You may subscribe yourself at the Ascension site here and receive notifications in your email, or just follow along on my blog. Bible in One Year Readings Index
Day 103: Judas' Secrecy
A chart of the unfolding events concerning the Passover supper in the four Gospels may illustrate this agreement more clearly:
| Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
| 12:1-11: Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany ..dinner with friends | |||
| 21:1-7 Jesus and disciples on the Mt. of Olives at Bethpage.. a foal is selected. | 11:1-7 Jesus and his disciples approaching Jerusalem at Bethpage and Bethany close by the Mount of Olives.. a foal is selected. | 19:28-33 Jesus and his disciples near Bethpage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives.. a foal is selected. | 12:14 Jesus mounted a foal selected for Him to ride into Jerusalem |
| 21:1-11 Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem: Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord! | 11:1-10 Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem: Hosanna! Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord! | 19:28-38 Jesus triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem: Blessed is he who is coming as King in the name of the Lord! | 12:12-19 Jesus triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem: Hosanna! Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord, the king of Israel. |
| 21:12-16 Jesus cleanses the Temple a second time. The first time is in the Gospel of John 2:13-22. | 11:11 "He entered Jerusalem and went to the Temple.." that night He returned to Bethany | 19:45-46 Jesus cleanses the Temple | |
| 21:18-21 He cursed the fig tree early in the morning. | 11:12-19 Jesus curses the fig tree and cleanses the Temple a third time. At evening he leaves the city | 19:47 He taught in the Temple every day | |
| 21:23-24:46 Jesus teaches in the Temple each day | 11:27-13:37 Jesus teaches in the Temple daily | 19:47-21:48: (20:1) He taught in the Temple every day." (21:37) "All day long he would be in the Temple teaching, but would spend the night in the open on the hill called the Mount of Olives. And from early morning the people thronged to him in the Temple to listen to him. | 12:20 (While teaching at the Temple) Among those who went up to worship [at the Temple] at the festival were some Greeks. |
| 26:1: Jesus had now finished all he wanted to day, and he told his disciples, 'It will be Passover, as you know, in two days; time, and the Son of man will be handed over to be crucified.' (Wednesday day) | 13:33-37 Jesus last discourse and warning to "stay awake".. 14:1-2: It was two days before the Passover and the feast of Unleavened bread and the chief priests...looking for a way to arrest Jesus ...and have him put to death" | 21:34-36 Jesus' last discourse and warning 22:1: The feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was now drawing near... | 12:23-36 Jesus "hour" has come; He gives his last discourse and warning (vs. 35) "The light will be with you only a little longer now" 12:37: Having said this, Jesus left them and was hidden from their sight. 13:1: Before the festival of the Passover, Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to pass... |
| 26:6-16: The anointing at Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper. (Wednesday afternoon) | 14:3: He was at Bethany in the home of Simon... (Wednesday afternoon) | ||
| 26:14-16: Judas' betrayal. (day 5-6 = becomes sixth day at sundown* /Wednesday night our time) *sundown begins the next day for the Jews | 14:10-11 Judas betrays Jesus | 22:3-6: Judas betrays Jesus, Satan entered into Judas... (Wednesday night our time) | 13:2: They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. In other words, before the time of the meal Judas had already decided to betray Jesus. |
| 26:17-19: Thursday = day #6: Preparations for the Passover supper: Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus to say, 'Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?' | 14:12-16: Thursday = day #6: Preparations for the Passover supper: On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to him, 'Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?' | 22:7-13: Thursday =day #6: Preparations for the Passover: The day of Unleavened Bread came round, on which the Passover had to be sacrificed, [..] (Jesus said) 'Go and make the preparations for us to eat the Passover.' | |
| 26:20-35: Passover meal: When evening came and he was at table with the Twelve.. | 14:17-42: Passover meal: When evening came he arrived with the Twelve. And while they were at table eating... | 22:7-13: Passover meal: When the time came he took his place at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, 'I have ardently longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer...' | 13:2-17:26: Passover Meal: They were at supper... 13:4-20: Jesus washes the Apostle's feet. John does not repeat the establishment of the Eucharist which has been so well described in the Gospels and in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 by St. Paul |
| 26:21-25: Judas treachery foretold and the dipping of the sop | 14:17-21: Judas treachery foretold | 22:21-23: | 13:21-30: Judas treachery foretold and the feeding of the sop to Judas |
| 26:26-29: Institution of the Eucharist | 14:22-25: Institution of the Eucharist | 22:19-20: Institution of the Eucharist
| |
| 26:30-35: Peter's denial foretold | 14:26-30: Peter's denial foretold | 22:31-39 Peter's denial foretold | 13:36-38 Peter's denial foretold |
| 26:30-56: Jesus and the disciples leave for the Mt. of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane (verses 30 & 36); Jesus is arrested (our Thursday night but the Jewish Friday = next day began at sundown) | 14:32-50: Jesus and the disciples leave for the Mt. of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane (verses 27 & 32); Jesus is arrested (our Thursday night but the Jewish Friday = next day at sundown) | 22:39: Jesus and the disciples leave for the Mt of Olives (verse 39); Jesus is arrested (our Thursday night but the Jewish Friday = next day began at sundown) | 18:1-11: After he had said all this, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley+ where there was a garden...; Jesus is arrested. (our Thursday night but the Jewish Friday) |
