Breaking Down Jesus’s Farewell Discourse

Jesus’s Farewell Discourse (John 13–17)

The nineteenth century Anglican bishop J. C. Ryle once approvingly quoted an old divine who said, writing of Jesus’s upper room discourse (John 13–16) followed by his high priestly prayer (John 17), that “the best and fullest sermon ever preached was followed by the best of prayers.” That’s high praise, and many others have agreed. For 2,000 years, Jesus’s words to his followers and to his Father have strengthened and encouraged Christians. It’s worth looking more closely at this great sermon—one of the most famous and unforgettable sermons Jesus ever preached. Each of the discourses of Jesus recorded in the New Testament Gospels is powerful and precious. But there’s none quite like this one. Four stand-out features of Jesus’s farewell discourse make it distinct from all the others.

Its place in John’s Gospel

Many readers of John’s Gospel have recognized that, in addition to a prologue (John 1:1–18) and an epilogue (John 21), there are two main sections in the fourth Gospel: Jesus’s public ministry of signs in John 1:19–12:50 (the Book of Signs) and the manifestation of Jesus’s glory culminating at the cross in John 13:1–20:31 (the Book of Glory). The hinge of the entire Gospel of John, therefore, is Jesus’s farewell discourse and prayer. It transitions from public activity to private preparation of the disciples, from a ministry of signs to a ministry of dying. This pivotal section is important for all hearers and readers as they experience John’s Gospel. The action in John 1–12 has been intense, and it will pick up again in John 18–21, as Jesus is put on trial and crucified before rising from the dead. In between all that action, John 13–17 hits “pause.” It’s mostly Jesus’s words. Those words allow both Jesus’s first hearers (the disciples) and later readers (us) to assess what has happened to this point and to prepare for the events soon to follow—both Jesus’s imminent death/departure and their own subsequent mission to the world.

Jesus' Farewell Discourse

Stephen Witmer

Over the course of 12 weeks, readers will study John 13–17—the Gospel passages recounting the night before Jesus’ crucifixion—to understand how he taught, prayed, and lovingly reassured his disciples before his departure.

Its Place in Jesus’s Ministry

In addition to being pivotal in its literary context, John 13–17 is pivotal in the historical context of Jesus’s ministry. Tragically, despite the numerous and powerful signs performed by Jesus during his public ministry to the Jewish people (John 1:18–2:50), “they still did not believe in him” (John 12:37). For that reason, “[Jesus] departed and hid himself from them” (John 12:36). This dramatic withdrawal is why Jesus’s farewell discourse is delivered to the small group of his closest followers, referred to as “his own” in John 13:1. The public ministry gives way to a private one. The reference in John 13:1 to Jesus’s disciples as “his own” is highly significant. The beginning of John’s Gospel says that Jesus “came to his own, and his own people did not receive him” (John 1:11). There, “his own” clearly refers to the Jewish people, the focus of his ministry in John 1–12. The phrase is repurposed in John 13:1, now referring not to an ethnic people but to Jesus’s disciples, those who belong to him through faith. They’re the focus of his ministry in the second half of John’s Gospel. Jesus creates for himself a messianic community, a new people, a new family among both Jews and Gentiles (cf. John 1:12–13; 20:17).

Its Place in Jesus’s Life

Scholars debate the timing of Jesus’s sermon and prayer in John 13–17. Some think they occur on the Wednesday night before Good Friday—that is, the night before the Passover meal. But the arguments for this view are ultimately unconvincing. More persuasive is the case that John 13–17 aligns with the Synoptic Gospels’ accounts of Jesus’s last supper on the Thursday night before Good Friday. And if that’s the case, it demonstrates the uniquely pivotal place of Jesus’s sermon and prayer not just in his ministry, but in his life. These chapters aren’t called “the farewell discourse” for nothing. He’ll die the next day. This sermon is the fullest final expression of his (pre-crucifixion and resurrection) life. As such, we can expect to learn from it what Jesus cares most deeply about. When read in this crucial context, it’s stunning to see how concerned Jesus is for his followers rather than for himself. He’s focused on them and on those who will come after them (including us, cf. John 17:20). It’s also striking to compare Jesus’s farewell discourse to other examples of the genre. Like other farewell discourses in Jewish literature (e.g. Jacob in Genesis 49, Moses in Deuteronomy 31–33, Joshua in Joshua 23–24), Jesus predicts his death, highlights future challenges for his followers, encourages them to moral behavior, and blesses them. But Jesus’s farewell is different, because it’s only temporary. He’ll soon rise and return to his disciples. There’s resurrection light at the end of this very dark tunnel.

Its Expression of Jesus’s Love

Perhaps the most important phrase in John 13–17 is found in the very first verse. John 13:1 says that Jesus “loved [his own] to the end.” That can mean two things—either he loved his disciples “until the end of his life” or he loved his disciples “to the uttermost.” He loved them “as long as he could” or “as much as he could.” In fact, it probably means both. Jesus’s sermon and prayer in John 13–17 is most fully understood when it’s read as an expression of the full and final love of Jesus for his followers. Jesus knows the full magnitude of suffering about to fall upon him, and yet rather than seeking the support of his disciples, he cares for them by warning, preparing, exhorting, encouraging, and praying for them. This great sermon, therefore, does more than point toward Jesus’s climactic act of love for his people at the cross (cf. John 15:13). The sermon itself (as well as the John 17 prayer that immediately follows) is a breathtaking expression of his love.

Here’s a sermon like no other. It’s the hinge of John’s Gospel and the pivot point of Jesus’s ministry. It’s spoken on the last night of Jesus’s earthly life. And it’s the final, fullest verbal expression of his love for all who follow him. This is a sermon worthy of lifelong study. Through it, we encounter the very heart of the Lord who spoke it.

Stephen Witmer is the author of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse: A 12-Week Study.

Stephen Witmer (PhD, University of Cambridge) is the lead pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Pepperell, Massachusetts, a council member of the Gospel Coalition, and the cofounder of Small Town Summits. He writes for Desiring God and is the author of Eternity Changes Everything; A Big Gospel in Small Places; and The Preacher’s Greek Companion to Hebrews. He and his wife, Emma, have three children.

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