John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (Guide A)

John's Account of the Last Supper

This passage is most often preached on on Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday). By our modern measure, “Thursday” would also include Gethsemane and other events of that night (the random naked guy, Peter’s denials, etc.), but with the Jewish day traditionally beginning at sundown, however, those could also be considered part of Good Friday.  Delving into John—who does not identify this as the Passover meal—leads to more than just the basic narrative and meal.

With John in particular, the Last Supper covers five chapters (13-17).  We might wonder how John was able to remember so much, but if you believe Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, John was sitting to Jesus’s right.  Presbyterians might say he was the Clerk of…