THE LAST WALK TOGETHER - John Chapters 14-17

Leading up to their Last Walk Together, Jesus knew that it was time for His ministry on Earth to end. This short 1/2 mile walk from Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane holds many powerful messages and the longest prayer Jesus ever prayed. During this walk, Jesus repeatedly talked about the importance of love, and His promise of the coming of the Comforter--the Spirit of truth.

The following is a dramatic example of this short walk with His disciples. Be sure to see the PowerPoint slides from last Sunday's blog post. I mapped the walk.

“Arise, let us go hence.” John 14:31b

On a bright moonlit night in the spring of 33 A.D., Jesus and eleven of his apostles took a somber walk together around the ancient city of Jerusalem. They had just finished a momentous meal together and were heading for a small garden in the Kidron Valley. Only Judas of Iscariot was missing from the small body who had become so welded together by their experiences of the past three and a half years.

The walk took them from the Upper Room through the Essene Gate on the south side of Jerusalem. The Essene Gate was the only gate open at night. After exiting the city, they walked east in the Hinnom Valley, along the outside of the city walls, then turned north. The terrain was rugged and hilly, but there was a well-beaten path visible in the moonlight.

Coming upon the Hulda Gates, Jesus noticed the carvings of vines and branches in the stones above the gate. He use the artwork as a teaching point. He taught the disciples the importance of the vine as it relates to the branches. (John 15:1-11) 

The group continued to parallel the Kidron Valley as they traveled north along the east wall of the city. They passed the Pinnacle of the Temple where Jesus was reminded of His 3rd temptation by Satan. (Luke 4:9-13)

It was a troubled walk. During the past few months, Jesus had made several cryptic remarks about His imminent death. At the meal they had just finished together, he became more specific. They were finding it hard to accept the fact that He would be so soon taken from them. As they walked, some of the disciples talked among themselves, asking, "What does He mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what He is saying." John 16"17-18.

It was an especially somber walk for Jesus. He alone recognized that this would be His last opportunity to prepare the little band for the tasks that lie ahead. He recognized their human frailties and their petty jealousies. How they would need the new commandment He left with them, “as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” (John 13:34)

It was a walk down memory lane. The route was a familiar one. A goodly part of their ministry had been in Jerusalem and its environs. They had trekked these paths many times in the past, but never before with the intensity of this last walk together.

It was a symbolic walk. Many of the sites they passed held a meaning for them far beyond what the natural eye could detect. They had become symbols of the new ministry which they had shared with their Lord and which they would soon embark upon in an expanded sense.

Just prior to coming to the Golden Gate (gate leading into the Temple), Jesus paused, glanced up at the moonlit, western slope, and recalled descending from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem atop a donkey. Only a few days before his arrival to Jerusalem, He had raised Lazarus from the dead. Word traveled fast of His miracle. Multitudes had gathered to welcome Him. They took palm branches and cried, "Hosanna, blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord." (John 12)

He lifted his eyes to heaven and prayed, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee."

The disciples watched as He continued to pray for Himself. Then He prayed for them and for all believers. His prayer was filled with love and the promise of the coming of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. (John 17)

"When Jesus finished praying, He left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and He and His disciples went into it." (John 18:1 NIV)