Having re-read John chapters 13-17 several times this week, there is little doubt in my mind that, next to the Cross, this is the pinnacle revelation of God in the entire Bible. These chapters describe the words and actions of Jesus in the Upper Room the night before he died. This is where Jesus took the form of a servant and washed the feet of his disciples. The Upper Room is where Jesus tells Phillip, “if you have seen me you have seen the Father”. In the Upper Room we learn that the master-servant relationship is not God’s ideal, but rather we are to be God’s friends. This is also where we learn that eternal life is not so much about how long it lasts, but rather describes the quality of the experience as a “knowing” relationship with God. And finally, it is in this conversation that Jesus tells his disciples “plainly” about the Father – without figures, parables or dark speech. These 5 chapters of John should be the foundation for every other belief about God.
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