The Upper Room: Jesus’ Parting Promises for Troubled Hearts

The events and teaching recorded in John 13-16, commonly known as the Upper Room Discourse, reveal some of the most poignant and powerful promises for believers in all of Scripture. Jesus and His disciples were standing on the precipice of the darkest night in the history of the world. God the Son was about to be betrayed and murdered. The disciples would be scattered, and the boldest of them would deny even knowing Him. The Lord knew full well that He Himself would soon undergo an unimaginable deluge of woe. He would be spit on and mocked by evil men. He would bear the sins of the world. He would be cursed with the wrath of God for others’ sins. He would feel as if His Father had utterly abandoned Him. Any other man in that situation would have been in such a state of uncontrollable agitation that He would never have been able to focus His attention on the needs of others—but Jesus was different. He wanted His followers to know the peace of the One who has overcome the world. During t