Last updated on November 1, 2024
Jesus and his disciples (minus Judas) left the upper room and headed for the Mount of Olives. Here Jesus gives a powerful teaching to them that he has apparently waited on until this point. Here are some of my takeaways from his teaching.
I am the vine and you are the branches (John 15:1-8) – Jesus is reminding them that they were never meant to do life on their own. Life with God is the goal. He tells them, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Love one another (John 15:9-17) – For the past three years Jesus has been modeling love for them. His love for people is rooted in the relationship he has with God. The same will be true for them. And then he gives them one last command: “Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13).
You’re not going to be alone (John 15:18-16:15) – Jesus is about to share something with them that will literally change the world. He tells them that after he is gone, the Father is going to send an Advocate for them – the Holy Spirit. And they are going to need this Advocate, because what Jesus is about to go through (persecution) is going to happen to them as well. But God will never leave them.
Jesus then leaves them to pray. He prays for himself (John 17:1-5). His prayer is that God would glorify him in God’s presence with the glory the two of them had before the world began. I don’t know what this means, but it sure sounds beautiful and powerful. He next prays for his disciples (John 17:6-19). He knows that they have no idea what is about to happen. He asks that God will protect them by the power of God’s name, and he asks that they will be one as they are one. Finally, he prays for the followers who will come after he is gone (John 17:20-26). His prayer is that we would be one as he and God were one. The prayer is once again for unity and oneness. He acknowledges that when we are brought to complete unity, “then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).