The section of the Gospel of Luke found from verse 9:51 all the way to 19:57 are the events of Jesus' ministry that are on the way back to Jerusalem where Jesus would be killed on the cross. On top of that, the section in John 13 through 17 is all about Jesus last meal with the Disciples before his crucifixion.
What a journey, what a life. It is in these last weeks of Jesus earthly ministry I think that we can find deeper meaning in every word, in every action. Jesus is a man. Yes he is God as well, but that does not change the fact that he is a man.
Two thousand years ago, he knew he was walking towards his death. He KNEW that if he would go to Jerusalem he would be killed. He knew it. Yet every day, each step bringing him closer and closer to death, Jesus taught, healed, and performed miracles.
Finally, he reaches Jerusalem, and he celebrates the Passover with his Disciples in the upper room. There he gives some of the most crucial teachings in his entire ministry. Jesus pours his heart out to the disciples about his relationship to the Father, and how the disciples are to be in relationship--to each other, to the Father, the Spirit, and himself.
Again and again Jesus echoes his central message of love and relationship. On the eve of his betrayal he hones in on the central and foundational issues that he wants the disciples to remember and know, and 2000 years later, we can read these words, and take them to heart.
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