Lessons from the Upper Room: The Heart of the Savior by Sinclair B. Ferguson: A Guided Tour through The Savior’s Night before His Death

Lessons from the Upper Room: The Heart of the Savior by Sinclair B. Ferguson Kindle Edition, 241 pg. Ligonier Ministries, 2021 Read: July 25, 2021 Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Lessons from the Upper Room About?

In his Gospel, John spends 4 chapters (13-17)* on the night before Jesus was betrayed. The last night He spent teaching, serving, praying with (and for), and being with the Twelve (then Eleven). In this book, Ferguson walks through those chapters, well…let him describe it in his own words:

Lessons from the Upper Room is by no means a complete exposition of John 13– 17. If that were attempted—to adapt some words of John himself—an entire bookcase could not contain the books that would be written!

Nor are these pages a commentary in any technical sense. They are, perhaps, more like the “audio description” function on my “smart” TV set. This facility provides a running commentary on the action taking place on the screen to help those who can follow the dialogue but are too visually handicapped to see it.

* Yes, I know John didn’t think of it in terms of chapters, shush, you know what I mean.

That’s basically what this is, a guided tour through these beloved passages from a trusted guide—pointing out interesting features, maybe helping the reader to think of them in a way they didn’t think of before. Maybe picking up a detail they never notice (or had forgotten they had).

Occasionally, there’s a pointed observation, a reminder that we should do more than read these words, a call to action. Nothing burdensome (see Matt. 11:30), but nevertheless, Jesus’ followers are to serve others as he did himself before supper.

So, what did I think about Lessons from the Upper Room?

I don’t have much to say about this book—that simple description is really all you need to know. Especially if you’re familiar with Ferguson, you know that what you’re getting is helpful.

Speaking of being familiar with Ferguson, I really want to get my hands on the talks that this book started out as. They have to be great—as much as I like Ferguson’s writing, his teaching and preaching are so much better.

I’m not sure I learned a whole lot from this read—a did pick up a thing or two. But this refresher on these passages is a great way to look at again at them. It’s warm, it’s reassuring, it’s stimulating. I can see this as the kind of thing I can read every couple of years as a little boost.

I commend this to you and your attention—it’ll reward your time.