter saith to him, `Sir, whither dost thou go away?' Jesus answered him, `Whither I go away, thou art not able now to follow me, but afterward thou shalt follow me.'

John 13:37 Peter saith to him, `Sir, wherefore am I not able to follow thee now? my life for thee I will lay down;'

John 13:38 Jesus answered him, `Thy life for me thou wilt lay down! verily, verily, I say to thee, a cock will not crow till thou mayest deny me thrice.'

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 36's "Simon Peter saith to him Sir whither..." into verse 38's "Jesus answered him Thy life for me...", so "peter" and "saith" 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 "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.