Objects of Easter: The “Upper Room” – More than a Room (Part I)

Sermon Title: Objects of Easter – The “Upper Room”, More than a Room

Good News Statement: Jesus offers us a deeper meaning of our faith

Summary: The Easter story is filled with touching moments that have changed the world, but it is also filled with objects that have changed our life; and these objects add depth and meaning to the resurrection, which we count on happening.

Preached: Sunday, March 1^st, 2026 at Dogwood Prairie UMC & Seed Chapel UMC

Pastor Daniel G. Skelton, M.Div.

 

Scripture (NRSV): Mark 14:12-16 Today’s scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Mark, who takes us back to the upper room, the kataluma, where a meal is shared, feet are washed (John 13), and lives are changed. Our reading comes from the Gospel of Mark, Chapter Fourteen, and Verses Twelve thru Sixteen. May the hearing and reading of this scripture add understanding to your life.

The Passover with the Disciples

¹² On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” ¹³ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, ¹⁴ and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” ¹⁶ So the disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

This is the Word of God for the People of God; And all God’s people said, “Thanks be to God.”

 

 

 

Introduction:            

Everywhere you look, you see something, an object that has changed the world. According to Nature, an online news source, “nails, wheels, springs, magnets, lenses, string, and pumps are seven everyday objects that have made the modern world.”[1] Just sitting in this room, I bet you can spot a majority of those objects.

Have you ever given any thought to the objects in your life? Have you thought about how at one point in history that object didn’t exist? Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you didn’t have a certain object that you have today? Have you ever taken a step back and said, “My, how things have changed.” We live in a society, in a culture, in a world where life thrives on objects; and the objects we have today, much like in the past, will be replaced by other objects that would confuse us today but will make life easier in the future. Our life has been, is, and will be consumed by the objects in which we seek.

For a moment, listen to this list of objects that have not only changed our life but have also changed the world:[2] the nail, the wheel, string and rope, magnets, the compass, and lenses, the printing press, vaccines and penicillin, concrete, steel, batteries, electricity, the light bulb, airplanes, automobiles, trains, boats, farm machinery, refrigerators, the microwave, and the sewing machine, credit cards, zippers, Velcro, GPS, computers, smartphones, and the internet. These objects created global interconnection, increased personal mobility, and transformed the ability to store, use, and transfer energy and information. This is not an exhaustive list—and it certainly doesn’t account for every object ever made that changed the world—but it is a list of objects in which many of us have access to today that do in fact change our life.

At this point you may be wondering what all this has to do with Easter, since we are in the Easter Season. Well, the Easter Season is filled with objects that have changed the world. There are Easter Eggs, Baskets filled with gifts and treats, bunny cakes, special candies and sweets, and we can’t forget about the Easter Bunny. But there are other objects related to Easter that have also changed the world. And these objects aren’t just any objects but objects found in scripture during the last days and hours of Jesus’ life. But sadly, sometimes we overlook these objects because, as song writer AJR states, we want “to skip to the good part”[3] which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ—the moment when the stone is rolled away, the cloth is folded, and the tomb is empty. So, for the next few weeks, we are going to explore certain objects of the Easter Story that have not only changed our life but have changed the world.

 

Body:

The remaining days and hours of Jesus’ life on earth are composed of objects: objects that bring forth tears, torture, and trauma, objects that offer renewal, restoration, and rejuvenation, and objects that administer hope, faith, and encouragement. In scripture, specifically in the Gospel accounts—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—there is a plethora of objects that bring to life the remaining hours of Jesus life; and every object mentioned is an object used to change our life and deepen the meaning of the days leading up to Jesus’ last breath from the cross.

As one walks with Jesus during what we call “Holy Week”[4]—a sacred week spanning the final days of Jesus’ life—one will encounter palm branches, cloaks, a donkey, an upper room, a sacred meal, foot washing, a basin of water, the garden of Gethsemane, instruments used for torture, a crown of thorns, a robe, the cross, nails, spears, sponges, a torn veil, anointment used for burial purposes, the folded cloth, the rolled away stone, and a tomb hewed out of stone. The Easter season is filled with objects that add meaning and depth to the story we not only long to hear but count on happening in our life.

