ALIVE:Chapter 173, The Last Supper of Words

Jesus had to tell His men to love one another because it seems to be human nature for people to compare themselves to each other. How absurd, since each human being is absolutely unique in every way, biology, experience, soul. We aren’t Labrador Retrievers which are all docile, or hyper poodles. Nevertheless, that evening during their very last supper together after Judas Iscariot rushed out, the disciples started arguing among themselves as to who was the greatest. If they had seen into the future at Peter’s Basilica in Rome, there may have been fist fights, that is until an angel was sent to remind them that the holy mansion is more about the victory of Christianity overcoming the tyranny of Rome than about Peter, as special as he is. Besides, it is not the outward appearance of basilicas or homes, or treasuries that account for one’s greatness, but of likeness to God who is love. Jesus had more to say about that. A lot more.

Rather than enter their brawl, Jesus chose instead to redefine greatness. He said, “The kings of the Gentiles have lordship over them. But you should not be like them. Whoever wants to be greater, must aim for the true way which is to become like the youngest.” He continued, “The leader should be like the servant. For who is really greater,  the person who is dining or the servant?”

Thomas said in a low voice, “Obviously the person who is being served.”

Jesus hearing Thomas, thought that Thomas still had a lot to learn, and knew that he would learn, but that it wouldn’t be fast and easy, and said, “Look at Me. I am here with you as a servant.

You have been with Me all this time through many trials and temptations. I will give you a kingdom some day, as My Father will give Me a kingdom. Someday you will eat and drink at My table in My kingdom; and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. But until then My brothers, follow Me as the servant of all.”

Jesus turned to Peter who was still fretting after having been told that he would deny his Master, “Simon, Simon, don’t fret, listen to Me, Satan asked to have you that he might sift you as wheat. Remember Job? But I made supplication for you, that your faith will not fail. When your faith has turned and strengthened again, you will establish the brothers, indeed you will establish the true faith for many others.” Jesus looked into Peter’s eyes for his response.

Peter looking straight back at Jesus’ replied, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison or to death for You!”

Jesus repeated, “Peter, today you will indeed deny me three times before the cock crows. You will say that you didn’t even know me!” Peter sunk his head into his hands. He couldn’t believe that.

Jesus changed the subject, “When I sent you out without a satchel or a wallet, and or even shoes, did you lack anything?”

Several of the disciples replied aloud, “Nothing”while others either shook or nodded their heads meaning the same thing by the gesture.

Jesus added, “But now, if you have a satchel or a purse, take it; take a wallet. If you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy a sword. The scripture was written about Me and will soon be fulfilled, that says ‘And he was reckoned with transgressors.’ They will call Me a criminal and therefore you too. They see us as a dangerous gang. You will have to defend yourselves.”

Thomas quickly chimed up, “Lord, I have two swords!”

Jesus who grew increasingly serious, knowing that His men were not trained to fight with swords said, “Good, that’s enough.” Then to give them the better perspective He added. “Don’t let your heart be troubled. Don’t worry; don’t fret. Believe in God, believe also in Me. Your concerns are short sighted. We have a bright future. In My Father’s house there are many mansions. I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again to bring you to Me. I promise you that we will be together again. Where I go, you already know the way.”

Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you’re going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except by Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on, realize this: you know Him and you have seen Him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be good enough.”

Frustrated with the question, especially from Phillip, Jesus replied, “Have I been with you for such a long time, and you still don’t know Me Philip?  Whoever sees Me, has seen the Father, so how can you ask Me to show you the  Father?”

Hearing that jarred the disciples, every one of them. Was Jesus saying that He was the Father, God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth? But then how could He call Him the Father?

They were confused, so Jesus continued. “Let me explain. Do you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father lives in Me?”

John said, “Yes, Lord.” The others nodded slightly.

“What I teach you does not come from Me. Even the healings and the miracles. The Father Who abides in Me does it all. Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the very works’ sake. That explains how I can do these things.”

