Paper 178 Overview: Last Day at the Camp

Jesus planned to spend his last free day on earth with his apostles and devoted followers. He taught them many new truths during the morning and delivered farewell speeches to them. The apostles noticed that Judas was missing, though they assumed he was running errands in the city for Jesus.

In the afternoon, Jesus made arrangements for the Last Supper that would take place that evening. He sent Peter, John, and Philip ahead to prepare a room in Jerusalem while David Zebedee kept Judas occupied. Jesus and the apostles later traveled to Jerusalem for their final meal together.

Jesus wanted to spend Thursday, his last free day on earth, with his apostles and loyal followers. He led them to a quiet spot near their camp in the morning to teach them. Though Jesus gave more lessons to the apostles during the evening, his morning talk was a farewell address to both his apostle group and his chosen disciples, including both Jews and Gentiles.

The twelve apostles were all present except for Judas Iscariot. Some apostles wondered about Judas's absence, but they thought Jesus had sent him into the city for some reason, possibly to arrange their upcoming Passover celebration. Judas did not return to the camp until midafternoon, shortly before Jesus led the twelve into Jerusalem for their Last Supper.

Jesus spoke to about fifty trusted followers for almost two hours and answered many questions about how the kingdom of heaven relates to earthly kingdoms. He explained that the spiritual kingdom does not use physical force, unlike earthly governments that need it to maintain order. He taught that believers should be good citizens of both their earthly nations and the heavenly kingdom.

Jesus taught that there was no conflict between being a citizen of an earthly government and a son of the spiritual kingdom. He explained that believers should render to earthly rulers what belongs to them while giving spiritual worship only to God. He emphasized that believers should be even better citizens because of their spiritual beliefs and should demonstrate loving service to all people.

Many of Jesus' listeners could not fully understand his morning speech, especially his references to future political kingdoms and ongoing gospel activities. The Greek followers understood more than others, while even the eleven apostles were confused about how Jesus could speak of an extended future of kingdom activities when his earthly ministry seemed about to end.

By noon, all the apostles and disciples had learned about Lazarus's hasty escape from Bethany. They began to realize the serious determination of the Jewish rulers to eliminate Jesus and his teachings. David Zebedee knew about Judas's involvement in the plot against Jesus but did not tell the others. After lunch, Jesus arranged for the Last Supper by sending Peter, John, and Philip to prepare a room in Jerusalem, using a secret arrangement he had made with John Mark the day before.

To avoid crowds, Jesus and the twelve walked over the western side of Mount Olivet to reach the road from Bethany to Jerusalem. When they reached the place where Jesus had previously spoken about Jerusalem's destruction, they paused and looked down at the city. Since they were early, Jesus sat down with his apostles to talk with them one last time before entering the city.

Jesus reminded his apostles that he had warned them about his departure and that he had prepared them to continue spreading the gospel message after he was gone. He told them not to risk their lives needlessly when they came to arrest him, as his death was part of God's plan. He promised that even though he was leaving them physically, they would enter into eternal life and eventually join him in his Father's kingdom after completing their work on earth.