Imagine having spent three and one-half years discipling a motley crew of men and your time with them has come to an end. Are they fully prepared to take the baton you are handing them and run? Do they understand what you have taught and modeled? More importantly, are they ready to teach and model it to those who follow? Furthermore, this will be no ordinary farewell; it will be one of such magnitude and violence that if unprepared, it will shock these men, possibly even induce them to quit in disillusionment and despair. You only have several hours to prepare them for the shock of their lives and to carry on with what you are inaugurating. These words you speak to them today will be the words they remember more than any you have spoken before.
This was the gravity of Jesus’ final moments with His disciples. He has two objectives in His final discourse. The first was to prepare them for the shock of what would soon take place. The One in whom they had placed all their hopes was about to be crucified; He will not be enthroned in the earthly city of Jerusalem; He will not restore the kingdom of Israel. His second objective was to instruct and encourage this new covenant community before the mediator of that new covenant departs. Thus, we see two great elements in His final words: comfort and teaching.
As Jesus communicated to the disciples that He would soon be leaving them, He reassured them that this departure would not be final; He would only be gone a little while then they would see Him again. In fact, though they could not follow Him immediately, they would join him for they would know the way. “Death for Him was not a dead end street, but rather a trail He must blaze alone as a pioneer.” (Merrill C. Tenney) Furthermore, through the promised Paraclete, His presence would always be with them for it would indwell them. The knowledge of His continued presence and their eventual reunion would be a consolation to them for the next several days as the ghastly drama of the crucifixion unfolded. He likened the coming days to a woman about to give birth; their mourning would be temporary, their joy, eternal.
Jesus entire life and teaching revealed to men a completely new paradigm for life. Not only did He come to inaugurate a New Covenant, He also inaugurated a new kingdom-the Kingdom of God. Because this kingdom would be unlike any other kingdom known to mankind, those who followed must understand the vast difference between the culture of the new Kingdom and those with which they were familiar. The first and greatest difference was that this would be a Kingdom marked by love. Love was something familiar, but the standard was not. He had already commanded them to love their enemies; now He was commanding them to love as He loved them. He begins the discourse by showing them “the full extent of His love.”(John 13:1b) Knowing that all of them would desert Him and that Satan had already prompted Judas Iscariot to betray Him, He rose from supper, laid aside His garments, and began to wash the disciples feet. He then instructs them to do as He does. Washing one another’s feet was key to fulfilling their mission. It symbolized helping each other get rid of the dirt picked up as one travels through life, but doing it as a servant not a master, motivated by love not judgment. Foot washing provides a new paradigm for ruling. In the words of Bill Johnson, pastor of Bethel Church, Jesus’ disciples are to “Rule with the heart of a servant; serve with the heart of a king.”
This love they demonstrated to each other and the world would be the mark of being His disciple. Why is love the defining attribute for those who follow Christ? In Jesus’ day it was common for disciples to reflect, even imitate, their master in his teaching, mannerisms, and more. In fact, the behavior of disciples would reflect positively or negatively on the reputation of their teachers. Jesus reputation was dependent upon how well they lived what He had taught them. True discipleship involves reproducing oneself in another. A master lives on in the lives of his disciples. According to Cyril of Alexandria,
…it is most befitting and right for those who have given themselves up to a life of love that they should make themselves known to all men as having become Christ’s disciples, by making the crown of love their chief glory, and by bearing about with them their mutual affection as a sign and seal of their discipleship … they who display in themselves fully developed the power of Divine love, will speedily make known to the world that they have been disciples of Love, or of Christ Who is filled to the uttermost with love.
This love would enable them to continue to bask in His Presence after He left. By loving one another, believers would continue to experience His love thereby re-presenting His presence among themselves and others.
Jesus knew it was important for these men, and those who followed, to understand the vital importance of remaining connected to Him. All He was expecting of them depended upon their continual connection to Him. In communicating this, He used an image very familiar to the people of His day: a vine. The Old Testament and other Judaic writings frequently refer to Israel as a vine. Now, Jesus was telling them that He is the true vine. Jesus, the Father, and the disciples were metaphorical for the Vine, the Husbandman, and the branches. He is describing a relationship of corporate union of the branches with the Vine for the production of fruit to the Husbandmen. There is one Church, of which He is the Head, the Root, The Sustenance, the Life. This metaphor dramatizes to them the “critical importance of remaining spiritually connected to Jesus in a life-sustaining relationship.”(J. Ramsey Michaels) It is an imagery that evokes an intimate, complete dependence upon Him that will be evident in obedience, especially in their love for one another. It would also be the source of the disciples doing greater works than Jesus did.
This image of a vine implies a greater intimacy than that which had already been experienced. “Now through the Spirit, His disciples would dwell with Him and He with them in a more intimate manner; in contrast to the religious-political elite, they themselves would become His dwelling place; this is the intimacy Jesus shared with the Father.” (Craig S. Keener)
Jesus repeatedly informs them of the promised Holy Spirit. First, as comfort: He must leave for the Holy Spirit to come. This Holy Spirit will be with them forever, empowering them to fulfill all He asks. The Holy Spirit is a completely new person or entity for them to understand. Prior to this, God’s Spirit resided in the Holy of Holies, accessible to none but the High Priest. Now, Jesus was promising that this Spirit would dwell in them. The Spirit of God was no longer confined to an earthly tabernacle. He is promising them that He would dwell in them, not in a building, being always present.
It was necessary for them to understand the role of this Holy Spirit. He would bring conviction of sin, judgment, and righteousness. Even more than that, He would continue teaching them, guiding them, and preparing them for what was to come just as Jesus had done while He walked on earth.
Jesus takes time to warn them that persecution would come; they should expect it and be prepared for it. “The world will hate you as it hated me.” This hatred the world has for believers stands in stark contrast to the love believers must have for the world, even in the face of hatred. This forewarning serves the purpose of reminding them that in their suffering at the hands of Judaism, nothing unforeseen is happening. Jesus had already spoken of it. Most importantly, they needed to understand that it would not be a sign that they had been abandoned by the Father or the Son.
Jesus’ desire for His disciples, present and future, is clearly evident in His final words. We are to love, abide, and continue what He started. He has done all to provide the example and, through the Holy Spirit, the enabling power we need to accomplish what He laid out in His final discourse. Now it is up to us, His disciples, to understand fully what He is saying, live completely dependent upon Him and in an intimate, growing relationship with Him so we confidently take hold of the baton He is handing to us and advance the Kingdom He inaugurated.