M. Hunt 2002 +the Kidron Valley separate Jerusalem on the east from the Mt. of Olives.
| (day 1 the Passover Feast # 3) | II. THE PREPARATION IN THE UPPER ROOM – Day #1 of Passover Week /the day of the sacrifice = Thursday daytime (six days after the Sabbath dinner at Bethany in John 12:1, as the ancients count) | 13:1-14:31 | ||
| U N L E A V E N | B R E A D | 15 Nisan: Upper Room (night) | ||
| A. Jesus and the ritual of washing the Apostles' feet – the Passover feast & first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread | 13:1-20 | |||
| B. Jesus announces His betrayal | 13:21-30 | |||
| C. Jesus' last instructions to His Apostles: "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life" | 13:31-14:31 | |||
| (Unleavened Bread lasts for 7 days) | ||||
Note: The Jewish day began at sundown. Therefore, the night of the Passover Feast is already Friday Nisan 15 according to the Jewish calendar and the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which lasts for 7 days.
John 13:3-11: The ordination of the Apostles
The Passover lambs and kids from each family group were sacrificed at the Temple service on the day of the 14th of Nisan [Exodus 12:6; Leviticus 23:5].
After the Temple service the body of the animal was brought home to be roasted by fire for the evening meal. The night of the Passover feast was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which began at sundown [Exodus 12:8-10, 15-20; 13:3-10; 23:15; 34:18-23; Deuteronomy 16:16; Leviticus 23:6-8]. According to the Law in Exodus 12:15-20: For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you must clean the leaven out of your houses, for anyone who eats leavened bread from the first to the seventh day must be outlawed from Israel." [...] You must keep the feast of Unleavened Bread because it was on that same day that I brought your armies out of Egypt. You will keep that day, generation after generation: this is a decree for all time. In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day, you must eat unleavened bread.
All Passover participants were expected to wash and dress in their best clothes for the meal. When the guests arrived at a house where the sacrificial meal was being celebrated, they would remove their sandals at the door and would wash the street dirt from their feet with a basin of water that was kept by the door for that purpose. They would have entered a room with a large, low U shaped table called a triclinium. Originally the covenant people ate this feast standing up (Exodus 12:11), but since to eat standing or sitting marked one as a slave, it had become the custom to eat a sacred feast Greek style, reclining on low couches as only freeborn men and women ate.
In John 13:4 Jesus removes His outer garment, wraps Himself in a linen cloth (linteum is a Latin word for linen used only here and in verse 5), and He prepares to wash the Apostle's feet. According to tradition, there were three ritual hand washings during the sacred meal of the Passover during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The ritual of washing hands and feet had been an important Jewish symbol for generations. In Genesis 18:4 Abraham washed the feet of the three "men" who visited him at his tent at Mamre. He washed their feet as act of hospitality and as a token of his esteem.
Question: What was Jesus' outer garment?
Answer: Jesus probably removed his prayer shawl with the required tassels on the four corners of the garment.
Question: What garment was Jesus wearing under the prayer shawl?
Answer: It was a seamless white linen garment...the required garment of a priest (Exodus 28:39; 39:27-29; Leviticus 6:3). Since it was woven all of one piece it was very valuable. Jesus had come to the sacred feast dressed in the robe of a priest.
Question: What was unusual about Jesus' action in washing the feet of the Apostles? Why was Peter so shocked by His actions?
Answer: In fact Jesus is taking the humble position of an inferior to a superior. The role reversal was incomprehensible to Peter who knew Jesus not just as his teacher but as his God! See Philippians 2:6-7.
But why does Jesus wash the feet of the Apostles if they already washed their feet when they first entered the building?
Question: Many Catholic scholars believe the foot washing ritual was an ordination ceremony for the Apostles. There is evidence to support this interpretation in Old Covenant purification rites. Jesus washes the feet of His Apostles in this significant ritual and later during the meal, their hands will also be ritually washed. Is there an Old Covenant ritual purification that Jesus' symbolic foot washing and the ritual hand washing of the meal may be linked to? See Exodus 30:17-21; what is the significance of this passage?
Answer: In the ritual of purification before entering the Sanctuary, Yahweh commanded that the priests ritually cleanse their hands and feet. This ritual of purification was commanded by Yahweh for the first High Priest Aaron, the brother of Moses and for Aaron sons. Whenever the priests came near the sacrificial altar to minister the sacrifice offered to Yahweh or when they entered the Holy Place (see Exodus 30:20 and Leviticus 8:6), they were commanded to wash their hands and feet, even though they were already clean.
Question: Knowing what will take place at the end of this meal, what connection might there be between the command for the priests to wash their hand and feet before offering sacrifice to Yahweh and the miracle that will take place that night when Jesus holds Himself in His hands in the first Eucharistic offering?
Answer: It is possible this action is the establishment of the Sacrament of Holy Orders and in the ordination of the New Covenant priesthood. In the foot washing ritual Jesus was not only instructing His ministers to preach the Gospel of salvation in humility, but His actions can also be seen as the anointing of the new priesthood of the New Covenant Church. His symbolic purification of the Apostles takes place before the celebration of the first Eucharistic sacrifice. For other passages on hand and foot washing see Genesis 19:2; 24:32; 43:24; Exodus 30:19-21; 40:31-32; Leviticus 8:6; 15:11; Judges 19:21; 1 Samuel 25:41; 2 Samuel 11:8; Song 5:3; Matthew 15:2; 27:24; Mark 7:3; Luke 7:38, 44; 11:38; 1 Timothy 5:10.
