John 13:1–17:26

Read John 13:1–17:26

Helpful Background Information: 

• In today’s devo, we’re looking at the LONGEST recorded conversation that Jesus ever had in Scripture. It’s become known as the Upper Room Discourse, which really just means a conversation upstairs. In John 13-17, Jesus is hours from his death on the Cross and he’s spending the last moments of His life giving some final words of encouragement and challenge to his disciples. 

• I love the way that John begins this whole episode in John 13:1… he says “Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” 

• What would Jesus want them to remember after he was gone? These 5 chapters are chock-full of incredible truths… today we’re going to read the whole conversation in one sitting! (I know I know, that’s a lot, but sometimes it’s incredibly helpful to read larger chunks of scripture to get the big picture of what is happening).

• You could study the Upper Room Discourse for a month or more and glean new things every day… some of Jesus’ most famous words are recorded here, but for today, I want to encourage you to ponder a few general questions to reflect on as you think about the final night of Jesus’ life on earth with his disciples:

Reflection Questions: 

• What are some of the major encouragements Jesus gives to his disciples before he would depart? Why do you think he mentioned these things specifically? (i.e. future predictions, the Holy Spirit, loving one another, etc.)

• Of all the actions Jesus could have done to teach his disciples, why do you think he chose to wash their feet? What does this tell you about Jesus’ leadership? 

• John 17 records Jesus’ beautiful prayer for his disciples. What you may have missed is that this prayer is also meant for us (see v. 20). How does this prayer encourage your heart today?