In the Beginning

The Last Days of Jesus' Life

And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.—Matthew 26:37

Throughout the last week of his life on earth, the words of Jesus displayed a deep concern for his closest followers. He noted their internal strife. He saw how imperfectly they comprehended the fact of his oncoming death. Their weaknesses stood in sharp contrast to his own strength of faith and determination. He detected their lack of readiness to carry on his work and message. These were just some of the reasons he was "troubled in spirit" as his earthly pilgrimage neared its end (John 13:21).

And his disciples—how their hearts would ache when they could no longer go to him personally for solace, help, and direction. Jesus knew them intimately; they had shared so much during the previous three and a half years. Now the time of parting was close at hand and the Master had much to share with them.

Of all the apostles, perhaps none was closer than John. He often referred to himself as "that disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 21:7). It was to him that Jesus conferred the responsibility of caring for Mary (John 19:27). John seemed to understand the heart of his Master perhaps better than any of the other apostles. And it is John who records so many of the last words of Jesus. How grateful we are that these words are preserved, not so much for their historical accuracy, but because they reveal the inner heart-felt feelings of the "elder brother" of the church.

The words that were spoken softly in the upper room at the Passover season, the conversation with the troubled eleven as they walked slowly and contemplatively around the southern walls of ancient Jerusalem and then down into the dark valley below, the tender-hearted intercessory prayer which the Lord uttered before crossing the brook Kidron to lay out the feelings of his own heart before his loving Father—all of these words John, the ever-loving disciple, remembered and penned for our edification.

These are the words upon which we are seeking to dwell in this issue of The Herald.