John 13:10-11:10Jesus said, 'No one who has had a bath needs washing, such a person is clean [katharos] all over. You too are clean [katharoi], though not all of you are.' 11He knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said, 'though not all of you are [katharoi].'
Notice the emphasis in the triple use of the Greek word katharos (katharoi in the plural), which can mean "clean" or "pure".
Question: Jesus' response to Peter's amusing comment has a double meaning. What does Jesus mean when He speaks of a bath and cleanliness? Incidentally, the same Greek word is used for both 'clean' and 'pure' (see John 15:2-3).
Answer: Peter is not only outwardly clean but inwardly "clean." Peter is clean not just because he bathed before coming to the supper, but he has also been bathed spiritually when he accepted John the Baptist's baptism of repentance, and he has yielded himself completely to the Living Word of God as is illustrated by Peter's request that Jesus bathe/purify not just his feet but also his head and hands in 13:9. Jesus will speak of purity of the spirit during His discourse after the supper in John 15:3-4a. In His talk, after speaking of "pruning" that which does not bear the fruit of obedience, He will tell the Apostles: You are clean already, by means of the word that I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I in you.
Question: What reason does Jesus give for His actions?
Answer: By example He has shown His Apostles how they are to serve Him. They must serve one another lovingly, in complete humility as He has served them in washing their feet. What a contrast to what the Old Covenant priesthood had become!
John 21-30: 21Having said this, Jesus was deeply disturbed and declared, 'In all truth [amen, amen] I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.' 22The disciples looked at each other, wondering whom he meant. 23The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next to Jesus; 24Simon Peter signed to him and said, 'Ask who it is he means,' 25so leaning back close to Jesus' chest he said, 'Who is it, Lord?' 26Jesus answered, 'It is the one to whom I give the piece of bread that I dip in the dish.' And when he had dipped the piece of bread he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27At that instant, after Judas had taken the bread, Satan entered him. Jesus then said, 'What you are going to do, do quickly.' 28None of the others at table understood why he said this. 29Since Judas had charge of the common fund, some of them thought Jesus was telling him, 'Buy what we need for the festival,' or telling him to give something to the poor. 30As soon as Judas had taken the piece of bread he went out. It was night.
Jesus was deeply disturbed.. The Greek word tarassein is used here as it was in John 11:27 and 33 before the raising of Lazarus. Judas' betrayal has been foreshadowed in John 13:2 and Jesus has also alluded to the event in verses 18-20. But now He unambiguously declares the betrayal, and the depth of Jesus' emotion in revealing that there is a traitor among those He has loved is another expression of a very human Jesus.
This is the first of 5 times that a reference will be made to "the disciple Jesus loved" who is witnessing and recording this Gospel and who is, according to tradition, John Zebedee the Apostle. He is called the "the disciple Jesus loved" or "the one whom Jesus loved" in:
- John 13:23 at the Last Supper
- John 19:26 at the crucifixion where he identifies himself as the witness to these events (19:35-36)
- John 20:2 at the empty tomb
- John 21:7 with Jesus at the Sea of Galilee
- John 21:20 when Peter asks Jesus about the destiny of this disciple.
The Last Supper (da Vinci)
John 13:31-38: 31When he had gone, Jesus said: 'Now has the Son of man been glorified, and in him God has been glorified. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will in turn glorify him in himself, and will glorify him very soon. 33Little children, I shall be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, an , as I told the Jews, where I am going, you cannot come. 34I give you a new commandment: love one another; you must love one another just as I have loved you. 35It is by your love for one another, that everyone will recognize you as my disciples.' 36Simon Peter said, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus replied, 'Now you cannot follow me where I am going, but later you shall follow me.' 37Peter said to him, 'Why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.' 38Lay down your life for me?' answered Jesus. 'In all truth I tell you, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.'
Jesus opens His last teaching to His disciples with a proclamation of the glorification of the Son of Man. John 13:31 through 17:26 is St. John's account of Jesus' Last Supper discourse. This last teaching to His disciples is divided into three parts and will climax with Jesus' High Priestly Prayer in chapter 17.
At this point we can assume that the Eucharist has been instituted. Once again St. John assumes his readers are familiar with the other Gospels and he does not repeat what is recorded in them. For us in this study it is good to review what we know from St. Matthew's account of the first celebration of the Eucharist when Jesus held Himself in His hands: Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. 'Take it and eat,' he said, 'this is my body.' Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he handed it to them saying 'Drink from this, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the New Covenant poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. From now on, I tell you, I shall never again drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father' (Matthew 26:26-29).