For the next couple of weeks leading up to Easter, in no specific order, we are going to look at some of these objects and ask ourselves, “How does this object help me better understand the meaning and significance of Jesus’ remaining days on earth?” Today, we begin where we left off last week: we find ourselves in the upper room in Jerusalem where Jesus not only washes the feet of all the disciples but also shares a meal with them before going to the garden to pray. What about the upper room reminds us about the power of Easter?

 

Movement One: A Description of the Upper Room…

The Upper Room. Let’s remind ourselves of our Bible passage for today. Mark writes, “On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?’ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, “The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.’ So the disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal” (Mark 14:12-16).

Based on biblical descriptions and historical context, the “Upper Room”[5] in Jerusalem, where Jesus held the Last Supper and washed the feet of his disciples and where the disciples gathered at Pentecost, was not a purpose-built temple structure with blueprints, but likely a large, furnished upstairs room of a private home or a communal building in the city. It was a space used for social gatherings: sort of like a community building. The upper room was often located on the second floor, used to escape noise, improve ventilation, sometimes where guests stayed, and where women in the household resided. In 2 Kings 4:10, a woman in Shunem prepares a small upper room for the prophet Elisha, furnished with a bed, table, chair, and lamp.

The Gospels describe it as a “large” (Mark 14:15), “furnished” (Luke 22:12), and “ready” (Mark 14:15) space. It was large enough to accommodate Jesus and the twelve apostles for a meal, and later around 120 people for prayer, as noted in Acts 1:13–15. It was after that prayer that those in the upper room “were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability” (Acts 2:4) as “fire appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them” (Acts 2:3). Later on, we read that Paul, before departing Ephesus, is found preaching from within an upper room, in which someone falls asleep and tumbles out of the window (Acts 20:7-12). Later on, in Philemon, Paul requests that a guest room—an upper room—be prepared for him: “One thing more: prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you” (Philemon 1:22). But even before the previously mentioned events, we read that it was in the upper room that Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection to greet them and show them his hands and his side (John 20:19-29), removing Thomas’ doubt (John 20:26-27), after saying “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36-49). The upper room is where prayer happened, where prayers were answered, where hope was restored, where fear was overcome by faith, and where lives were changed.

Here are a few other key details and characteristics of the upper room. Tradition places the upper room on Mount Zion, near the Essene quarter—a southwestern part of Jerusalem’s Old City, where the “Gate of the Essenes” is located.[6] The current, largely gothic-style structure (often called David’s Tomb) dates back to the 12th-century Crusader period, but it likely marks the site of an earlier, more modest room.

Overall, the upper room, that two disciples sought out and required upon Jesus’ request, is more than just a room. It represents a “place set apart,” symbolizing a space for personal communion, spiritual empowerment, and a precursor to the first Christian gathering places. The upper room is an object that changed the world as it changes our life. But now, the question becomes, “What took place in the upper room that leads to both us and the world to being changed?”

 

Movement Two: What Took Place in the Upper Room…

The events that occurred in the upper room, also known as the “Cenacle,” are described in Matthew 26:1–29, Mark 14:12–25, Luke 22:7–20, and John 13:1–38. During these last hours that Jesus spent with his beloved friends, he ate with them, instituted the New Covenant in his blood, gave them last-minute instructions and encouragement, and prayed his “high priestly prayer” over them. Then he went out to face the sorrow, betrayal, rejection, and death for which he had come into the world.

This touching last meeting with his disciples, whom he loved, begins with anticipated expectation. Jesus is seeking a place to celebrate the first day of Unleavened Bread or Passover.  Passover is a Jewish observance commemorating the biblical story of the Israelites’ liberation from slavery in Egypt, as told in the Book of Exodus. The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. God appointed Moses to demand their freedom, but Pharaoh refused, leading to ten plagues which end with the death of the firstborn. The Israelites marked their doorposts with lamb’s blood so God would “pass over” their homes, sparing them. Following this, Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave. They left in such haste their bread did not have time to rise, which is why matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten on the day of Passover, the day that God passed over the slaves.

