Christian Living

The Upper Room

by paul hoffmaster
12/08/25
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In the Upper Room, Jesus would eat the Passover meal with His Disciples.  After the supper, He took the bread and wine, illustrating the breaking of His body and the shedding of His blood for the remission of sins.  The first three Gospels record the event, while John shares what transpired after the meal.  For the next few hours, Jesus would share words of comfort and exhortation as his disciples faced the challenges ahead.  From foot washing to His closing prayer, Jesus spoke clearly and precisely.  He would comfort them in their fears and anxieties.  He spoke of preparing a place for them in His Heavenly Kingdom. He told them they would not face trials alone.  He spoke about the coming of the Holy Spirit.  He assured them that, abiding in Him, they would bring glory to God.  He answered all the questions that they asked.  He told them that through their obedience, both the Father and He would dwell with them.  He shared that if they asked Him or the Father anything, it would be done.  He gave them a commandment to love each other as He had loved them.  He assured them that their sorrow would be turned into joy.  Jesus would share many other teachings before He closed the meeting with prayer. (This prayer was the longest recorded prayer that we have of Jesus.)  John’s inspired writings, especially this account of the Upper Room (chapters 13-17,) will open one’s eyes to the loving Savior who loved His men to the end.

It is essential to recognize that Jesus was addressing His hand-picked men, not all Believers.  Yet today, many Christians take Jesus’ Upper Room dialogue and incorporate it into their own beliefs.  Certainly, there are teachings from that experience that can be applied, but basically, the events that evening were for the eleven. (Judas had left after supper.)  The Disciples would be given direct involvement with Jesus after His ascension.  These men were equipped with all the knowledge they would ever need to face the challenges ahead.

After the crucifixion, the Upper Room was again occupied by the Disciples.  The room became a “sanctuary room.”  It was to be a place of safety, for there was fear they might be targeted by the religious authorities and arrested or even killed.  It was through the locked door that Jesus would enter the room.  He had appeared earlier to the woman at the cemetery. These ladies had run to the Disciples in their hiding place and told them that Jesus was alive.  The symphony of unbelief occupied the room. The Gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus “rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart.”  It took Jesus several return visits to that room to finally get the Disciples to accept the reality that He was alive. (I urge people to spend time and read all four Gospel accounts of Jesus'' post-resurrection visitations.)  Jesus would appear not only to His inner circle but to over 500 people during the 40 days before His ascension.  During His post-resurrection, He gave a refresher course on many of His past teachings.

Following His Ascension, the Upper Room was again active.  During the next ten days, the Disciples, along with some women and other followers, spent time in prayer, anticipating the coming of the Holy Spirit.  During this time, the Disciples also chose Mathias as the replacement for Judas.  When the Holy Spirit came, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  From that time on, the Gospel began its journey to the ends of the earth. 

I have not listed addresses for any of the above events, for I believe Christians need to become Bereans and search the Scriptures for themselves.