This upper room section of John’s gospel (chapters 13-17) has been called this gospel’s ″Holy of Holies″. It is an intimate night in which Jesus prepares the disciples for the terrible events of His trial and death; and then His resurrection and ascension, when He returns to the Father.
In today’s reading, Jesus responds to three questions and a request. In verse 33, Jesus announces that His departure is soon and that where He is going the disciples cannot come. Peter then asks the first two questions: ″Where are you going?″ and ″Why can’t I follow you now?″ (vv. 36-37).
John has already established the fact that Jesus has perfect knowledge, even of things that haven’t yet happened. In this last night with His disciples, before His trial and death, He draws on this knowledge to tell them about what is about to happen, so that when it does, their faith will be strengthened (see John 13:19; 16:4; 16:29-33).
This new section, called ″The Upper Room Discourse″, records the words of Jesus to His disciples immediately prior to His death. It begins with what many scholars consider an ″acted parable″ (John 13:1-17) and ends with Jesus’ prayer for His people (17:1-26).
Jesus’ public ministry now draws to a close. In John’s introduction (John 1:10-11), he tells us that Jesus came to His own people and they neither recognized nor received Him, but that there will be some who would receive and believe in Him (v. 12).
You will never understand life without understanding God; you will never understand God without understanding Jesus. You will never understand Jesus without understanding His death; you will never understand His death without understanding the cross. And understanding the cross is the key to understanding life (v. 24).
This is the transitional chapter in John, which takes us from Jesus’ public ministry-the signs-to Jesus’ private time with His disciples before His death and resurrection.
Just as Nicodemus (John 3:4) and the woman (4:11) misunderstood Jesus, so now His disciples take Him literally when He is speaking figuratively (11:12).
This is the climactic seventh sign of John’s gospel, in which God the Father and God the Son will be glorified (v. 4), so that they may be revealed for who they are. This is one of only three resurrection miracles performed by Jesus recorded in the Gospels (see Mark 5:41-42;Luke 7:11-17). It foreshadows the resurrection of Jesus himself.