This is what the disciples expected to celebrate in the upper room. They expected to have the Passover or Seder Meal with Jesus. They expected to eat bitter herbs to remind them of the bitterness of slavery, eat a fruit paste symbolizing the mortar used by the slaves to make bricks, eat lamb as a reminder of the blood spread over the door posts, eat eggs symbolizing sacrifice and new life, eat vegetables dipped in saltwater to represent tears, and drink four cups of wine symbolizing the four promises of redemption. The disciples gathered in the upper room expecting to celebrate a moment in their history of how once they were slaves but now are free, liberated from what was.

Their expectation reminds of passed Easter gatherings on my dad’s side. Every Easter my Aunt Chris would make her famous bunny cake: it was either vanilla or chocolate, covered in a pastel colored frosting, with cardboard bunny ears on top, and a cotton ball sized tail made out of white frosting at the rear. It wasn’t Easter unless there was a bunny cake on the table. I’m sure some of you are the same way when it comes to gatherings: if so-and-so doesn’t make that one dessert or bring that one salad, then it’s not really a gathering. We all have expectations. We know how things should be or at least how we want them to be. But then something changes and it feels like the entire world has changed as well. That’s what the disciples were feeling. They were expecting a “bunny cake” but ended up with something different that changed them. They were expecting the Passover meal.

Instead, the disciples received a sacred meal that would change their life. Mark 14:22-25 notes, “While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.’” Luke adds, “… Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19-20) after Jesus gives them the bread. Today, we call this meal “Holy Communion” or “The Lord’s Supper” or The Eucharist. It’s a meal that represents the workings of Christ in our life: it calls us to remember his sacrifice, to seek forgiveness of our sins, to gather with our neighbors, in love, around a common table, and to go forth living out the meaning and significance of Jesus in our life. In a way, this sacred meal sets us free from our past so that we can live into what Christ is calling us to do today and tomorrow. This is not what the disciples expected, but it was needed in order for them to change.

The next event that happens is Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. The disciples had been arguing about who among them was the greatest (Luke 22:24), displaying a distinctly ungodly perspective. To resolve this conflict, Jesus quietly rose and began to wash their feet, a task normally performed by the lowest, most menial slave. We hear of this event in John 13: “[Jesus] got up from supper, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him” (John 13:4-5).

Like last week, I want to remind you of a few things from this event. First, Jesus, knowing very well that the meal he was eating was going to be his last meal on this earth, stops eating to care for those in the Upper Room. He adored those present so much that he essentially allowed them to eat more than himself. Second, Jesus took off his robe. The simple act of removing ones robe symbolizes profound shifts in status, authority, or covenant, often signifying humiliation or the transfer of power.[7] Jesus, by removing his robe and putting on a towel, lowers his status to a servant. Third, the one who thousands of people bowed down to is now the one who is doing the kneeling in the filth of the upper room. The one who cleaned people of sickness, sins, and demons from a far is now the one cleaning the dirt off of feet. The one many people want to serve is the one serving, doing a task that not too many people want to do and he does so by using water—an extension of who he is: “fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:10-14). Jesus performed this act with every single disciple: Judas, who turned him in; Peter, who would later deny him; James and John who fell asleep while Jesus prayed; and others who deserted him during his greatest hour of need. He saw past their mistakes with hopes of making them clean. By this simple act, Jesus reminded them that his followers are those who serve one another, not those who expect to be served.

According to Luke, it’s after Judas’s departure that Jesus instituted the New Covenant in his blood, a new command that those who follow him are to love one another and live by the power of the Holy Spirit. We remember this act each time we observe the Christian ordinance of communion, celebrating Christ’s body broken for us and his blood shed for us. After this, Jesus made his first prediction of Peter’s coming denial (Luke 22:31-38).

