Farewell Discourse

Jesus saying farewell to his eleven remaining disciples, from the Maesta by Duccio, 1308–1311

In the New Testament, chapters 14–17 of the Gospel of John are known as the Farewell Discourse given by Jesus to eleven of his disciples immediately after the conclusion of the Last Supper in Jerusalem, the night before his crucifixion.[1]

The discourse is generally seen as having distinct components.[2] First, Jesus tells the disciples that he will be going away to the Father, and that he will send the Holy Spirit to guide the disciples.[2] Jesus bestows peace on the disciples and commands them to love one another. The expression of the unity of love between Jesus and his Father, in the Spirit, as it applies to his disciples in the love of Christ, is a key theme in the discourse, manifested by several reiterations of the New Commandment: "love one another as I have loved you".[3]

The next part of the discourse contains the allegory of the True Vine which positions Jesus as the vine (the source of life for the world) and the disciples as the branches, building on the pattern of discipleship in the gospels.[4][5] The Vine again emphasizes the love among the disciples, but Jesus then warns the disciples of upcoming persecutions: "If the world hates you, remember that they hated me before you".[1] "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

In the final part of the discourse (John 17:1-26) Jesus prays for his followers. This is the longest prayer of Jesus in any of the gospels, and is known as the Farewell Prayer or the High Priestly Prayer.[6][7] The key themes of the prayer are the glorification of the Father and petitions for the unity of the disciples through love.[2] Jesus prays to the Father that his followers "may all be one as we are one" and that "the love with which you love me may be in them, and I in them".[2][6]

  1. ^ a b John by Gail R. O'Day, Susan Hylen 2006 ISBN 978-0-664-25260-1, Chapter 15: The Farewell Discourse, pp. 142–168
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference quest was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Imitating Jesus by Richard A. Burridge 2007 ISBN 0802844588 p. 301
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Talb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference long85 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Herman546 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference And482 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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