In the School of Christ

Book excerpt: Just before his execution, Jesus Christ invited his disciples to join him at a borrowed house in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. As he faced betrayal, arrest and crucifixion, he taught them about the very heart of the Christian faith, namely, holiness. When the time came to leave the house, he continued his teaching. As they made their way through darkened streets that were filled with hostility to him, he spoke of how he would empower them to be his witnesses in a world that would often hate them too. Jesus was the teacher; the disciples were his pupils. It was the school of Christ. David Gooding’s exposition reveals the significance of the lessons Jesus taught inside the upper room (chs. 13–14), their connection to the lessons taught outside in the streets (chs. 15–16) and how both parts of this course on holiness relate to the Teacher’s prayer to his Father (ch. 17). With a scholar’s care for the text of Scripture, he expounds both the devotional richness and the practical nature of the lessons. He shows that to understand Christ’s teaching on holiness is to know his power to change lives.