For the rest of this week we are going to look at one of Jesus' most intimate moments with his disciples—the last supper and the farewell discourse. The through line of this conversation is Jesus' immanent departure, hence the farewell discourse. He begins by speaking cryptically about it then as the disciples continue to bring it up he eventually speaks plainly with them about what is about to happen.
It may seem strange to be going here, to the end of Jesus' life and time spent with his disciples, but I think this moment indicates the true value of Jesus' time spent with his disciples and the investment he made in their lives. It is in the immanence of one's departure that we truly grasp the significance of their presence with us.
In the beginning of this section John sums it up nicely:
John 13:1
1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
What follows is a clear picture of how Jesus loved his disciples to the end.
To see this we are going to look at John 13-17. Note the significance of this moment to John (the author of this gospel) simply by the amount of space he dedicates to this time—5 whole chapters! With the expense of ink and papyrus in antiquity one didn't waste space (unlike your Jr. High papers which consisted of so much fluff to get to your 8 pages, that it would make a marshmallow look pretty solid). John's extensive elaboration on this evening's proceedings is intentional because of its great significance.
Comparing John's description of the last supper to the other gospel writers, John's description is very personal and relational indicating the closeness of this group and emphasizing the need for close relationships among Jesus' followers. John doesn't include the institution of the Lord's Supper, which is strange. Many theories have been proposed as to why he doesn't include it. One of the more convincing arguments is that John chooses to focus not on the act of the Lord's Supper but one of the primary themes of the Lord's Supper in the church—the intimacy of the relationships and the unity of the church. These Paul emphasizes in 1 Corinthians 11 in his chastisement of the Corinthian believers for their malpractice of the Lord's Supper. John's emphasis on unity and love in this the first community of Jesus followers is unmistakeable.
Additional Content
Read through John 13-17 in one sitting. Keep in mind the relational context of this group: they've spent 3 years together, eating together, traveling together, learning from Jesus, following him everywhere. They have given up everything to follow him and now he's saying he's leaving! Pay attention to a few of the common themes:
- Distress - First Jesus' distress followed by the disciple's distress. Jesus is going to the cross and instead of the disciples comforting him, Jesus is comforting them.
- Love - Jesus has loved them now he repeatedly tells them to love one another.
- Chosen - They didn't chose Jesus, but he chose them confirming their acceptance by him.
- Faith and Trust - Jesus tells them all of this so they will believe in him after everything takes place.
Reflection
Intimate moments only come in the context of intimate relationships. Those relationships are only built with the investment of incredible amounts of time. Think of your relationships in your life that mirror this level of intimacy.