Over the next few days, I’d like to point out several things from the story of the last week of Jesus, drawing on all four of the Gospels. I’ll try to give enough detail to be helpful. But I’d also suggest that reading these sections this week will be helpful. Matthew, starting in chapter 21. Mark starting in chapter 11. Luke starting in chapter 20. And the whole last half of John, starting in chapter 12.

1. That week, Jesus stayed in conversation with God.

2. That week, Jesus taught clearly and intensely

If Jesus spent the nights on the Mount of Olives, during the days of this week, Jesus was in the temple, in Jerusalem. He was teaching. Sometimes he would pick the subject. But most often, people would ask him questions. Sometimes they were genuine questions. Sometimes they were traps.

He answered so skillfully that no one dared ask him more questions. And these were people who prided themselves in their ability to ask questions, to debate.

And then, on his last night before his death, during what we call the Last Supper, he taught his disciples. John has a record of part of the conversation, expanded notes likely, that are the parts of the conversation most helpful to all of us who become disciples. It’s five chapters of John’s 21 chapters. So we’re not going to cover it here.

I think that Jesus was legacy building. Jesus was making sure that he spent his last hours, his last interactions, on what would last—well-trained lives of people. We are still reading those words. Memorizing, teaching, applying.

I think that if this is our last week (or last year), being sure our tweets and texts and facebook responses are generously, humbly, helpfully legacy-building makes sense.