Think about the last time you badly wanted to listen in on a conversation. You may have been seated at one end of a table and craned your neck to hear the conversation at the other end. Or maybe you’ve longed to be "a fly on the wall" to absorb a conversation in which you simply had no part. I’m not sure where your thoughts are right now, but consider this: What better conversation to eavesdrop on, but the conversation between our Savior and his disciples in the Upper Room?
Imagine being part of a Small Group/Care Ring led by Jesus himself! John’s Gospel stands alone as the only record of Christ’s words in the Upper Room. And John invites us to pull up a chair and listen in. Within hours of this gathering, Jesus was hanging upon a cross. In less than twenty-four hours he was dead and buried. These are indeed the last words of Jesus before his death on the cross.
Some scholars have called the conversation in the Upper Room the "holy of holies" of Scripture. That is, if you think of Scripture as a temple, this is the sanctuary, where you come into the very presence of God himself. Through his words to his disciples, we are permitted here to enter into the thinking, the emotions, the very heart of Jesus just hours before his own death. Jesus lays bare his heart before his disciples and He seeks to impart to them the secret of his life. The disciples will soon understand that this secret explains all of the marvelous words that Jesus spoke and each one of the miraculous works He performed. And this amazing truth is ours too.
Jesus distills for his disciples – and for us - the most important truths and spiritual principles of the Christian life. He talks about the Holy Spirit - another Comforter -- a Strengthener who is on the way. Jesus tells the disciples that he will no longer be merely with them but within them. This is powerful! It is this indwelling presence that enables – in fact makes possible -- living in our predominantly troubled world. Our Jesus does not so much discuss the world as he does how to deal with the world. So the message of the Upper Room is a vital message for each of us.
As we move toward the Easter Season here at Crane Chapel, we’re going to spend some time considering this small-group meting between Jesus and his disciples in John Chapters 13 – 17. Please come these next weeks with great expectations and an eager heart as we look into this deep and insightful passage. The Upper Room really is the quintessential Small-Group/Care Ring study. By listening in, we can each uncover the secrets of living a fulfilled life with Christ!
Imagine being part of a Small Group/Care Ring led by Jesus himself! John’s Gospel stands alone as the only record of Christ’s words in the Upper Room. And John invites us to pull up a chair and listen in. Within hours of this gathering, Jesus was hanging upon a cross. In less than twenty-four hours he was dead and buried. These are indeed the last words of Jesus before his death on the cross.
Some scholars have called the conversation in the Upper Room the "holy of holies" of Scripture. That is, if you think of Scripture as a temple, this is the sanctuary, where you come into the very presence of God himself. Through his words to his disciples, we are permitted here to enter into the thinking, the emotions, the very heart of Jesus just hours before his own death. Jesus lays bare his heart before his disciples and He seeks to impart to them the secret of his life. The disciples will soon understand that this secret explains all of the marvelous words that Jesus spoke and each one of the miraculous works He performed. And this amazing truth is ours too.
Jesus distills for his disciples – and for us - the most important truths and spiritual principles of the Christian life. He talks about the Holy Spirit - another Comforter -- a Strengthener who is on the way. Jesus tells the disciples that he will no longer be merely with them but within them. This is powerful! It is this indwelling presence that enables – in fact makes possible -- living in our predominantly troubled world. Our Jesus does not so much discuss the world as he does how to deal with the world. So the message of the Upper Room is a vital message for each of us.
As we move toward the Easter Season here at Crane Chapel, we’re going to spend some time considering this small-group meting between Jesus and his disciples in John Chapters 13 – 17. Please come these next weeks with great expectations and an eager heart as we look into this deep and insightful passage. The Upper Room really is the quintessential Small-Group/Care Ring study. By listening in, we can each uncover the secrets of living a fulfilled life with Christ!
Pastor Mark and
Esthermay Bentley-Goossen
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