The Upper Room in Scripture

The upper room is the setting of some of the most sacred moments in the New Testament: the Last Supper, where Jesus instituted the Lord's meal (Luke 22:12), the washing of the disciples' feet (John 13), and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). There, in the intimacy of a 'large upper room furnished,' the Lord shared His final hours with His disciples before the cross. He took the bread and the cup, saying, 'This is my body... this is my blood' (Luke 22:19-20), instituting the sacrament that nourishes the Church until His return. He girded Himself with the servant's towel and washed the feet of the Twelve (John 13), giving the example of humility and love. It was also in this place that Jesus spoke the great farewell discourse and the high-priestly prayer (John 14-17), promising the Comforter: 'He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you' (John 14:26). After the ascension, the disciples returned to the upper room, where about a hundred and twenty people continued with one accord in prayer (Acts 1:13-14). There, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit descended like a rushing wind and tongues of fire, giving birth to the Church. So the upper room remains a symbol of intimacy with Christ and of the praying fellowship from which the very life of the Church springs forth.