Notice that Jesus begins this final discourse with a reference to His favorite title for Himself, the "Son of man," (John 13:31), and He repeats the theme of the mutual glorification of the Father and the Son in the context of the arrival of His "hour" as He did in John 12:23, 28-29. St. John's interpretation of Jesus' glorification is related to, and cannot be separated from, His suffering and death as foreshadowed in the quotations from Isaiah in John 12:38 and 40: Though they had been present when he gave so many signs, they did not believe in him; this was to fulfill the words of the prophet Isaiah: "Lord, who has given credence to what they have heard from us, and who has seen in it a revelation of the Lord's arm?" Indeed, they were unable to believe because, as Isaiah says again: "He has blinded their eyes, he has hardened their heart, to prevent them from using their eyes to see, using their heart to understand, changing their ways and beling healed by me." Isaiah said this because he saw his glory, and his words referred to Jesus (John 12:37-41, quoting Isaiah 53:1 and 6:10).
Catholic Christians believe that when Jesus offered His Body and Blood to His disciples in the sacrificial meal of the Feast of Unleavened Bread in 30AD that this was the first Eucharistic event where believers literally received the Christ—Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, as He promised in John 6:44-58. Catholics believe that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered on the altar of the Cross is "made present" in the sacrifice of the Most Holy Eucharist when a legitimately ordained priest of Jesus Christ repeats the words of the Consecration. To say Christ's life and death is "made present" seems an inadequate description for the supernatural event that takes place on every Catholic altar across the face of the earth every hour of every day. In that sacred event, the offering of the Body and Blood of our Lord in the Last Supper of the 30AD Feast of Unleavened Bread, the sacrifice of Calvary and also the miracle of Transubstantiation, taking place on altars in every Catholic Church when what was merely bread and wine becomes the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Savior and Lord, converge into one event which is not bound by time but is instead perpetuated as an eternal "now." In the midst of that eternal now, our worship is united with the angels in the heavenly kingdom and with the saints who have gone on before us, and we stand with them in the presence of God in the heavenly sanctuary, joined mystically to our earthly Sanctuaries, and together we offer a sacrifice of praise to the risen, glorified Savior who becomes real "food" for our journey through this life to our eternal destiny in the heavenly Promised Land.
Christ Washing the Feet of the Apostles (Meister des Hausbuches)
A review of the action so far in the Upper Room:
| Action | Reference |
| 1. The Passover supper begins | John 13:2; Matthew 26:20; Mark 14:17-18; Luke 22:14 |
| 2. The disciples dispute about precedence and Jesus teaches about humility | Luke 22:24ff |
| 3. Instead of the three ritual hand washings, Jesus replaces one of the ritual hand washings by washing the feet of the Apostles as a lesson in humility and as a preparation for the new ministerial priesthood (priests washed their feet and hands before entering the Holy Place in the Temple) | John 13:4-10, 15-16 Exodus 30:17-21; 40:30-32 |
| 4. Jesus announces that a traitor is among them | John 13:10-11; Matthew 26:21; Mark 14:18; Luke 22:21 |
| 5. The disciples begin to ask which of them will betray Him. | John 13:22-30; Matthew 26:22; Mark 14:19; Luke 22:23 |
| 6. Jesus tells them it is the one to whom He gives the "sop" (dipped bread) and tells Judas aside to be quick | John 13:25-26; Matthew 26:25; Mark 14:20-21 |
| 7. Aside, Jesus gives the sop to Judas and reveals He knows that Judas is the traitor | John 13:26; Matthew 26:35 |
| 8. Judas goes out immediately into the night | John 13:30 |
| 9. The institution of the Most Holy Eucharist | Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20 [see John 6:51-58] |
| 10. Jesus predicts His Passion with the words: I shall never again drink wine until the kingdom of God comes.* | Matthew 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 22:17-18* |
| 11. Jesus warns Simon-Peter that he will deny Him | John 13:36-38; Matthew 26:33-35; Mark 14:29-31 |
*only St. Luke mentions two cups of wine in Luke 22:17-18 and 22:20
At the end of chapter 13 Jesus has shocked those assembled in the Upper Room by telling them that one of them will betray Him and that even brave and faithful Peter will falter. Jesus understands that the disciples are deeply disturbed by His predictions. He wants to strengthen their faith, to assure them that He is "the Way" to God the Father, and to prepare them for the "hour of darkness" that will engulf them all. Jesus gives the disciples His last great homily, His High Priestly prayer.
John 14:1-30: Jesus' Last Homily: The High Priestly Prayer
John 14:1-7: Jesus tells His disciples: 1 'Do not let your hearts be troubled [tarassein]. You trust in God, trust also in me. 2In my Father's house there are many places to live in; otherwise I would have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, 3and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you to myself, so that you may be with me where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going.' 5iThomas said, 'Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' 6Jesus said: 'I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.'
'Do not let your hearts be troubled': Once again John's Gospel uses the Greek verb tarassein. It is the same verb used to indicate Jesus' distress when confronted with Lazarus' death in John 11:33 as well as in Jesus' distress when He gave the prediction of His betrayal by one of His Apostles in John 13:21.
The words "trust in God, trust also in me" can also be translated "believe" or "have faith!" In Hebrew the word for faith comes from the root 'mn and has the concept of firmness. In the Hebrew concept then, to have faith is to participate in God's firmness.
Question: How does the Hebrew understanding of faith apply to what Jesus is telling the disciples in this passage?
Answer: He is urging them to have that same "firmness" of faith in Him that they have in God the Father.
