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

Written by Jason Montoya. Posted in Christian Faith.

The Farewell Discourse — From The Garden To The Cross

Welcome to another special edition of the Share Life podcast. We're in an ongoing podcast series, as part of the discovery process for my next book project, From The Garden to the Cross: How Jesus' Harrowing Mission Shows Us The Way.

In this discussion, we're rewinding and reflecting on the Farewell Discourse, which is the final conversation Jesus had with his disciples immediately before his harrowing passion began.

In this conversation series, we've discussed Jesus' agonizing prayer in the garden, his middle of the night arrest, Judas' betrayal, a night of scheming to kill Jesus, the three denials by Peter, the death of Judas, Pilot asking Jesus about Truth, Herod directing Jesus to entertain him, Pilate washing his hands of responsibility, Simon carrying Jesus' cross, Jesus forgiving his perpetrators, and Jesus' final finishing moments on the cross.

Now, we're rewinding in time, to the moments right before we enter the Garden of Gethsemane to see and reflect on what Jesus said before his suffering journey began and his disciples quickly dispersed. Through the Last Supper and the Farewell Discourse, the disciples drank a firehouse of information from Jesus having very little time to process it before all hell broke loose. We read and discuss key passages from each section of the Farewell Discourse (from John 14-16) that encapsulate what's communicated.

Discussion Highlights

Some topics of the discussion included:

  • The clarity, specificity, and sharpness that comes from Jesus' teachings.
  • What it means to live a life on a firm foundation.
  • The tension between Jesus' message of suffering and peace.
  • "This presence is meant to make a difference in the way we process life. There is trouble coming your way and this being of God in the flesh, Jesus, is supposed to make a difference in your life qualitatively." - John
  • The difference between being educated and responding to what God speaks to us.
  • The uniqueness of Christianity as a way of life and understanding of God (as well as the role of the persons of the trinity).
  • How Christians after Jesus' life on earth are better off than those who walked alongside him (or prior to).
  • The meaning and importance of the Holy Spirit advocating for us and the contrast to a physical presence of God (via Jesus or as He is in the old testament).
  • The hiddenness of God.
  • The Holy Spirit of Truth and his role (versus ours). Being guided into Truth and how humans want knowledge, but often in the wrong way.
  • The example of submission, found in the trinity of God.
  • The importance of teaching to invite the spirit of God to indwell us, and the event's connection with the baptism.
  • What's happening at a spiritual level and also transcends what's happening in the material world we experience (and the connection between the two). 
  • Thoughts about "out of sight, out of mind".
  • "That is what faith is, the last step, that you have to believe in the unseen." - Jeff
  • The difference between being the hero, hoarding the glory, and allowing God to be the hero, and directing the glory his way. How Jesus is eager to share his glory with the church.
  • When the Bible refers to the world, what does it mean?
  • How to respond when our faith is shaken and why Jesus' warning is there to help us hold strong. How often "religion" is what drives us away from God.
  • The danger of do-it-yourself righteousness.
  • The pervasiveness of the prosperity gospel and how it corrupts the church. How rare we're calling people to face suffering, to take on the difficulty for the greater good and God's glory.
  • How our problematic tendency is often to gravitate to the tangible and black and white.
  • Joy's power to erase the pain and suffering of the past.
  • "When the troubles of this life are over, they'll seem like a small thing." - Rachel
  • Christians are not the only ones who face trouble. All humanity does. Christians have a privilege (and joy) in that suffering, to participate in Jesus' suffering.

Fellow Conversation Participants

In this episode, I'm joined by Rachel, John, & Jeff.

I'm grateful for their participation in this episode and for helping to make the book better.

Listen to the Discussion

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You can also find this discussion on Stitcher, Itunes, and wherever you listen to podcasts under the name, Share Life: Systems and Stories to Live Better & Work Smarter or Jason Scott Montoya.

Watch The Conversation

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Key Excerpts From The Farewell Discourse For Reference & Study — An Excerpt From The Book

Jesus, the Way To The Father

John 14:1, 6-7, 12

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me..."

 "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is..."

"I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father...”

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you..."

"When the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you... "

"I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid...”

John 16: 8, 13-14

“When the Spirit of truth comes... he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment... he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.”

Jesus, the True Vine

John 15:1-4, 8, 12-14

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me…"

"When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father..."

"This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you...”

The World’s Hatred

John 15:18-20, 16:1-3

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world... Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. Anyone who hates me also hates my Father..."

"I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. The time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. This is because they have never known the Father or me.”

Sadness To Joy

John 16:20-23, 33

“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world. So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy. At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything... 

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

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

From The Garden To The Cross, Podcast - From The Garden To The Cross

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