📖 Biblical Definition
Jesus' extended upper-room teaching the night before His crucifixion, covering John 13-17 — the longest single block of Christ's teaching preserved in the Gospels. The discourse unfolds in four sections. (1) John 13: the foot-washing — servant-leadership made tangible — and the new commandment to love one another as Christ has loved His disciples. (2) Chapters 14-16: preparation for Christ's departure — the promise of the Father's house, the way and the truth and the life, the True Vine and the abiding disciples, the promise of the Spirit as Comforter and Spirit of Truth, the warning that the world will hate the disciples as it hated Him. (3) Chapter 17: the high-priestly prayer — Christ praying first for Himself, then for His disciples, then for all who would believe through their word. Together the farewell discourse is Christ's last extended preparation of the eleven for ministry without His visible presence — the manual for the church-age the apostles would inaugurate at Pentecost.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Jesus' upper-room teaching of John 13-17.
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The extended teaching by Jesus in the upper room on the night of His arrest, recorded in John 13-17: foot-washing, new commandment, declaration of the way-truth-life, promise of another Comforter, the True Vine teaching, and the high-priestly prayer.
📖 Key Scripture
John 14:6 — "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
John 14:26 — "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things."
John 17:3 — "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Mined for individual sermon-verses, missing the unified flow as Jesus' last instruction to His disciples.
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John 13-17 is one block. Read straight through, it is the Lord preparing His own for life without His physical presence — promising another Comforter, teaching union as a Vine, praying them safe to the Father. Read it as one breath.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek logos apochōristikos — parting word.
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['Greek', 'G3056', 'logos', 'word, discourse']
['Greek', 'G657', 'apotassō', 'to take leave of']
Usage
"Read John 13-17 as one continuous discourse."
"It is Jesus preparing His own for absence."