'In my Father's house there are many places to live': The Greek word for "places to live" or "dwelling places" is mone and can refer to a night stop or resting-place for a traveler on a journey. St. Jerome in his Latin translation used the word mansio, meaning halting place. The most likely meaning Jesus is using in this passage is that in heaven there is a prepared final resting-place for the disciples and for all believers when we come to the end of our faith journey.
These words are not only addressed to those in the Upper Room but also to all faithful believers of every generation and every age.
Question: What is the "return" that Jesus speaks about?
Answer: He is speaking of His Second Advent or Parousia at the end of the world (see 1Corinthians 4:5; 11:25; 1Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1John 2:28) and His greeting of each soul after their journey of life on earth has been completed. Jesus' announcement of preparation is reminiscent of the preparation a 1st century bridegroom must make after the acceptance of the betrothal contract. While the bride remains in the home of her family, the bridegroom returns to his father's house to make the arrangements for their marriage. When the father of the groom has approved the preparations and has announced the time has come, then, and only then, can the groom go to collect the bride and bring her to the place he has prepared. In the same way Jesus will come, when the Father tells Him it is the time, to collect His Bride, the Church.
Thomas is perplexed, just as the rest of the disciples must have been perplexed. He asks for clarification by picking up the challenge of the preceding verse, and Jesus responds by telling him that He is Himself the Way to the Father. St. Augustine writes: It was necessary for him to say 'I AM the Way' to show them that they really knew what they thought they were ignorant of, because they knew him... (St. Augustine, The Gospel of John, 66.2).
This is the sixth use of "I AM" with a predicate nominative (also see 6:35; 8:12; 10:7; 10:11; 11:25). The use of I AM is a clear reference to the divine name "Yahweh". Every time Jesus uses this expression He is stating His divinity and His oneness with God the Father. Once again Jesus expresses His oneness and unity of will with the Father in the three-fold expression of His identity as "the Way, and the Truth, and the Life." In this statement Jesus has effectively summed up His entire Messianic mission as the promised Messiah, fulfilling His mission to the Covenant people as God's holy anointed Prophet, Priest, and King.
Question: How is Jesus "the Way" to the Father?
Answer: The Old Covenant prophets, priests and kings of Israel/Judah, as God's anointed representatives, were responsible for showing "the way" the people of the Covenant must follow to continue in communion with Yahweh. The Navarre Commentary lists 5 ways in which Jesus is "the Way" to the Father:
- Through His teachings: by keeping faithful to His teachings we have His assurance that we will reach heaven.
- Through faith in Him: it is Jesus' promise in John 3:15 that ...everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.
- Through His example: no one can go to the Father without living a life in imitation of Christ.
- Through His merits: Christ makes it possible for us to enter heaven through His merits in the suffering He offered for our sake on the cross.
- Through the Father: Jesus reveals to us God the Father with whom He is united in His divinity.
Question: What is the destination of "the Way"?
Answer: The destination of "the Way" is eternal life with the Father. This "life" is a gift the Father has given to the Son (5:26), and the Son alone can give it to those who believe in Him (10:28).
John 14:6b: No one can come to the Father except through me.
In this statement Jesus is clearly affirming that there is no other path linking heaven and earth. He is the only means of salvation.
Question: Is there any other way or means to salvation expect through Jesus of Nazareth?
Answer: NO! There is no other way except Jesus Christ. St. Peter will affirm this truth in his great homily before the High Priest and the Sanhedrin in Acts 4:11-12, referencing Psalms 118:22: This is the stone which you the builders, rejected but which has become the cornerstone. Only in him is there salvation; for of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved. God would never condemn those ignorant of Christ's gift of salvation to an eternity of damnation. Those who never had a chance to hear the Gospel of salvation will be saved by righteously living the natural law in obedience to the dictates of their conscience which calls all men to a life of justice and mercy (see Romans 1:16-32, 2:14-16 and CCC# 847-48). However, even those souls will be saved through the redeeming work of Christ the Savior.
Question: Why is Jesus the Truth? How are we called to the Truth?
Answer: The Old Testament states that God is the source of all truth (see Psalms 119:142; Proverbs 8:7; 2 Samuel 8:7; etc.). In Jesus the Messiah, the complete truth of God has been made manifest to man. As Disciples of Christ we promise to "live in the truth", in the sincerity and simplicity of a life that conforms to Jesus' life and to remain in His "Truth". If we say that we share in God's life while we are living in darkness, we are lying, because we are not living the truth. But if we live in light, as he is in light, we have a share in one another's life, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:6-7). Also see CCC# 2465-70
Question: Why is Jesus the Life?
Answer: Because it is only through Him that we have the promise of rebirth into the family of God through our Baptism and the gift of eternal life at the end of our journey to salvation (John 3:1-21).
John 14:7: Jesus said: "If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him." Notice the 3-part repetition of the Greek verb ginosko: "to know". "To know," yada in Hebrew, is covenant language. It is used in the Old Testament for Israel's acknowledgment of Yahweh as her sole God and King and of Israel in her covenant relationship as His Bride (see Exodus 29:46; 33:13; Deuteronomy 7:9; Jeremiah 24:7 "I will give them a heart to know me"; Jeremiah 24:7; 31:34; Hosea 13:14; Zechariah 2:9, 11; 4:9; etc.). This theme in Jesus' "Last Discourse" reflects the significant covenant atmosphere of the Last Supper and makes true knowledge of Yahweh part of the New Covenant. Jesus is insisting that they must know Him even as Old Covenant Israel knew Yahweh but from now on in the New Covenant it is Jesus who will be acknowledged by New Covenant believers as "My Lord and my God" (see John 20:28).
