By John Claeysi
How one views the Upper Room Discourse (chapters 13-17) plays a determinative role in understanding the purpose of John’s Gospel. If, for example, one sees this Last Discourse as material primarily for believers, then that individual will generally view John as a hybrid of evangelistic material and discipleship instruction. But if one understands that the role of the Last Discourse is to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ, that understanding lends itself to viewing the entire book as evangelistic.
The purpose statement of the Gospel of John is found in 20:31, which presents John’s Gospel as evangelistic: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” Since there is nothing in 20:31 that resembles discipleship material, we must ask: How is the Last Discourse related to the purpose statement? How is the Last Discourse evangelistic?
I have found much evidence within the Last Discourse–enumerated below––indicating that the Gospel of John is evangelistic. Some specifically state an evangelistic focus, while many demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ, the Giver of eternal life.
1. The discourse is set within John’s accounts of Jesus’ eight signs around which his Gospel is arranged. The first seven signs occur before the discourseii and the last and greatest sign, Jesus’ death and resurrection, occurs after (19:1–20:29; cf. 2:18-22).
2. As the Christ, Jesus used this discourse to prepare His disciples for what was about to occur. He sought to prime them for His betrayal (13:18-19; 16:32), death (15:20b-21; 16:20), resurrection (16:20), and ascension into heaven (13:33, 36; 14:1-2, 4; 16:16, 28; 17:4-5). In addition, He prepared them for the coming of the Holy Spirit (14:3, 16, 18-19; 16:7-11, 13-15; 17:11a, 13).iii
3. No one ever faced death the way Jesus did. The way He faced death demonstrates that He is the Christ (cf. 13:1, 15: 17:26).
4. Jesus showed that He is the Christ by demonstrating His perfect knowledge of what lay ahead and where He was going (13:10-11, 19, 21, 26-30, 38; 14:28-30; 16:2-4, 16, 32 [13:33; 14:19; 16:19]).
5. Jesus demonstrated that He is the Christ by fulfilling Scripture (e.g., 13:18).
6. His command to His disciples to love as He had loved them (13:34-35; 15:12, 17) is a terrific apologetic to move the unbeliever to believe in Him.
7. Jesus showed that He had the authority to send the Holy Spirit to indwell them (14:3, 16-18, 23; 15:26; 16:7-13, 16). Only the Christ has that kind of authority.
8. Jesus revealed that the Holy Spirit testifies of Him and glorifies Him (15:26; 16:14-15).
9. Jesus’ words are the Father’s words (14:10, 24; 15:15). Only the Christ, the Son of God, could make this pronouncement, particularly the words of 15:15: “…all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”iv
10. Jesus also claimed to have such great authority that if His apostles ask anything in His name, He will do it (14:13-14) and the Father will do it (15:16; 16:23-24). Only the Christ has such authority granted by the Father.
11. Jesus declared that the one who loves Him (14:21) and keeps His word (14:23) will be loved by the Father, and that, as a result, He and the Father will abide in him (14:23). This is a bold declaration that He could make only if He were the Christ.
12. Jesus claimed to give peace to His disciples that the world cannot provide (14:27; 16:33). Only the One sent from God could declare this kind of authority with veracity.
13. Jesus declared that everything the Father has belongs to Him (16:15). If He were not the Christ, this would be the statement of a madman.
14. Jesus revealed that He came from the Father (16:27-28; 17:21). Only the Christ could make this statement in truth.
15. In keeping with the evangelistic nature of John’s Gospel, Jesus’ seven “I am” statements in John’s Gospel clearly present Him as the Christ.
16. Jesus revealed that the one who has seen Him has seen the Father (14:9). He is the perfect Representative of the Father (1:29).
17. Jesus disclosed to the Eleven that, “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you” (13:10; 15:3), thereby reminding readers of the Gospel that the Eleven had eternal life because they had believed Jesus’ promise.
18. Jesus revealed to His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit. He then revealed the Holy Spirit’s role in evangelism, convicting the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (16:8-11). This truth fits perfectly into the evangelistic Gospel of John.
19. Jesus announced that He is the Giver of eternal life (4:10). This is the definition of the Christ (11:25-27; 20:31).
20. Jesus prayed for those who will believe in Him in the future (17:20). The inclusion of this statement indicates the evangelistic thrust of John’s Gospel.
21. The Father loved Him before the world began (17:24). This means that He is the preexistent One, the Christ.
Therefore, chapters 13–17, as well as chapters 18–19, are included in John’s Gospel to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ. These chapters declare repeatedly that Jesus is, indeed, the Christ. In fact, chapters 13–17 are preparatory to chapters 18–19, which present the eighth––and greatest––of the signs in the Gospel of John (cf. 2:18-22). Of course, those signs are presented to lead the unbelieving readers (John 20:30-31) to believe in Jesus as the Christ, the Giver of eternal life.
After presenting the eight signs, chosen by the Apostle John and the Holy Spirit to demonstrate that Jesus is the Christ, John explains why he included those signs:
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:30-31).
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John Claeys holds degrees from the University of Northern Iowa (BA in English) and Dallas Theological Seminary (ThM in New Testament Greek) and has pursued doctoral work at Phoenix Seminary. He is also the author of The Impending Apocalypse, A New World Coming, and Unveiling Eternity, a three-part series on eschatology. He and his wife, Connie, have been married 40 years and have two sons.
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i This article is a condensed version of the author’s article in the Autumn 2025 issue of JOTGES, “The Gospel of John: Evangelistic Book, or Something Else?”
ii The first seven signs were turning water into wine (2:1-11); healing the nobleman’s son (4:46-54); healing the paralytic (5:1-9); feeding the five thousand (6:1-13); walking on water (6:16-21); healing the man born blind (9:1-7); and raising Lazarus from the dead (11:1-45).
iii Though many view v 3 as referring to the Rapture, it seems more likely that this verse speaks of the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. (John 17:11a, 13 could be included in this same discussion.) Compare the last half of the verse (“I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also”) with v 18 (“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you”). Both make the promise of “I will come…” (Clearly, v 18 is connected to the promise of the Holy Spirit in vv 16-17. Jesus would not leave them as orphans because He would send the Holy Spirit to them.) A promise of the Rapture seems disjointed in this context––which speaks of His ascending to heaven in order to send the Holy Spirit to them–for nothing else is said about the future beyond Jesus preparing the disciples for His going away. How would the Rapture prepare them for His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven?
iv Even a prophet would not make this claim of directly hearing from the Father, as it was the Holy Spirit who gave prophets their messages.