A host of angels saw the fog lifting slowly from most of the disciples’ minds, and fluttered their wings with joy.

Feeling strength well up in Him, Jesus continued, “I tell you the truth, whoever believes in Me. The works that I do, he will be able to do too. Remember when you healed people? How do you think that happened? Not only healing, even greater works than what you have seen Me do, those who believe in Me will be able to do too because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

Jesus scanned the men to read how they were receiving the message and was gratified. They wanted to believe, and that was enough for this day. John looked mesmerized, like he was recording in his mind every word that Jesus was saying.

Jesus reiterated the promise, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

The men looked at Jesus and at each other, some with pride, some with wonder, some in contemplation over how life will be different.

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments and I will pray to the Father, and He will give you another Counselor, that He may be with you for ever. The  Comforter is the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive; for it can’t recognize Him or know Him.  You will know Him because He abides with you, and in you. My brothers, I promise that I will not leave you desolate.”

By this time, most heads were bowed. The words were so intense, consoling, and frightening at the same time.

“Yet a little while, and the world will see Me no more; but you will know that I am near you. Because I live, you will live also.”

James wondered as he heard this statement. He wondered what life is exactly. The way Jesus was talking, it couldn’t be mere biological life.

“In that day you will know without a doubt that I am in My Father, and that you are in Me, and I in you. Whoever knows My commandments and obeys them, shows the world and My Father that he loves Me. Whoever loves Me is loved by My Father and I will love him, and will show Myself to him.

James heard that and thought that perhaps the concept of love was a clue to the meaning of life that Jesus was explaining. But Jesus kept speaking and James needed to reserve that thought and listen for more explanation.

Judas (not Iscariot) said, “How is it that You will show yourself to us, and not to everyone?”

Jesus answered Him, “It’s very personal Judas, if a man loves me, he will obey My teaching. Whoever tries to be like Me, My Father will love, and We will come to him or her, and stay with them. I want you to understand this Judas, and the rest of you, the person who doesn’t really love Me, and doesn’t do as I teach, well, My teachings are not mine, but My Father’s who sent Me. Do I need to say more? Just this, I tell you all this while I am still with you. After I am gone, the Father will send you the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He will send Him in My name. He will teach you everything and remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Listening carefully to every word, John wasn’t sure if he felt inflated by the assurance that Jesus would always be with him, in one form or another, or deflated because it would not be the same to not be able to touch Him and lean on Him at table. He loved His being, He loved the Person, and he needed to love His Spirit, the essence of Jesus even more, because that will last. It was hard for young John to see the difference. Mesmerized and soaking up every golden word. He felt chills running up his spine as he heard Jesus virtually say the He was God!

Jesus had had these last most important teachings for His disciples pent up for many weeks, waiting for the right place and time to let them spill out. In some ways, He was speaking to Himself as well, to prepare Himself for the climax of His earthly life. How He enjoyed living on earth, His friendships, His body, His Mother. He wanted to savor every last moment.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you: not as the world gives. The world gives circumstances, fleeting circumstances that offer sensations of peace. No, not as the world gives. I give you true and lasting peace that is not circumstantial. This I give you. Never allow your heart to be troubled or fearful. You heard Me say to you that I will go away and then come back to you. If you truly loved Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to My Father Who is greater than I.”

John nodded sheepishly.

“And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens you will believe that it is meant to be. There is a reason; don’t be fearful, have faith and be at peace.

I will not be able to speak with you much more, for the prince of the world is coming for Me, and he has no control over Me. What I will endure, I do out of obedience to My Father. What you will witness is proof for you and for the world of My love for the Father.  The world will know that I love the Father who gave Me the commandment to endure, and so I will.”

Then Jesus stood up and said, “Get up; come on, it’s time. Let’s go.”