14:8-21: 8Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied.' Jesus said to him, 9'Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say, "Show me the Father"? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? What I say to you I do not speak of my own accord: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his works. 11You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe it on the evidence of these works. 12In all truth I tell you, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, and will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask for in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it. 15If you love me you will keep my commandments. 16I shall ask the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete to be with you for ever, 17the Spirit of truth whom the world can never accept since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him, because he is with you, he is in you [will be in you]. 18I shall not leave your orphans; I shall come to you. 19In a short time the world will no longer see me; but you will see that I live and you also will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you. 21Whoever holds to my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me; and whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I shall love him and reveal myself to him.'
Question: Why does Jesus rebuke Philip? What works has Jesus already shown that should be evidence enough for Philip to believe that He and the Father are One?
Answer: Some of Jesus' supernatural miracles include:
- Walking on the water of the Galilee (Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:19)
- Commanding the wind (Matthew 8:23-26; Mark 4:37-39; Luke 8:22-24)
- Feeding the multitude (Matthew 14:13-21; 15:32-38; Mark 6:32-44; 8:1-10; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15)
- Forgiving sins (Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20; 7:47-48)
- Curing the blind; even someone blind from birth (Matthew 9:27-30; John 9:1-7)
- Raising the dead (Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26; Mark 5:22-24, 41-43; Luke 8:40-42, 49-56; John 11:43-44)
Only God can control nature and give life. Philip is chastised for not recognizing Jesus' divine condition through these signs even though He has the nature and physical appearance of a man.
Question: What promise does Jesus make to the disciples?
Answer: He promised that before He leaves this world they will have a share in His power. They will perform miracles in His name so that God's salvation will be manifested through them and people will believe.
Question: Who is the "other" Advocate Jesus is promising to send?
Answer: God the Holy Spirit who is for the first time revealed as the Third Person of the Most Holy Trinity.
The Old Covenant people did not have the revelation of the Trinitarian nature of God. In Hebrew the word ruah [ruach] (ie, Genesis 1:2), meaning wind, breath, air, or soul/spirit expressed the "spirit" or "divine wind" of God. Although the Hebrew word ruah can denote human breath (the air humans breathe and exhale to stay alive which is a sign of life, or the absence of which indicates death), the use of this word in association with Yahweh is the very breathe which comes forth from the "mouth" of the Living God. It is His living power (see Psalms 33:6).
The word "paraclete" is an anglicized transliteration of the Greek word parakletos. This word is only found five times in Sacred Scripture and only in John's Gospel and in St. John's First Epistle (see 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7; and 1John 2:1). The word parakletos can have various meanings. It can mean advocate, intercessor, counselor, protector or supporter. The literal Greek entomology is from para ="to the side of" and kaleo = "to summon". Therefore, the word can be interpreted to mean to be called to someone's side in order to accompany, console, protect and/or defend that person.
John 14:22-31: 22Judas, not Judas Iscariot, said to him, 'Lord, what has happened, that you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?' 23Jesus replied: 'Anyone who loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him and make a home in him. 24Anyone who does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not my own: it is the word of the Father who sent me. 25I have said these things to you while still with you; 26but the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you. 27Peace I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. 28You heard me say: I am going away and shall return. If you loved me you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29I have told you this now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you may believe. 30I shall not talk to you much longer, because the prince of this world is on his way. He has no power over me, 31but the world must recognize that I love the Father and that I act just as the Father commanded. Come now, let us go.'
The Apostle Judas or Jude bar Yakov [son of James], also know by his Greek name, Thaddaeus, is mentioned in Luke's list of the twelve Apostles in Luke 6:16 (as Jude); in the list of Acts 1:13 (as Jude); and also in Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18 (as Thaddaeus). It is believed that this Apostle first preached in Samaria, then in Idumea, Libya, Syria and Mesopotamia before traveling to Edessa in Asia Minor to preach the Gospel. In the company of St. Bartholomew he founded the Church in Armenia, where he was martyred (see Mat 10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:16; Jn 14:22; Acts 1:13).
Judas asks why it is that Jesus only shows Himself to them and not to the world. It was commonly believed by the Old Covenant people that when the Messiah came he would be revealed to the nations of the world as King and Savior as in the vision of the divine "Son of man" Messiah in Daniel 7:13-14. Judas believes Jesus is the fulfillment of the Son of Man in Daniel's vision and does not understand why He will not take His place as Daniel 7:14 prophesizes as King of all Kings of all nations of the world.
Shalom, "peace" in the Hebrew and in Aramaic, was used both as a greeting and as a farewell (see Luke 10:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:16). In Hebrew this word not only means absence of conflict but also the health, wholeness, and integrity which comes from God. This word in the Greek text is repeated 3 times in verse 27.
Question: In preparing for His departure, what does Jesus give to the disciples?
Answer: Jesus is giving His blessing to the disciples: the blessing of His own personal "peace"; a supernatural "peace" that only comes from the indwelling of Christ in the soul of every believer.
