Previously, we examined Wednesday of Christ’s Holy Week – where Jesus reveals the exact day of His crucifixion to the apostles, and where Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus to the chief priests and temple guards. We also looked at part of Thursday of the same week, during the Last Supper where Judas is exposed in his treachery. (See Wednesday of the Trip to the Cross and a Glimpse of the Last Supper.)
Thursday (cont.):
Let’s return to the Last Supper, right after Judas fled into the night, and Jesus declared that both He and the Father would be glorified immediately.[1]
Christ is referring to His death and resurrection, indicating that everything has been set in motion for that to pass now; (glorifying Jehovah for the commencement of His salvation plan). It also glorifies Jesus for His passion for God’s children, and for His willingness to be our sacrificial substitute, taking the punishment we deserve for our sins.
(He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down
And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. Is. 53:3 -7.)
Jesus continues, but on a new path, speaking about a new command that He charges to the apostles:
“Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Jn. 13:33 – 35. NLT
Jesus is ‘evolving’ the Mosaic Law: ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ to a higher application, i.e., to make love the primary drive behind all our thoughts and actions in an attitude of selflessness and servitude, as we strive to emulate Christ.
However, Jesus’ love commandment must have sailed right over Peter’s head, because his thoughts are still stuck on where Jesus said that He is going to leave. Peter tells Him that he would follow Him anywhere, even laying down his life if necessary.
Christ shocks Peter with His response:
“Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” Jn. 13:38 NLT
Jesus turns to the other 10 apostles and declares:
“Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[2] But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.” Mt. 26:31, 32. NLT
Next, Jesus introduces the sacraments of Communion:
He had taken bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant [ratified] in My blood.’ Lk. 22:19, 20. AMP
And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the [new and better] covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many [as a substitutionary atonement] for the forgiveness of sins. Mt. 26:27, 28. AMP
When we take ‘Communion’, we are performing a ritual, whereby we take something physical (often referred to as a ‘sacrament), to remind us of the offer of Jehovah’s grace through Jesus Christ.
We visibly use the sacrament to act out Christ’s proclamation, in faith, trusting in the power of the grace of the New Covenant that replaces / transcends / enhances the Mosaic Law.
We do not put our faith in the physical sacrament itself. That would be trying to earn
salvation by works. Doesn’t fly. Rather, it is by our faith in Christ’s forgiveness of our sins that is replayed and renewed in our memories when we accept the sacraments.
Jesus concludes the Communion, and begins to administer their last in-depth teaching, beginning with our trip to heaven:
“Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.” Jn. 14:1 – 3. AMP
(For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 Co. 5:1 NLT)
Awesome. Christ picks us up and drives us home. And then He shares about His exclusivity with regards to His sole ownership for that task:
“I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Jn. 14:6 AMP
Christ is the only door to the Kingdom of God. He is the living Word of Jehovah and the giver of life[3] Choosing Jesus is a choice for life. God told His children to “Choose Life”[4], and He still says it today.
Jesus moves on, telling the apostles that He is a vessel for God’s essence, and expresses it through Himself. So, they have essentially had God in their midst the entire time that He was with them:
“If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” Jn. 14:7 NLT
The apostle Philip pipes up and asks Jesus to show him his Creator. Jesus gently rebukes him, but with sadness that he hasn’t caught on:
“Have I been with you for so long a time, and you do not know Me yet, Philip, nor recognize clearly who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words I say to you I do not say on My own initiative or authority, but the Father, abiding continually in Me, does His works [His attesting miracles and acts of power]. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe [Me] because of the [very] works themselves [which you have witnessed].” Jn. 14:9 – 11. AMP
What Jesus is doing is empowering His disciples. He sees the future, and He knows that things will bode harder for them when His physical presence is gone. So, the Son of God is bolstering their faith:
“…anyone who believes in Me [as Savior] will also do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these [in extent and outreach], because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in My name [as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son.” Jn. 14:12, 13. AMP
Then He shifts gears, telling them how to best express their love for Him and their Father in heaven:
“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
“Judas (not Judas Iscariot, but the other disciple with that name) said to him, “Lord, why are you going to reveal yourself only to us and not to the world at large?”
“Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.” Jn. 14:21 – 23. NLT
Jesus presses in further:
“If you remain in Me and My words remain in you [that is, if we are vitally united and My message lives in your heart], ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified and honored by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples. I have loved you just as the Father has loved Me; remain in My love [and do not doubt My love for you”]. Jn. 15:7 – 9. AMP
“I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing. “This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you. No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. Jn. 15:11 – 13. AMP
The apostles are uneasy at the thought of Christ’s departure. To dispel their fears, Jesus introduces them to the Holy Spirit:
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever— the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.
“I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless]; I will come [back] to you.’ Jn. 14:15 – 18. AMP
What do we know of the Holy Spirit in our Bible studies thus far?
We first meet Him on the 6th day of creation:
Then God said, “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]”… Gn. 1:26 AMP
So, the Holy Spirit was present in the Godhead during the act of creating humans. We also learned through the brilliant theologian, Thomas Acquinas’ Holy Spirit inspirations, (Summa Theologica), that God is Father, God is Son, and God is the Holy Spirit. And these are not three Gods but one God. (See How Does the Old Testament Mesh with the New – 4/). Acquinas further postulated that God is infinite, thus he cannot be divided, or He would be reduced to a finite state.
Thus, Christ and the Holy Spirit must be incorporated into Jehovah’s essence. And being that God is perfect, so are Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Word of God. God’s love is expressed by the Holy Spirit, as it is by Christ Himself. Incorporated, the Three must be One, existing in perfect harmony.
Ultimately, God is the Father, Jesus is the Son, who emanates from the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from them both.
The Holy Spirit also inspired all the authors of the Old Testament (e.g., the prophets) with the words of God.
Let’s return to Jesus, as He continues teaching His apostles about the Holy Spirit:
“I have told you these things while I am still with you. But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you”. Jn. 14:25, 26. AMP
Thus, Jesus gave His apostles so much information in His Gospel, that they couldn’t keep it all in their heads. So, the Holy Spirit would also brand that Gospel on their souls. Furthermore, there was not enough time for Jesus to reveal the entire Gospel in the short 3 years of His incarnation.
This is important, because the Holy Spirit would impart the remainder into the minds of the apostles, which rounded out the remainder of the New Testament.
Christ continues:
“But I will send you the Advocate[a]—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.” Jn. 15:26 NLT
“It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: About sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” Jn. 16:7 – 11. CSB
“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear [to hear] them now. But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth [full and complete truth]. For He will not speak on His own initiative, but He will speak whatever He hears [from the Father—the message regarding the Son], and He will disclose to you what is to come [in the future]. He will glorify and honor Me, because He (the Holy Spirit) will take from what is Mine and will disclose it to you.” Jn. 16:12 – 14. AMP
Next, Jesus offers the apostles (and all His followers) further comfort:
“Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.] You heard Me tell you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming back to you.’ If you [really] loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going [back] to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.” Jn. 14:27, 28. AMP*
*(God and Jesus were co-equals since Christ was begotten. But Jehovah was greater while Jesus was incarnated in human flesh. Once He was resurrected, and His flesh was transformed, equality was resumed.)
Jesus then let’s His companions know that His time on earth is winding down and that He must submit to Satan’s violence:
“I will not speak with you much longer, for the ruler of the world (Satan) is coming. And he has no claim on Me [no power over Me nor anything that he can use against Me]; but so that the world may know [without any doubt] that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father has commanded Me [and act in full agreement with Him]. Get up, let us go from here.” Jn. 14:30, 31. AMP
Christ leaves them with a description of His relationship with Jehovah, and our relationship to them both:
“I am the true Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that continues to bear fruit, He [repeatedly] prunes, so that it will bear more fruit [even richer and finer fruit].” Jn. 15:1, 2. AMP
It’s not enough to know God. We must live according to His Word. And like any good Parent, our Father in heaven will dole out a little divine discipline to keep us on track. Indeed, we need this relationship:
“Remain in Me, and I [will remain] in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself without remaining in the vine, neither can you [bear fruit, producing evidence of your faith] unless you remain in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him bears much fruit, for [otherwise] apart from Me [that is, cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken off] branch, and withers and dies; and they gather such branches and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” Jn. 15:4 – 6. AMP
“You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.” Jn. 15:16 AMP
Finally, Jesus tells His disciples that His trip to the cross must continue now:
But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” Jn. 16:32, 33. NLT
Goodnight and God bless.
[1] Jn. 13:31, 32.
[2] Zec. 13:7
[3] Jn. 1:4
[4] Dt. 30:19
