As I understand it, a Passover dinner typically lasts for hours, and Jesus had already told his disciples – whether they understood it or not – that this was the last time he would be with them. Consequently, he gives them a great deal of information during supper; this information is often called “the farewell discourse.” Jesus begins with the most important thing, the one most on his mind: “love one another.” Loving our fellow-Christians is not optional or discretionary; it is the commandment of Jesus, our Master.
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31a, 33 Then said Jesus, “Dear children, I am still with you a little longer. You will seek me, but, as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’ so for the present I say to you.
34-35 A new commandment I give you, to love one another; that as I have loved you, you also may love one another. It is by this that every one will know that you are my disciples – if you love one another.”
36 “Master,” inquired Simon Peter, “where are you going?” “Where I am going,” replied Jesus, “you cannot be my follower now, but you shall be later.”
37 “Master,” asked Peter again, “why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life on your behalf.
38, 31b-32 “You say you will lay down your life on my behalf!” said Jesus; “in most solemn truth I tell you that This night all of you will stumble and fail in your fidelity to me; for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF THE FLOCK WILL BE SCATTERED IN ALL DIRECTIONS.’ But after I have risen to life again I will go before you into Galilee.”
33 “All may stumble and fail,” said Peter, “but I never will.”
31-32 “Simon, Simon, I tell you that Satan has obtained permission to have all of you to sift as wheat is sifted. But *I* have prayed for *you* that your faith may not fail, and you, when at last you have come back to your true self, must strengthen your brethren.”
33 “Master,” replied Peter, “with you I am ready to go both to prison and to death.”
34 “I tell you, Peter,” said Jesus, “that the cock will not crow to-day till you have three times denied that you know me.”
31 “Even if I must die with you,” declared Peter again and again, “I will never disown you.” In like manner protested also all the disciples.
35 Then He asked them, “When I sent you out without purse or bag or shoes, was there anything you needed?” “No, nothing,” they replied.
36-37 “But now,” said He, “let the one who has a purse take it, and he who has a bag must do the same. And let him who has no sword sell his outer garment and buy one. For I tell you that those words of Scripture must yet find their fulfilment in me: ‘AND HE WAS RECKONED AMONG THE LAWLESS’; for indeed that saying about me has its accomplishment.”
38 “Master, here are two swords,” they exclaimed. “That is enough,” He replied.
John 14:1-14, Jesus’ farewell discourse, continued (9/22/14)
Have you heard the saying, “No brag, just fact”? (Apparently it comes from a TV Western; I didn’t know that.) It means, “You might think what I’m saying isn’t true, but you’d be wrong.” Jesus says almost the same thing to his disciples: “If you don’t or can’t believe who I am because it’s what I’m telling you, look at the facts of what you’ve seen me do. Those facts will tell you the same thing.” Jesus wasn’t bragging, he was just stating the facts.
By the way, notice that most of Jesus' long farewell discourse is recorded only by John. I can think of three possible reasons for this. First, part of John's purpose was to record events and teachings not in the three earlier Gospels. Second, John was closest to Jesus at the table, and thus he was in the best position to hear and retain what Jesus had said. Finally, John wrote after decades of thought and conversation with the Holy Spirit. I think that he, of all the disciples, was best able to understand the significance of what Jesus had said, and therefore the importance of passing it on to us.
John 14:15-31, Jesus’ farewell discourse, continued (9/23/14)
Jesus continues telling his disciple what they need to know after he is gone. God loves you. If you love God, you will obey his commandments, which are two: Love God. Love your neighbor.
At the end of this part of the discussion, Jesus says, “Get up; let’s go.” At this point, Dr. Daniel has them get up and start walking out to the Mount of Olives. I disagree, because Jesus continues speaking for quite a while after this, and it doesn’t sound to me like the sort of thing he normally said on the road. For example, there are no references to the scenery as illustrations of what he is saying. Second, what he’s saying is complex and theologically dense, as opposed to the easy-to-remember parables he normally tells. It’s the sort of thing people need to listen to carefully, sitting around the table, not to hear in snatches walking along the road. Finally, I come from a long line of ladies who say, “I’d better hang up now,” and then talk for another 45 minutes. Jesus says, “Get up; let’s go”; but it sounds to me like he talked to his disciples for another 45 minutes before they get out the door.
It’s okay if you don’t agree with me; what Jesus said is what he said, and where he said it doesn’t matter.
John 15:1-17, Jesus’ farewell discourse, continued (9/24/14)
Jesus continues to give his disciples last-minute instructions. Love continues to be his theme, but now he adds that anyone who loves him will obey his commandments, chief among which is “Love one another.”
John 15:18-25, Jesus’ farewell discourse, continued (9/25/14)
I’ve never quite understood why some Christians think that life will be a bed of roses because they are Christians. As Jesus continues his last-minute instructions to his disciples, he warns them that they will have difficulties precisely because they are Christians! We American Christians mostly live in the bed of roses – pray today for our fellow-Christians who are being persecuted for the faith in other parts of the world.
John 15:26 – 16:15, Jesus’ farewell discourse, continued (9/26/14)
It’s hard to teach calculus to kindergarten kids, because they haven’t had algebra and trigonometry. In the same way, Jesus says to his disciples, he is now telling them a lot of important things he couldn’t teach them before tonight, because they didn’t have the background. In fact, he says, there are a lot of things he can’t teach them yet, because they still aren’t ready. He promises, however, to send them a new teacher.
