Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
John chapters 13 through 17 are known as Jesus’ Upper Room discourse. It happened during what we call the Last Supper. It was just before Jesus was about to go into the Garden of Gethsemane and be betrayed and arrested. In just a few hours, Jesus would be brutally and mercilessly beaten by Roman soldiers and then crucified on the cross. Within 24 hours Jesus Christ would be dead and buried.
So think about it a moment, if you knew you had only one day left to live, who would you want to be with? What would you tell them? This is exactly what Jesus was doing. He was sharing the depths of His heart with those closest to Him. This is why some have rightly called these five chapters the “Holy of Holies” of the Scripture.
I have often thought that if I were forced to only possess a few chapters of the Bible, John 13-17 would be at the top of my list. They have and continue to be life changing for me. Here are a very few highlights from each of these chapters.
Chapter 13 – It all begins with Jesus washing His disciples feet! Here is a man who walked on water, shut storms down, opened blind eyes, raised the dead and spoke like no one before or after and He is down on His knees doing a very menial task that only the lowest of servants did in His day. Does that not say something to your heart about Him? How easy we are swayed from what is truly important in life.
Chapter 14 – Where do I begin? I could write a whole book on this one chapter alone because it is all about the revelation of the Father. Philip said, “Show us the Father and it is enough.” Everything in our lives is answered by seeing the Father. It may take a lifetime to answer it all, but He is the answer. We are no longer neglected, looked over, forgotten and abandoned orphans. We are sons and daughters. This one truth alone will completely and radically transform any person.
Chapter 15 – Years ago I heard Chuck Swindoll say the seven most important words in the New Testament are, “Apart from Me you can do nothing”. I will never forget that moment for as long as I live. It was God speaking to me through Chuck Swindoll. Jesus Christ is the center of everything. When we lose Him being the center of our life – we lose real life.
Chapter 16 – Holy Spirit come! Another Comforter like Jesus is sent from the Father and He is the most important Person on earth. Jesus thought so highly of the Holy Spirit that He said it was better that He left so the Comforter could come. He also warned us that we may get away with talking bad about Him (Jesus), but never ever speak against the Holy Spirit. That is significant. I believe we are living in a day where the complete work of the Spirit will be manifested upon people just like He was upon Jesus when He walked the earth.
Chapter 17 – It is the promise of glory. The glory of God is going to rise upon us. People can say what they like, but Jesus prayed we would experience His glory. It is going to happen. The manifest Presence of Jesus Christ will settle on people and places. His visible and felt presence is looking for a place to rest in the earth. Will we be those people? There are hidden places and people whom this is already beginning to happen. I believe God built us for this.
Many Blessings, BW