In the upper room, the disciples ate with Jesus one last time, received a holy meal, had their feet washed, and were given instructions on how to live their life. They had expectations, but Jesus changed things. Everything they encountered in the upper room changed their life. But have you ever wondered what else was happening in that room. Scripture doesn’t tell us, but I like to imagine that those in that upper room at the beginning of the meal were celebrating, laughing, carrying on conversations, joking, checking in with one another after a busy day of healing people and performing miracles and trying not to be called faithless by Jesus again. I like to imagine that there was embracing, hugging, offering some high-fives and fist bumps, and sharing a few waves across the room. I also imagine that at some point the smiles went away, fear settled in, worry and doubt and uncertainty took control, and disbelief lead to arguing, blaming, and questioning. At some point in that upper room Jesus probably looked into the eyes of every person present and witnessed their greatest fears, knowing deep down that this would be the last time that he would see most of them until he would appear to them again in that same room after his resurrection. I wonder if at some point, Jesus went around the table and offered a hug and said one last good-bye.

Deep down, I wonder if Jesus was recalling the story of his birth that Mary and Joseph might have shared with him from time to time, realizing that the very place his parents tried to get into is the last place he would be before he was betrayed in the garden of Gethsemane. You see, in Luke 2:7 we are told that there was “no room in the inn.” The phrase often translated as “inn” is kataluma in Greek and is more accurately understood as a private guest room or space in a relative’s house. Due to crowded conditions, this space was unavailable for Mary and Joseph.

Ironically, in Mark 14:14 and Luke 22:11 the “guest room” or “upper room” is translated from the same Greek word found in Luke 2:7: kataluma. At his birth, the kataluma is filled—there is no room in the inn—but prior to his death the kataluma—the guest room or upper room—is available. Prior to his death, Jesus finally gets the chance to enter a space that his parents longed for him at the beginning of his life. The upper room was not just a room for the disciples to begin their life but it was a room that became the end of Jesus’ life. I believe that the upper room was available so that Jesus could experience closure, peace, complete what his earthly parents couldn’t achieve, and to remind us all today that Jesus never stopped thinking about his past: Jesus wanted us to know that he “honored—loved—his mother and father” so much that he was willing to enter a space that once rejected them. The guest room or the upper room—the kataluma—was once a place of rejection but now has become a place of holiness and new beginnings.

Church that is still happening today. Many people have approached the doors of churches for centuries only to be told there is “no room in the upper room, there is no room in the inn.” But Jesus, returning to the upper room, just proved to us that there is always room in the upper room—there is always room to grow the family of God. For a moment, remind yourself of who was in the upper room. Judas—a betrayer and a thief, Peter—a denier and who sank in the water, Matthew—a tax collector, James and John—brothers who argued that they should be the ones to sit at the right hand of Jesus, Thomas—a doubter of Jesus’ resurrection until he saw the marks, and the remaining disciples who fled the scene when Jesus needed them the most. The upper room wasn’t filled with perfect people who had everything figured out, who thought the same things, who acted the same way, who had the same life growing up, who always believed in Jesus, who had faith strong enough to move mountains, who agreed on everything. No, the upper room was filled people like you and me: people who are sinners, people longing to follow Christ, people willing to share the love of Christ, people willing to pray, people trying every day to simply make it through the day, and people wanting to make this world a better place. When Jesus entered the upper room, it no longer became unavailable: it became available to every person needing a space to feel welcomed. And now today, people are longing to find a church that doesn’t turn them away but invites them in.

Church, can we be the upper room for someone? Can we be the place where fellowship happens, where we serve one another, where we embrace change, where people of different beliefs can worship together with the same goal of following Jesus, and where our doors are open to all those who need a kataluma—an upper room—in their life? If Jesus can return to the place that rejected him in the past, then what does that tell us today?

 

Movement Three: The Upper Room in our Life Today…

The question now is, “What does this mean for me?” After learning a little bit about the physical description of the upper room and being reminded of what took place in the upper room during Jesus’ life as well as after his resurrection and during the formation of the early church, it’s time to apply this object to our personal lives today.