The word "afraid" in verse 27 is in the Greek deiliano, meaning "cowardly fear". It is from the same root word as the adjective used by St. Matthew for how the disciples felt in the terrible storm on the Sea of Galilee in Matthew 8:26 (deilos) and it is also used by "the One sitting on the throne" in the Book of Revelation for those who deny the faith through their fear of persecution in Revelation 21:8: But the legacy for cowards (deilos), for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and the sexually immoral, and for sorcerers, worshippers of false gods or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulfur.
Question: In verse 28 Jesus says "for the Father is greater than I". If Jesus and the Father are one, how can the Father be greater than the Son?
Answer: Jesus is speaking of Himself in His humanity, in His limited capacity as a human being. As the Living Word of God Jesus, in His divinity, has glory equal to the Father (John 17:5); yet He humbled Himself on our behalf and took on our humanity.
Question: Who is the "prince of this world" Jesus refers to in verse 30?
Answer: Satan. This is John's second of three references to Satan using this title (John 12:31; 14:30; and 16:11). See the discussion of this title in the lesson on John chapter 12 verse 31.
Question: Jesus assures His disciples that Satan has no power over Him. For what specific reason does Satan not have any power over Jesus in His humanity?
Answer: Jesus is without sin. It is the sin in man that gives Satan power.
"Come, let us go"' The Passover supper has come to an end. The Synoptic Gospels record that at the end of the meal Jesus and the disciples sang hymns from the Psalms (Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26). According to the traditions of the Passover meal, the Hallel Psalms are sung during the meal (Psalms 113-118). It was Psalm 118:25-26 that the people shouted during Jesus' triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. At the end of the meal the assembled guests sing the last of the Hallel Psalms, 115-118. Jesus will not, however, take the 4th communal cup which closes the ceremony of the sacrificial meal because of the vow He took not to drink wine again until He comes into His kingdom (Luke 22:18; Matthew 26:29; and Mark 14:25). Jesus will continue His discourse (John chapters 15-17) as He and the Apostles withdraw out of the city of Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives.
John 15:1: I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Using the metaphor of the vine, Jesus emphasizes the importance of divine grace in uniting the Christian to Christ. In the Vatican II document Apostolicam actuositatem, 4 the Church instructs the faithful: Christ, sent by the Father, is the source of the church's whole apostolate. Clearly then, the fruitfulness of the apostolate of lay people depends on their living union with Christ." Jesus makes this truth clear in His statement to the Apostles: "I AM the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).
This is the seventh of the "I AM" with the predicate nominative statements:
| John 6:35 | I AM the Bread of Life |
| John 8:12 | I AM the Light of the world |
| John 10:7 | I AM the Gate for the sheep |
| John 10:11 | I AM the Good Shepherd |
| John 11:25 | I AM the Resurrection and the Life |
| John 14:6 | I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life |
| John 15:1 | I AM the True Vine |
Symbolically in Sacred Scripture seven is the number of fullness, perfection and completion. It is also the number of spiritual perfection and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus' identification of Himself with the True Vine is overflowing with symbolic Old Covenant Church imagery and New Covenant Eucharistic symbolism.
Question: What is the symbolic significance of the Vine imagery in the Old Testament?
Answer: In the Old Testament the fruitful Vine is the symbol of Israel as Yahweh's Covenant people.
"The Vine" as Israel: In the Old Testament Yahweh used the imagery of the fruitful "Vine" or the "Vineyard" and the fruitful "Fig Tree" as symbols for Israel as Yahweh's Covenant people. During His last week in Jerusalem Jesus will curse an unfruitful fig tree, symbolic of Israel, in Matthew 21:19-22 and in Mark 11:13-21, and He will tell a parable of "The Vine" recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels. In order to understand Jesus' teaching of the "True Vine" in John chapter 15, it important to understand how the disciples associated the symbolic significance of Israel as "the Vine" in the sacred Scripture of the Old Testament. All Israelites and Jews understood that to be ethnically Israelite or to become a convert to the Covenant, like Ruth the Moabitess, is to be identified one as part of "The Vine" of Yahweh that is Israel (see the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament for the story of Ruth). For Old Testament references to Israel as the "Vine" see Deuteronomy 32:32-33; Sirach 24:17; Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2-6; Jeremiah 2:21; 5:10; 6:9; 12:10; Ezekiel 15:1-8; 17:3-10; 19:10-14; Hosea 10:1; Joel 1:7; Psalms 80:8-18.
Question: What is significant about each of these Gospel parables?
Answer: In each Gospel parable, the Covenant people are identified with the vineyard that did not produce good fruit and in each parable Jesus prophesies His death.
Israel as "The Vine" in the Covenant Lawsuit: In the Old Testament when the Covenant People of Israel/Judah fell into sin and apostasy and became disobedient to the Covenant they made with Yahweh at Mt. Sinai, Yahweh sent His holy prophets to call a Covenant Law suit, in Hebrew a "riv," against the Old Covenant Church. As a result of their disobedience and violation of the covenant, the blessings of the covenant became the curses of disobedience (see Deuteronomy 28:15-46).
Question: What is the sign that one abides in Christ and Christ in him?
Answer: The believer will bear much fruit.
