Holy Week: The Upper Room Discourse (Part 1)

John 13–14 records Jesus washing His disciples’ feet, teaching humility and service, and declaring that His followers are made clean through His word. He gives a new commandment to love one another and promises that His words come from the Father and bring eternal life. Jesus also promises the Holy Spirit, who will teach and remind His disciples of all He said. These chapters show that believers are cleansed by His word, called to love, and sent to carry His message.

Transcript

Welcome And Where To Listen

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast. Our mission is to help the people of God understand the Word of God. Join us each Monday and Thursday for new episode releases. Listen to our full library of content at teachmethebible.com or by downloading the Teach Me the Bible app from any app store. You're listening to Teach Me the Bible Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

Hello, everyone. Welcome back to our Teach Me the Bible podcast. My name is Tim Webb. I'm here with David Klingler, and we are in day three, I believe, David, of uh walking through the Passion Week, and we're we're entering into that um upper room discourse. We're going to start in with chapter 13 and uh what is happening here as Jesus is preparing his disciples. Uh specifically, what is he doing here in chapter 13? What is the import here?

Foot Washing And True Cleansing

Dr. David Klingler 0:55

Yeah, absolutely. Uh this uh you know, so in the Gospel of John, when we think about the Gospel of John and and uh Jesus' ministry uh basically of three years, um, and some pretty important events in those those three years. But uh for most of the three years, John uh John uh summarizes it in uh in just a handful, yeah, 11 chapters. But now when we get to chapter 12 and then into chapter 13, chapter 13 through 17, uh his his account slows way down. Uh and now 13, really all the way through um through the end of the uh you know, Jesus' arrest in chapter uh 18 and his uh his trial. Now we're talking about all the way to uh you know in the course of three days, his he's eating up a bunch of chapters. And this discussion that Jesus has, we call it the upper room discourse uh because it begins in the upper room, but actually uh it's uh at the end of chapter 14, Jesus is gonna say, Arise, let us go from here. Right. And so we'll break it up that way. We'll do we'll do the upper, the actual upper room part of the upper room discourse. Right. The discourse continues while Jesus is walking. And so Jesus begins in the upper room, and uh and at the end of 14, he's gonna say, Arise, let us go from here. Uh and then where he's going is to chapter 18. He's going to the garden, to the garden of Gethsemane. Uh, and we'll pick that uh the garden uh account, then the arrest and the trial up on the on our on our Thursday. So the next two days, we're gonna be in the upper room. Now you remember back these words so familiar to us from the beginning of the Gospel of John. In the beginning was the word, uh, and we recognize the word was Christ, the word became flesh, and tabernacle is among us. Right. And and we tend to just kind of throw ourselves in there, read right past all the pronouns, and uh and no uh John's writing this, and John says the word tabernacle, the Christ, the word became flesh, and tabernacle among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten from the Father, full of you know, grace and truth, the that that I didn't see it and you didn't see it, right? But now we know about Jesus, right? How did we come to know about Jesus? And so that's what's going on in this uh gospel and narrative of John. Uh, it is the words and works of Jesus that the apostles have witnessed, right? And and now Jesus in this upper room is going to explain his ministry to them, right? Okay. Uh, and so it was before the feast of Passover, and Jesus knowing that his hour had come, that he was uh it was his time to depart from this world, out of this world, to the Father. Having loved his own, who were in the world, he loved them to the end. Remember, he came to his own. Uh, and that's going to get a little bit further uh defined. Uh, that the father gave him his disciples, the father gave Jesus his disciples, and and he's kept all of them, uh uh except for one, the son of Pardition, that the word of God may be fulfilled, right? And during the supper, the de the devil, having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, uh son of Simon, to betray him, and Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hand, or given all into his hand, and that he had come forth from the Father, when was going back to God, rose from the supper and laid aside his garments, and taking a towel he girded uh himself about, and he poured water into a basin, and began washing his disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel which he was girded. And uh you gotta love Simon Peter, I love this guy, right? And so uh so Simon Peter said, Lord, do you wash my feet? And Jesus answered and said to him, What you do now you do not realize, but you shall understand afterwards. And Peter said to him, You will never wash my feet. And Jesus said, If I don't wash your feet, if I don't wash you, then you have no part with me. Okay. I'm all in. Then then you know, then you know, drown me, wash me. Lord, then not only my feet, but my hands and also my head. And and uh Jesus said to him, He who has been bathed uh needs only to wash his feet, but is completely uh p uh clean or pure is the word, right? Uh and you are pure, but not all of you. You're all you're you are clean, but not now. This word is going to be used here in verse 10, also in verse 11. Uh, and then in 15.3. And 15.3 Jesus is going to tell them, remind them, you're already pure, you're already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Uh and so this is uh this is the whole purpose of Jesus' ministry. Um John, uh Paul is even going to mention this uh this concept in uh in Ephesians chapter 5. He says this. So he's talking about uh husbands love your wife as Christ loved the church. He's talking about how Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her so that he might set her apart, sanctify her. We're gonna get to this in chapter 17, where uh the the word is going to set them apart, having been made pure or cleansed by the washing of the water with the word.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