Admittedly John’s mind was wandering a bit. He was trying to think of why the Jews would go so far as to kill him, and what Jesus might have done to provoke them besides healing on the Sabbath and talking back to them. Then he remembered the day He turned the tables of the money changers in the temple. Boy, that was really something! He couldn’t remember when it happened, either recently or a while ago, but everyone, the vendors, the Pharisees, the rabbis, they were all furious! He made such a mess!

“Let’s not go yet Master. Please teach us more before we go.” begged Peter who didn’t want these precious moments to be over forever.

Jesus smiled, nodded in agreement, and sat back down to keep talking, He too didn’t want these moments alone in the upper room to end. Everyone also shifted to sit more comfortably. “Let me explain this to you in a way I hope will help you to understand better. I am the vine, and My Father is the gardener. Every branch in Me that doesn't bear fruit, He prunes away, and every branch that does bear fruit, He cleans, so that it may bear more fruit.”

Bartholomew piped in, “Jesus, what fruit are You talking about, figs?”

“Good question Bartholomew. There is kindness, meekness, patience, love, faith, endurance, joy and peace, and there is also the works, generosity, helping the sick, feeding the hungry, visiting the lonely. We are here to help and love each other. If we care only about ourselves and our health or comfort, then we shrivel up because we have left God who is Love. Love requires the Other. Let Me explain. Thank you Bartholomew.”

Then Jesus looked at each man from Peter at the end across the table, and down past Andrew, Matthew and on back to Thomas who had been sitting next to Judas on His left.

He said, “Already you are clean because you have been listening to My teachings all this time. Even when I’m gone, continue to abide in Me, so I can abide in you, and together we will bare fruit. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it is connected to the vine; so too, unless you are connected to Me, you cannot bear fruit. You see, I am the vine, you are the branches: He that is connected to Me, who follows Me, who believes in Me and receives Me, and therefore I in him, that person produces fruit. Those who are away from Me, who don’t believe. Or they say they believe, and think they do, but don’t make the effort to know Me, and learn from Me; or obey My commandments, they can’t do anything.

If a man does not abide in Me, he becomes as a withered branch. We all know that withered branches are cut off, gathered, and cast into the fire to be burned. Do you want to become ashes or do you want to live and grow forever?”

He paused to let His words sink in.

“If you devote yourself to abiding in Me, and My teachings reside in your mind and are refreshed daily, then you may ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. Because of this, by your faith My Father is glorified. He is glorified because He made men in His image and likeness, Who is love and power, and when you are a healthy branch that produces fruit, you demonstrate that His creation was successful. That glorifies Him as the Creator! And it makes you My good students. I am teaching you how to glorify God with your life, not just your words or because of tradition. Every generation, every person, must make the commitment, the effort to live the glorified life.

I love you, just as the Father loves Me. He loves Me because He sees that I keep His commandments, even to keep the Sabbath sacred.” Chuckling at that He added, “Let me expand on this; the first and greatest of the Commandments is to love the Lord our God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. He wants us to love Him, so that we might have an abundant life.

Hearing the irony of keeping the Sabbath holy, the facial expressions of triumph took various forms. The disciples knew what a holy, mystical, sacred, and approved act it was for Jesus to have healed on the Sabbath. He did that also to provoke His enemies as the means to distinguish Himself from the hypocrites.

“I tell you these things men so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. My greatest commandment is that you love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than that a man lay down his life for his friends.  You are My friends if you do the things which I command you.”

Then Jesus stood up from the table again to deliver His final words, and to stretch His legs. John looked up and stood too.  One by one each disciple also stood up.

“No longer do I call you My servants, although I appreciate all the work and sacrifice you have done for Me these years: crowd control, setting up and tearing down camp, seeing that we were fed, even going out and healing people. You men have been My good servants. But you are no longer to be called My servants. The servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from My Father I wanted you to know. You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should last so that whatever you will ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you. What I command in return is that you simply love one another. No arguments, no criticisms, or rivalry. Just simple love, which will require that you be humble. Okay? Can you do that? For Me?”