First, as was previously mentioned, is there a place or space that has rejected in your past that may be inviting you back to offer closure so that you can move on? For me personally, I think about my grandmother’s house that my cousin bought when my grandmother passed away in 2022. The last time I stepped foot in that house was July of that year. I’ve seen pictures of what it looks like inside now, I’ve been invited to see it in person, but I have yet to return to that place. I don’t know if I ever will. But I often wonder if I need to so that I can move on and realize that it is no longer my grandmother’s house but my cousin’s house—being filled with her memories and stories. Is there a place or space or even a thing or maybe a person that you are avoiding in your life because you aren’t ready to move on? Jesus, although he didn’t have to, returned to an upper room that once symbolized rejection so that he could move on and give new hope to those in his life.

Second, as I think about the upper room, I am beginning to see the upper room as an object that invites us to consider those places and spaces that draw us closer to Christ. Jesus could have chosen anywhere to gather with his disciples. He had met with his disciples on a boat, on the shores of Galilee, at the tombs, on the streets, in houses of Pharisees and sinners, at the temple, in villages that rejected him, at their own places of residence, on mountains, around campfires, and even in gardens. Jesus could have chosen anywhere to meet with his disciples, but he chose the upper room. Why? As I shared earlier, the upper room was a place known for being private and secure. Jesus chose the upper room so that he could enjoy the presence of his disciples away from the distractions of the world. Jesus needed peace, needed quietness, and needed alone time with and for those who mattered to him.

Do you have such a place or space in your life? Is there somewhere you go to experience peace, quietness, and to simply be alone? Is there a place you go to escape the distractions of the world? Maybe for some of you church is that space. Maybe before you enter the church, you make it a point to leave every worry, every doubt, and every distraction at the entrance so that you can fully be present in the moment. Maybe, for the first time during the week, church is the place where you can finally get to sit in the same room as your family—since schedules are crazy and chaotic at times. Or maybe you find peace and quietness when you are in the car taking a drive through the country, or in the tractor working in the fields, or spending time with friends or family, or tinkering with a project in the barn, garage, or shed, or reading a book, or working on a painting, or doing a puzzle, or working with animals, or sitting in your favorite chair watching basketball, baseball, or football, or going out to eat, or getting coffee, or just being outside. You know, when Emily gets off work she will call me or call her parents on the drive home, but sometimes she won’t call either of us but instead listen to her favorite show Gilmore Girls to experience peace. That drive home is her “upper room.” Where is your “upper room”? Where do you feel at peace? Where do you allow yourself to experience the presence of Jesus Christ?

Friends, I’m going to be honest with you, you all need an “upper room” in your life: you all need to want to find a place where you don’t push Jesus away but invite him in to your life. During the Easter Season make it a priority to locate your “upper room.” Here is my challenge for you: Don’t push Jesus away until his resurrection; but instead, invite him into your life today so that he is with you for your own resurrection. Jesus didn’t have to use the upper room in Jerusalem. But he did for you. So, where is your “upper room”? Where are you inviting Jesus to be with you?

 

Conclusion:

I want to bring this message to a close. What Jesus did in that upper room, hours before he would be betrayed, beaten, put on trial, and crucified, is what he does with us every day of our life. Jesus invites us into a place and space that will change our life, will grant us peace, and will draw us closer to him. In that “upper room,” we are reminded of the meal that he shared with his disciples, the act of him washing their feet, and the promise that he gets down on our level, meets us where we are, and he serves us. We are intrigued by the possible conversations had, the prayers lifted up, and the laughter expressed. We are also left witnessing the fear, doubt, and uncertainty of those present as they heard Jesus say, “You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me” (John 12:8). The upper room, once a sign of rejection, is now a sign of hope and grace for all people because there is always room available when Jesus is present.

