Come Be My Follower - Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site

C H A P T E R 1 6
“Jesus...LovedThem
to the End”
AS HE gathers his apostles in an upper room of a house in
Jerusalem, Jesus knows that this is his last evening with
them. The time is near for him to return to his Father. In
a matter of hours, Jesus will be arrested and his faith tested
as never before. Yet, not even his impending death can
distract him from the needs of the apostles.
2 Jesus has prepared the apostles for his departure, but
he still has more to say to strengthen them for what lies
ahead. So he spends these last precious moments teaching
them vital lessons that will help them to remain faithful.
His words are among the warmest and most intimate
that he has ever shared with them. Why, though, is Jesus
more concerned about his apostles than about himself?
Why are these final hours with them so dear to him? The
answer is, in a word, love. His love for them is profound.
3 Decades later when introducing his inspired account of
the events of that evening, the apostle John wrote: “Because
he knew before the festival of the passover that his
hour had come for him to move out of this world to the
Father, Jesus, having loved his own that were in the world,
loved them to the end.” (John 13:1) Jesus did not wait until
that night to demonstrate love to “his own.” Throughout
his ministry, in ways large and small, he gave proof of
his love for his disciples. We do well to examine some of
1, 2. How does Jesus spend his last evening with his apostles, and why
are these final moments precious to him?
3. How do we know that Jesus did not wait until his final evening to
show love to his followers?