Jesus' Last Days

Jesus’ Last Days John 13-21

Chapters 13–17 are known as the Farewell Discourse, because here Jesus speaks to his disciples just prior to his arrest, trial, and death. Jesus prepares his disciples for his departure from them and for their life in his absence. What Jesus envisions as the future for his disciples is the present reality for the reader of the Gospel, because the contemporary church lives without the physical presence of Jesus and is sustained by Jesus’ words. Jesus’ words in chapters 13–17 offer a vision of the new life that is possible for all who follow him. At the heart of this vision is the community’s love for one another: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” This vision of love receives its most explicit statement in 13:34–35; 15:12; and 15:17, but the language of love runs throughout the Farewell Discourse (e.g., 14:15, 21, 23–24; 15:8–9)…