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Listening in to the conversation Jesus had with His Disciples the last night they were together
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On the Journey...
Monthly Insight From Pastor Philip Yoder March 2024 Jesus Last Night
Written By Pastor Phil Yoder If you knew this was your last day on the earth, what would you do, who would you want to spend it with, and what would you want to say? Perhaps you may reveal secrets, or make confessions, or perhaps tell of unfulfilled dreams. But almost certainly, you would share the deepest concerns in your heart, and you would try your best to communicate to those you love how much you have cherished them being in your life, and the depth of your love for them. And that is the great value of John 13-17. These chapters are known as Jesus’ farewell discourse, because it is the last things Jesus said to His disciples before He goes to the cross. John begins this discourse by telling us that “Jesus now shows the disciples the full extent of His love.” Jesus has much to say to His disciples that night, but the one thing He wants to communicate to them is the depth of His love for them, a love that even death cannot extinguish, a love that will carry on into eternity. John dedicates 5 chapters, that is almost a fourth of his Gospel, to what Jesus said to His disciples that one night. And I am so glad that revealing what was in Jesus’ heart at the end of His ministry on earth was a priority for John. On this night, Jesus opens His heart to reveal the depth of His love for those who follow Him. I could stop right here. And probably should stop for a long reflection. Because, if we ever caught a vision of Jesus’ love for those who have made a decision to follow Jesus in life, and who are trying to live for Jesus, even if we do so imperfectly, and even if we have more failures than victories in our cart, I am convinced that a very deep peace would settle into our souls, and most of our worries would simply dissipate. One of the most remarkable things of this evening, is that Jesus knew how much the disciples were still not getting, how much they still didn’t understand, how far they were from where they should be, and how much they still had not become like Jesus. Before morning, one would betray Him, one would deny Him, and the rest would abandon Him, and yet, Jesus pressed on toward the cross unhindered by their lack of faith, trusting that the seeds He had planted in their lives would grow and bear fruit when the Holy Spirit would come and live in them. Jesus had faith that the disciples would one day grow into all Jesus tried to teach them to be, if they will stay connected to Jesus and remember what He taught them. Jesus left this world, without leaving behind any biological descendants, without leaving any writings, without establishing any foundations or institutions to carry His name, without leaving any pictures, without leaving any monuments in His honor. But what Jesus did leave behind, was His incomprehensible love in those who follow Him. Jesus left this world knowing the power of love and that He had planted this love in His disciples. Jesus left this world knowing that He prayed for His disciples who followed Him then, and who would follow Him in the future, and He now entrusts them the into God’s hands. Perhaps that is the lesson Jesus wanted most to instill in His disciples that last night. Love with all that is in you, do what you can, and trust God for the rest. |