Final Meal
At the Passover meal in the upper room, Jesus washes His disciples' feet, faces betrayal, and gives a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you.
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The vision of Ozark Christian College is to glorify God by evangelizing the lost and edifying Christians worldwide. The mission of Ozark Christian College is to train men and women for Christian service as a degree-granting institution of biblical higher education.
Classroom Instructions
Lesson
Review & Preview
Suffering & Glory (John 12-21) – The Coming King, 12 – The Suffering Servant, 13
Passover & Washing Feet (John 13)
Passover (& the Feast of Unleavened Bread) ● Passover was an eight-day pilgrimage festival which also included up to a week of preparation. The city would have been crowded! ● The Passover meal was an “experienced” retelling of the Exodus story (later the liturgy of this meal would be formalized in the Haggadah). ● John doesn’t retell the story of the actual meal, but leaves those details to the synoptic accounts. He alluded to it in John 6—“I am the bread of life…”
The Upper Room ● Peter & John are sent to procure a prearranged Airbnb for the feast (notice how Jesus often sends them in pairs). They meet a man carrying a jar of water, which is out of place in that context (protective anonymity in Mark?). ● Question: Is this upper room the same one belonging to the family of John Mark? (See Acts 1:13; 12:12).
The Example ● Jesus gets up from the table and takes on the form of a servant (Phil 2:1-11). Does this narrative intentionally mirror Jesus’ incarnation? Notice how Jesus steps down from the head of the table, humbles himself, then resumes his place (Jn 13:12). ● The example of love: “He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1). Service and sacrifice exhibit the love of Jesus. ● Question: “Do you understand what I have done for you?” (Jn 13:12). Later Jesus will say, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).
The Betrayal ● David, too, knew betrayal (OT echoes from Psalm 41:9). ● The intimacy of the evening banquet only deepens the sense of betrayal. ● Seats at the table (Judas, John, & Peter) as the conversation unfolds. ● Question: What motivated Judas? ● Darkness/Night in John is a powerful theme that shrouds this moment in darkness (Jn 13:30). ● Satan is involved in this by “putting this into Judas’ heart” (Jn 13:2, 27). Is this possession, persuasion, or something else? Compare this to the heart of Pharaoh in the Exodus story (see 2 Tim 2:26).
The Son of Man is Glorified ● The betrayal will backfire, and Jesus will be exalted by through the humiliation of the cross. To be “lifted up” has been a consistent theme in John, hinting at both the cross and the exaltation of Jesus. Notice that Jesus’ path to true greatness is through service and sacrifice.
The New Commandment ● What about Lev 19:18? The term for “new” here is that which is renewed or recreated. Jesus incarnates this renewed commandment as an example of God’s original intent (1 Jn 3:16-17). ● Question: How do you recognize an authentic disciple of Jesus? (Jn 13:35).
The Denial (Prediction) ● Peter states that he will follow Jesus to the point of sacrifice, but when the time comes, he distances himself from Jesus three times (Jn 13:37; 18:15-27).
Final Meal Instructions
Lesson
Review & Preview
Suffering & Glory (John 12-21) – The Coming King, 12 – The Suffering Servant, 13
Passover & Washing Feet (John 13)
Passover (& the Feast of Unleavened Bread) ● Passover was an eight-day pilgrimage festival which also included up to a week of preparation. The city would have been crowded! ● The Passover meal was an “experienced” retelling of the Exodus story (later the liturgy of this meal would be formalized in the Haggadah). ● John doesn’t retell the story of the actual meal, but leaves those details to the synoptic accounts. He alluded to it in John 6—“I am the bread of life…”
The Upper Room ● Peter & John are sent to procure a prearranged Airbnb for the feast (notice how Jesus often sends them in pairs). They meet a man carrying a jar of water, which is out of place in that context (protective anonymity in Mark?). ● Question: Is this upper room the same one belonging to the family of John Mark? (See Acts 1:13; 12:12).
The Example ● Jesus gets up from the table and takes on the form of a servant (Phil 2:1-11). Does this narrative intentionally mirror Jesus’ incarnation? Notice how Jesus steps down from the head of the table, humbles himself, then resumes his place (Jn 13:12). ● The example of love: “He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1). Service and sacrifice exhibit the love of Jesus. ● Question: “Do you understand what I have done for you?” (Jn 13:12). Later Jesus will say, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).
The Betrayal ● David, too, knew betrayal (OT echoes from Psalm 41:9). ● The intimacy of the evening banquet only deepens the sense of betrayal. ● Seats at the table (Judas, John, & Peter) as the conversation unfolds. ● Question: What motivated Judas? ● Darkness/Night in John is a powerful theme that shrouds this moment in darkness (Jn 13:30). ● Satan is involved in this by “putting this into Judas’ heart” (Jn 13:2, 27). Is this possession, persuasion, or something else? Compare this to the heart of Pharaoh in the Exodus story (see 2 Tim 2:26).
The Son of Man is Glorified ● The betrayal will backfire, and Jesus will be exalted by through the humiliation of the cross. To be “lifted up” has been a consistent theme in John, hinting at both the cross and the exaltation of Jesus. Notice that Jesus’ path to true greatness is through service and sacrifice.
The New Commandment ● What about Lev 19:18? The term for “new” here is that which is renewed or recreated. Jesus incarnates this renewed commandment as an example of God’s original intent (1 Jn 3:16-17). ● Question: How do you recognize an authentic disciple of Jesus? (Jn 13:35).
The Denial (Prediction) ● Peter states that he will follow Jesus to the point of sacrifice, but when the time comes, he distances himself from Jesus three times (Jn 13:37; 18:15-27).