John's use of the word "love" seven times may be intended to draw attention to the significance of 7 as the number of fullness, completion, and/or spiritual perfection, and could point to the perfection of Christ's love for us. The previous chapter also has this repetition. In chapter 14 Jesus used the word agape to express His love seven times between verses 21 and 24 (Greek text). It is interesting that although the word "love" is used 7 times in chapter 15, two different words for "love" are used. The word agape identifies the spiritual love of God's love for man and man's love for God.
7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for whatever you please and you will get it. 8It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit and be my disciples. 9I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Fathers commandments and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete. 12This is my commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. 13No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.14You are my friends, if you do what I command you. 15I shall not longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. 16You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. 17My command to you is to love one another.
Question: In verse 7 Jesus promises to honor whatever request we make in His name. Most people stop with that statement and then complain that what they have asked in prayer has not been fulfilled, but Jesus has placed a condition on our requests. What is that condition?
Answer: We must remain in Him and keep the commandments. Jesus says He will give whatever we ask, if we abide or remain in Him. The way we remain in Him is to keep His commandments.
Question: What are Jesus' commandments?
Answer: Everything He has taught including His teaching that we must conform to God the Father's will in our lives just as Jesus is perfectly in accord with the Father's will.
Question: Therefore, when we pray, what must we take into account when we make our petitions?
Answer: Our petitions must not be contrary to the teachings of Christ and His Church, and our petitions must be obedient to the will of God for our lives. CCC#2611: The prayer of faith consists not only in saying 'Lord, Lord,' but in disposing the heart to do the will of the Father. Jesus calls his disciples to bring into their prayer this concern for cooperating with the divine plan.
John 15:16-17: You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. My command to you is to love one another.
Question: What is the significance of Jesus ordaining 12 Apostles to establish His New Covenant Church? Remember that they were selected from a larger body of disciples.
Answer: The Old Covenant Church was established through the descendants of the 12 sons of Israel who were the physical fathers of God's Covenant people. Jesus establishes the Church through 12 spiritual fathers. Later the number of 11 Apostles who remained after Judas defection will be expanded to 12 again with the election of Matthias after the Lord's Ascension in Acts 1:20-26. This election, ordered by St. Peter, establishes the practice of selecting successors of Christ's ministers in the hierarchy of the Church.
John 15:18-25: 18If the world hates you, you must realize that it hated me before it hated you. 19If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you do not belong to the world, because my choice of you has drawn you out of the world, that is why the world hates you. 20Remember the words I said to you; A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too; if they kept my word, they will keep yours as well. 21But it will be on my account [because of my name] that they will do all this to you, because they do not know the one who sent me. 22If I had not come, if I had not spoken to them, they would have been blameless; but as it is they have no excuse for their sin. 23Anyone who hates me hates my Father. 24If I had not performed such works among them as no one else has ever done, they would be blameless; but as it is, in spite of what they have seen, they hate both me and my Father. 25But all this was only to fulfill the words written in their Law: 'They hated me without reason.' 26When the Paraclete comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father, he will be my witness. And you too will be witnesses, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Question: What does Jesus mean when He refers to "the world"?
Answer: All men and women in opposition to the will of God. Satan is the prince of this world.
Christ has chosen these men to be the earthly ministers of the King of Kings but the job description is not very appealing.
Question: What does Jesus tell them that they can expect in their life of service to Him?
Answer: Rejection and persecution.
Question: What unique position as witnesses do the Apostles fill?
Answer: They will provide the eyewitness accounts of Jesus' ministry: His words and His works, to the New Covenant people and to their successors in the Magisterium of the Catholic (universal) Church. The Greek word katholikos, means "universal; in Latin it is catholicus.
CHALLENGE: “Why should dogmas like the Assumption of Mary be necessary for salvation? That makes no sense.”
DEFENSE: A belief can be related to salvation in more than one way. Some are directly related. Thus, “whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Heb. 11:6).
The belief that God exists and that he will bless those who attempt to please him are directly related to salvation. So are belief in Jesus as Savior (Acts 4:12), and the means by which we receive salvation, such as the need for repentance, faith, and baptism (Mark 1:14–15; 1 Pet. 3:21). We may refer to beliefs directly connected with salvation as soteriological beliefs, since soteriology is the branch of theology that studies salvation (Greek, sōtēria, “salvation”).
Beliefs that belong to other branches of theology are non-soteriological, in that they are not directly connected with salvation. However, this does not mean that they are irrelevant to having faith.
“Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he [God] is truth itself” (CCC 1814).
A non-Catholic may not agree with the Catholic understanding of the Church’s role in communicating God’s teachings, but he should be able to agree with the principle that having faith in God means accepting what God reveals because he is all-knowing and utterly truthful.
To put it simply: You don’t have faith in God if you refuse to believe what you know God says. This is why non-soteriological beliefs can be relevant to salvation.
Suppose a person knows for a fact that God has taught something—say, the existence of angels. This is not a soteriological belief, but it is something God has taught, and to say, “Yes, I know God teaches that angels exist; I just don’t believe it,” means one does not have faith in God.
Faith in God is ordinarily required for salvation, so to deliberately reject something you know God has revealed—whether the existence of angels, the Assumption of Mary, or anything else undermines faith itself. Non-soteriological beliefs are thus important not because they are directly connected with salvation but because God has revealed them.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
No comments:
Post a Comment