Right.

Isaiah And The Feet Of Good News

Sent Ones Who Represent Christ

Dr. David Klingler 5:58

Right? Uh that it is uh not water that purifies, it is the word that purifies. It's the word of God which makes pure, which makes clean. And this word is going to be entrusted to the disciples. The word became flesh, the word which came from the father, uh, the son has proclaimed, and he has proclaimed it to his disciples. And now he's going back to the father, but uh he's uh he's going to tell the disciples, where I'm going, you can't come. You'll come later. You're not coming now. Right. Right. But now I'm going to the father, and I'm sending you into the world, and I'm going to send you, disciples, a helper. And he will help you call to your remembrance all that I said to you, right? Because the words that he has given are the words that give life, very words of eternal life. Because those words proclaim the Son, and they proclaim the life that was in the Father. And so he's going to send these disciples out into the world. Uh, and they're going to be the ones who are going to carry this good news. This goes back to Isaiah chapter 59, uh 59, Isaiah chapter 52. This is where we actually get the term uh gospel, a gospel, meaning uh good news, right? Uh this is uh chapter 52, verse 1. Awake, awake, clothe yourself in strength, O Zion. Clothe yourself in beautiful garments, um, O Jerusalem, the holy city, for the uncircumcised and the unclean, there's that unclean word again, shall no more come into you. Shake yourself from the dust. Rise up, O captive Jerusalem, loose yourself uh from the uh chains around your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. You were sold for nothing. Talking about Old Testament Israel, they were they were sold for nothing, and they will be redeemed without money. They're about to be redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. For thus says the Lord God, my people went out at first to Egypt and resided there, then the Assyrians oppressed them. Now, therefore, what do I have here, declares the Lord, seeing that my people have been taken away without cause, the Lord declares, those who rule over them will howl, and my name is continually blasphemed all the day. Therefore, my people shall know my name. Therefore, in that day I am the one who is speaking, saying, Behold me, how lovely on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news. This uh Isaiah prophet has presented the Christ is coming, the suffering servant is coming, and his disciples are going to be the ones who are going to carry the word. This is chapter 50, verse 4, uh eight, chapter 8, verse uh 18. The um uh the the Lord has given me the word uh the mouth of disciples, the word of disciples. And so the father has given his word to the son. The son has given his word to these disciples, and these disciples, they're the very ones, they're the feet that are going to carry the good news to make clean, to make pure, right? So that uh there will never be uh any uncircumcised or unclean that will ever come into the great city. How lovely on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who announce peace, who bring good news of happiness, and announce salvation, who say to Zion, Your God reigns. They're going to be the carriers of the great news. They're going to be the carriers of the message that makes clean. And so blessed are your feet, the feet of the disciples, right? And so Jesus is washing their feet. Is he simply washing the feet? Nope. Uh he is uh pro he is proclaiming them clean, right? Right? They have been made clean. Uh and uh and so uh uh he uh picking back up in chapter uh chapter 13, verse 12, and so when he had washed their feet and he taken his garment, he reclined, he said, Do you know what I've done? You call me teacher and lord, and you're right, so I am. If I then, the Lord and teacher, washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet. For I gave you an example of what you should do. Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, neither the one who is sent, greater the one who sent him. Now in this book you'll remember the father sends the son, right? Um and now the son is sending the servants. These are the disciples. And so the servant is not greater than the one who sent. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. And so uh verse uh chapter uh thirteen, verse twenty truly, truly I say to you, he who receives whomever I sent receives me. And he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Right? And so we're in this transition period where the Father has sent the Son, uh, the Word became flesh, tabernacle among us. We beheld his glory, we saw his words and his works, uh, his words made us clean. And now he's returning to the Father, and he's sending us into the world for us to proclaim the the word that gives life.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

