John 13:36

Lord, whither goest thou? The affectionate Apostle is absorbed by the declaration -Whither I go, ye cannot come," and he lets all the rest pass. His Master is going away out of his reach; he must know the meaning of that.

thou shalt follow me afterwards Alluding probably not merely to the Apostle's death, but also to the manner of it: comp. John 21:18-19. But his hour has not yet come; he has a great mission to fulfil first (Matthew 16:18). The beautiful story of the Domine, quo vadis?should be remembered in connexion with this verse. See Introduction to the Epistles of S. Peter, p. 56.