John 16:16-33, Jesus’ farewell discourse, concluded (9/29/14)
One of the important parts of any course of medical treatment is that the doctor tells the patient about what’s expected to happen: How long will the drug take to work? What are the normal side effects? How soon will the patient start feeling better? Very often we patients need to have this information given to us several times, because we didn’t get it the first time.
In the same way, Jesus is trying to prepare his disciples for his death and resurrection. You and I probably can’t imagine how hard it was for them to understand what was going to happen! Jesus tells them at least three times that he’s leaving for a while and will be back: in vs. 17, in a little parable in vss. 20-22, and most plainly in vss. 26-28. Finally they say they understand it; however, Jesus warns them that they’ll all desert temporarily. He explains that he’s telling them in advance so that they will have the peace of knowing that what is happening is what’s expected to happen.
John 17:1-12, Jesus’ intercessory prayer (9/30/14)
After giving his disciples a cram-course in theology, Jesus prays for them. We know of a number of occasions that Jesus prayed “all night” (e.g., Luke 6:2), but for the most part he prayed privately, just as he instructed us to do (Matthew 6:6). This is the only long prayer of Jesus that we have a record of. It’s often called “the High-Priestly Prayer,” because in it Jesus intercedes for his disciples with God.
John 17:13-26, Jesus’ intercessory prayer, concluded (10/1/14)
Jesus continues to pray for his disciples, and for us. Together we form the body of Christ (vss. 20-22), in ministry throughout the world to show the love of God (vs. 23). Love was the beginning and end of the Last Supper.
John 18:1a; Mark 14:26a; Luke 22:39; Mark 14:32-34; Luke 22:40b-41; Mark 14:36; Luke 22:42-45; Mark 14:37b-40; Matthew 26:44; Mark 14:41-42, Thursday evening. Jesus and his disciples go to the Mount of Olives. (10/2/14)
Quick! Raise your hand if you would be happy to die a tortured and shameful death on behalf of a bunch of bad people you hadn’t met! That’s what Jesus willingly did for us, but he wasn’t looking forward to it. Jesus, even knowing that Judas intended to betray him, followed his usual custom and went to the Mount of Olives to pray. After explaining to God the Father that he really, really didn’t want to die this way, Jesus turned the situation over to the Father.
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1 After offering this prayer,
26a After singing a hymn,
39 On going out, He proceeded as usual to the Mount of Olives, and His disciples followed Him.
32 So they came to a place called Gethsemane. There He said to His disciples, “Sit down here till I have prayed.”
33-34 Then He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be full of terror and distress, and He said to them, “My heart is oppressed with anguish to the very point of death: wait here and keep awake.”
40-41 But when He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not come into temptation.” But He Himself withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed repeatedly, saying,
36 “Abba! my Father! all things are possible for Thee: take this cup of suffering away from me: and yet not what I desire, but what Thou desirest.”
42 “Father, if it be Thy will, take this cup away from me; yet not my will but Thine be done!”
43-44 And there appeared to Him an angel from Heaven, strengthening Him; while He – an agony of distress having come upon Him – prayed all the more with intense earnestness, and His sweat became like clots of blood dropping on the ground.
45 When He rose from his prayer and came to His disciples, He found them sleeping for sorrow.
37 Then He came and found them asleep, and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Had you not strength to keep awake a single hour?
38 Be wakeful, all of you, and keep on praying, that you may not come into temptation: the spirit is right willing, but the body is frail.”
39-40 He again went away and prayed, using the very same words.
40 When He returned He again found them asleep, for they were very tired; and they knew not how to answer Him.
44 So He left them, and went away once more and prayed a third time, again using the same words.
41-42 A third time He came, and then He said, “Sleep on and rest. Enough! the hour has come. Even now they are betraying the Son of Man into the hands of sinful men. Rouse yourselves, let us be going: my betrayer is close at hand.”
More of The Chronological Gospel
Birth Announcements and Early Lives of Jesus and John the Baptist
Early Ministries of Jesus and John the Baptist
Jesus’ Early Ministry
Jesus’ Galilean Ministry
Sabbath Controversies
The Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Plain
John the Baptist
Signs and Parables
Miracles and Mission Trips
Bread of Life
Miracles and Meanings
Transfiguration and Teachings
To Jerusalem for the Festival of Tabernacles
Some Results of Luke’s Research
Light
More of Luke’s Research
On the Road Again
The Raising of Lazarus
Holy Week: Palm Sunday and Monday
Holy Week: Tuesday, Parables and Questions
Holy Week: Wednesday Part 1, Discussions
Holy Week: Wednesday Part 2, Be Ready!
Holy Week: Thursday Part 1, Jesus' Celebration of the Passover
Holy Week: Thursday Part 2, Jesus' Farewell Discourse
Holy Week: Friday Part 1, Jesus' Arrest and Two Informal Trials
Holy Week: Friday Part 2, More Trials
Holy Week: Friday, Part 3, and Saturday, Jesus' Death and Burial
The Empty Tomb
Final Appearances of Jesus Prior to Pentecost
Copyright 2014 by Regina L. Hunter. All rights reserved. Scripture readings are from the Weymouth New Testament (1912); caps indicate quotations from the Old Testament. This page has been prepared for the web site by RPB.
"Jesus Praying in the Garden" by Gustave Doré is from the Thomas family Bible, now in a private collection of a family member.
Opinions expressed on this page are solely those of the author, Regina Hunter, and may or may not be shared by the sponsors or the Bible-study participants. Thanks to the Holy Spirit for any useful ideas presented here, and thanks to all the readers for their support and enthusiasm. All errors are, of course, the sole responsibility of the author.
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