The Easter Season, as portrayed in scripture through the events of Holy Week, is filled with objects that add depth and meaning to the remaining days and hours of Jesus’ life. From the palm branches to the upper room to the garden to Calvary and to the empty tomb, everything we encounter along the way teaches us more about how much we need the meaning of Easter in our life so that we not only wait for it but count on it happening. Today, we saw the object of the upper room as more than just a place but as something that can change our life and bring us closer to Christ. Where is your “upper room?” During the Easter season find your “upper room” and experience the presence of Christ.

Let it be so…

 

Holy Communion:

It’s fitting that we discussed the upper room today, because today we gather around the table to celebrate the same meal that Jesus offered his disciples. Today, we come together, just as we are, to seek forgiveness of our sins, to remember the sacrifice and love of Jesus Christ, and to make plans to live out the significance of this holy meal in all that we do and in all that we say. May this meal be an invitation for you to experience the presence of Christ in your life.

 

Closing Prayer:

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, we thank you for the “upper room.” We thank you for returning to a place that once rejected you proving to all of us how much you care and love us. We thank you for giving us a meal that saves us every day, for washing our feet, and for always inviting us into a place in which you are present. May we continually strive to embrace your “upper room” in our life. In your grace we pray, Amen.

 

Benediction:

Church, where is your “upper room”? What do you need to do during Easter to experience the presence of Jesus Christ? May you be an “upper room” for someone in your life. May the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; and May the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace (Numbers 6:24-26). In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit go forth counting on the resurrection of Christ to happen. And all God’s people said, Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

 

[1] Anna Novizky, “Seven everyday objects that made the modern world,” Nature online. March 06, 2023: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00643-8#:~:text=Nails%2C%20wheels%2C%20springs%2C%20magnets,By  Accessed: February 24, 2026.

[2] the nail (enabling construction), wheel (transportation), string/rope (securing tools), magnets/compass (navigation), and lenses (optics/microscopy), the printing press (information sharing), vaccines/penicillin (medicine), the steam engine (energy-into-motion), which fueled factories and trains, alongside concrete and batteries, electricity, the light bulb, airplane, automobile, farm machinery, refrigerator, and the sewing machine, credit cards, zippers, Velcro, GPS, computers, smartphones, and the internet. These objects created global interconnection, increased personal mobility, and transformed the ability to store, use, and transfer energy and information.

[3] AJR, “The Good Part”, The Click, 2017. Streamed on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.

[4] Holy Week (or Semana Santa) is the most sacred week in Christianity, spanning the final eight days of Jesus’ life, from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. It is a time of intense reflection, prayer, and liturgical services commemorating the Passion, Crucifixion, and Resurrection. Key days and events during Holy Week include: Palm Sunday: Commemorates Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem; Holy Thursday: Celebrates the Last Supper and the washing of feet; Good Friday: Solemnly marks the crucifixion and death of Jesus; Holy Saturday: The day of the Easter Vigil, leading into the celebration of the Resurrection: Easter Sunday: Celebrates the Resurrection.

[5] In Greek anagaion meaning upper room or cenaculum meaning dining room.

[6] The Essenes or Essenians were a mystic Jewish community during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE. The Essene movement likely originated as a distinct group among Jews during Jonathan Apphus’s time, driven by disputes over Jewish law and the belief that Jonathan’s high priesthood was illegitimate. Most scholars think the Essenes seceded from the Zadokite priests. They attributed their interpretation of the Torah to their early leader, the Teacher of Righteousness, possibly a legitimate high priest. Embracing a conservative approach to Jewish law, they observed a strict hierarchy favoring priests (the Sons of Zadok) over laypeople, emphasized ritual purity, and held a dualistic worldview. (Gurtner, Daniel M.; Stuckenbruck, Loren T., eds. (2020). T&T Clark Encyclopedia of Second Temple Judaism. Vol. 2. T&T Clark. pp. 250–252.)

[7] In 1 Samuel 18:4 we read that Jonathan, a friend of David, removed his robe and armor, giving them to David. This act signified a covenant of love, the voluntary transfer of his rights as heir to the throne, and recognition of David’s destined kingship.