A cacophony of “Yes Lord” and bobbling heads replied.

Jesus was offering His disciples a feast of teachings, of words that would guide them for the rest of their lives. But instead of ending with the sweetness of dessert, He closed with the bitterness of reality, to prepare Himself and them for the crucible that would strengthen rather than destroy them. Still standing, surrounded by His band of brothers Jesus said, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you because they don’t know My Father. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin. Knowledge is a sharp two edged sword, it both destroys and protects. Now they have no excuse for their sin. He that hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else has done, they would not have sinned, but they did see and hated both Me and My Father.

God foresaw this and described these days through the prophet who said, “They hated Me without a cause.” But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, which will proceed from the Father, He will bear witness of Me, and so will you because you have been with Me from the beginning.

I am telling you all this, I’m warning you that you will have cause to stumble. They will evict you from the synagogues. Whosoever kills you will think that he offers service to  God. They will kill you because they have not known the Father, nor Me. Remember these words when your hour and My hour comes. Remember that I knew what will happen. These things I did from the beginning because I was with you. But now I go to the Father that sent Me. I know how sad you are and will be. To tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away; if I don’t go away, the Comforter will not come to you; if I go, I will send Him to you. When He comes He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they didn’t believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world has ultimately been judged.

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you. He will not speak from Himself; but rather from whatever He hears from the Father. He will tell you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me.

Everything that the Father has is also Mine. That is how I say that He, the Spirit, will take of what is Mine and pass it on to you. In little while, you won’t see Me, but a little while after that, you will see Me again.”

Jesus stopped talking to glance over at Judas, Bartholomew, and Phillip who were chatting to each other. He heard Bartholomew say, “What is He talking about? We won’t see Him, then we will? And this thing about going to the Father?”

Judas agreed, “Yeah, what is He saying?”

Phillip added, “Yeah, I don’t understand that either.” and shrugged his shoulders.

Jesus said, “You don’t understand what I’m saying? Soon you will weep and the world will rejoice. You will be sad, but your sorrow will turn into joy. It will be like when a woman is in labor to deliver a child, and she is screaming and wailing from the pain,”

Peter remembered too well, when his wife was delivering their children how loud she screamed.

“but as soon as the baby is born, she forgets all that anguish for the joy that her baby is born into the world.

I’m telling you this now, to assure you that as miserable as you will be when I’m gone, you will rejoice even more when I reappear. Then your hearts will rejoice, and no one can take that joy away from you.” He was gratified that His men could tap into this sense of hope and expectation in their suffering. “When that happens, you won’t need to ask Me any more questions. Instead, you will be able to ask the Father for anything in My name and He will give it to you. Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. But go ahead, ask and you will receive, that your joy will be fulfilled.”

Then Jesus looked up as if looking through the ceiling into heaven and said, “Father, I know, it’s time. I’m ready for you to glorify Me so that I may glorify You. Even as You gave Me authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You gave Me. This is eternal life, that they should know You, the only true God, and Me whom you sent to earth. I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You gave Me  to do. Now Father, glorify Me with the glory which I had with You before the world was made.”

Hearing that, the men, especially John, grew wide-eyed realizing that if He was God, surely He was present in the creation of the world!

Jesus continued speaking to His Father, “I manifested You to these men whom You gave Me out of the world. They were Yours and You gave them to Me; and they have kept Your word. Now they know that everything You gave Me is from You. I have told them what You said to Me, and they believed Me, and that I came from You. I pray for them,  not for the world, but for those whom You have given Me. I am coming back to You Holy Father. I pray that they may be one, even as We are.

I kept them and guarded them. Not one of them perished, except the son of perdition that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they may be filled with My joy. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I don’t ask You to take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the word of Your truth. Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory, which You gave Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

Then Jesus looked around at His disciples and shook His head as if waking up and said, “Okay let’s tidy up and get out of here. It’s late.”