You know, he's in first John, verse 20 is going to be clarified again in first John. Absolutely. Let's tie back to the Father. Absolutely constantly tied back to the Father. Every single time.

The Helper Who Brings Remembrance

Why We Trust Apostolic Witness

Dr. David Klingler 10:53

Uh 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the gospel of uh being proclaimed, and then it all goes back to the Father at the end. And so uh and so there's there's nothing new here. Jesus is explaining to him, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. No one comes to the Father but through me. Now the question then becomes how do you get to the Son? Right? Um uh and so uh the words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative. This is in chapter 14, verse 10. But the Father, abiding in me, does his works. Believe uh me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me. Otherwise, believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I shall do, he shall do also, right? I made clean, you will make clean. The greater and greater works than these uh he shall do, because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, that my father may be glorified. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. Uh if you love me, you will keep my commandments, and I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper, that he may be with you forever. That is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not behold him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you alone as orphans, but I will come to you a little while, the world will behold me no more, but you will behold me because I live. Uh he's telling them the world's not going to see me, but you're gonna see me because I'm gonna be resurrected, I'm gonna appear back to you. So you uh because I live, you'll live also. In that day, you will know that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, and I in you. And so he continues, These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you, chapter 14, verse 25. But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I spoke to you. Right? And so here's Jesus instructing his disciples, explaining to them the word that he has given, the word that gives eternal life, he has given to them, he's entrusted it to them. That word has made them clean. And now he is going to leave them, but he's not gonna leave them alone. He's gonna send the Holy Spirit. And this Holy Spirit's going to have a ministry, and part of that Holy Spirit's ministry is to call to their remind remembrance all that Jesus said to them, because the very words that he spoke to them are the words of eternal life, and they are going to proclaim them to others, and so they need to abide in this word, the word that gives eternal life. And we're gonna pick that up uh tomorrow uh when we get into chapters 15 and and finish the upper room discourse. And so Jesus is explaining this. I I could just imagine their head spinning, going, What is going on? Oh man, yeah. And so Jesus says, Arise, let us go from here. And he's going to explain this along the way. And so, so the word that gives it everything, and you're gonna see this in every single up uh uh gospel, in every epistle, uh, that uh the words of the Lord have been spoken in the old testament through the prophets um directly to Moses, through visions and dreams to the prophets in the old testament. Uh, and now the Lord has spoken not through prophets of the old testament, but through his son. And the problem is, his son didn't write any of these books. His son, Christ, didn't write any of the gospels, right? He didn't write any of the letters to the churches, right? Um, the apostles wrote those letters, and so it's the words of the apostles and prophets. And so the way that we know the Lord is through the words of the apostles and prophets that proclaim his son. Uh and so uh I'm thankful that the Holy Spirit called to their remembrance all that they saw and all that uh uh that Christ spoke to them so that we have record of it. And so that's what we're talking about here in chapter chapter 14.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

David, thank you so much. And uh listeners, everyone joining in, stay with us. Uh Jesus is preparing his disciples. We should have great encouragement as we keep walking day by day. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 15:03

For more resources, visit teachmethebible.com or download our app from any app store. You can partner with Teach Me the Bible in helping the people of God understand the Word of God by subscribing and sharing with others. Thank you for listening to Teach Me the Bible Podcast.