PART 1 - KNOWING  

DAY 1 - AN OVERVIEW 

Would you consider the last words of a dying man important? You might say it depends on who and for whom. Right! The last words of my father mean a lot to me but not that of a stranger. The connection gives weight and meaning to words. Those words can affect the rest of our lives. For example, if it is the last will bequeathing everything to a long lost relative or you for that matter.  So we first need to recognize who Jesus is. Who is Jesus to you? and more importantly, Do His words matter? then would we pay attention to what He is emphasizing. 

As I was reading John 15, I realized there are red-letter words preceding John 15. It means this is a continuation of a talk Jesus was having with His disciples. 

Where did it begin? I traced it back to John 13, which is another pivotal chapter: the great chapter on servanthood and it ends in chapter 17 with what we call Jesus’ great “High Priestly Prayer”. Soon after that, he goes to the garden of Gethsemane and is arrested there. Therefore, the last words of Jesus to his disciples start in chapter 13 and end with chapter 17. These must be very, very important things that he is talking about.

Chapter 13 is also a very important chapter because it is the Passover meal Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion; commonly referred to as the “Last Supper”. He talks to them about serving each other, Judas’s betrayal, and Peter’s denial. This is heavy stuff.

He goes on in Chapter 14 to comfort them with the future hope of being with him forever. Once again Jesus is telling them that HE is the only way to the Father. He is now speaking more clearly about Himself. He also talks about giving them the promise of the Holy Spirit

We then come to Chapter 15 where he transitions from talking about the intimate union between the Father and him to the intimate union between Jesus and us. 

When we are in close union with Jesus, we are in close union with the Father (because the Father is in Jesus, and Jesus in the Father -John 14:10). This is just amazing stuff!  In Chapter 16, He explains more about the working of the Holy Spirit and what they can expect to happen after his death, resurrection, and ascension.