John 15:1-17
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other."
Please take the time to read all of John 14-16. The verses we consider this week find a deeper meaning in their broader context.
How can we bear fruit? And what does that mean?
What is the "pruning" that we experience as fruitful Christians?
How can we be a friend of Jesus? And what does that mean?
What else?
Sunday, September 07, 2008
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18 comments:
Another new day and another new week! They just keep coming and coming.
Thanks for all the good comments from last week. They really help me as I prepare to preach. I believe they also help all who read them.
I hope everyone will jump in this week and discuss this very interesting passage. There are some great themes to explore: connection, community, pruning, friendship, and more.
Things are really picking up at ReGeneration. A few of us worked there yesterday afternoon, doing some prep work for a guy to come in tomorrow to build a ramp to connect the present store to the building next door. We hope to be expanded into that space by Festival week. The store continues to do very well, which allows us to help a lot of people in need.
This week I am going to continue some dialogues with mission folks regarding a trip to Honduras. That looks like where we may be headed (instead of Mexico). I am very excited about all this, and as soon as I know something I will let you know.
Last year we were studying this at Indiana Ave, and I came across something that was really neat.
Referring to John 15:2....He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
A footnote in my Bible says...cuts off. The word may mean this literally (as "take away" in 11:39):...OR it may mean lift up (as "picked up" in 8:59), which would indicate that the gardener encourages and makes it easier for the fruitless believer, hoping he will respond and begin to bear fruit.
Isn't that totally beautiful? Can't you just picture a father picking up his child and cuddling it, soothing it, comforting it and encouranging it? I felt so touched by this. Isn't it amazing how God continues to give us more chances to come to Him? Even when we so don't deserve it?
The times in my life when God has done this for me and I recognized it and realized it and felt it, it was so humbling and so awesome just knowing God loves me so much.
Annette
Did you notice, in our passage, how many times the word "remain" is used?
What do you think about that?
Thanks, Annette, for sharing those really neat thoughts! Encouraging.
Read Hebrews 12:1-13 in light of the concept of pruning. Do you think that pruning and discipline from God could be the same thing?
Anyone have any good examples?
I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about it. This afternoon I begin the Bread of Life Bible Study with our food pantry folks. I have no idea how many, if any, will show up for this first gathering. I invited close to 100 people personally and others received written invitations. I would appreciate your prayers. I know this is likely to be difficult to get established, but I will persevere. I am hoping/praying that this group will eventually form into a worshiping community on Sundays.
* * *
We hope to expand the ReGeneration Store into the building next door and be open for business on the Monday of Persimmon Festival week. Anthony's LIFE Group is going to paint on Thursday and we hope to have carpet laid next week. It's pretty exciting.
The obedience of faith expresses itself in love.
Galatians 5:6b
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Isn't that what Jesus says in our passage?
These are deeply emotional passages from the Christ in my opinion. He is hours away from being arrested, humiliated, and crucified, the most trying experience of his life. I think it is important to remember that this is flesh and blood as well as spirit talking here. This conversation with his friends, while it is the Father's will expressed, it is also not too different from a man lying on his deathbed, giving his goodbyes to his closest friends and family. These men, while still somewhat clueless, have been by his side for 3 years, and he has trained them to bring others to God through him instead of through impossible laws. I read the chapters several times in several different perspectives, and that one is my favorite, that of a man saying his goodbyes. Doesn't make it less divine, just shows the man's humanity and love for his friends. Love so great that he is willing to die for them.
My translation (NLT) has the word remain 10 times in the first 10 verses of chapter 15. That is the main focus of that section of scripture. If we obey his commandment, we will remain in him and God in us. I think it is interesting to note the idea he puts forth of remaining versus “soon you will be in my love after the HS comes and you do all the things you need to do, etc”. They were in a covenant with God already through the covenant with Israel. Love and obey is all that law required, and by loving Christ, they loved God because Christ came from God, and thus they obeyed the law. So whether by intuition or deliberate behavior, they remained in this relationship because they loved Christ. When you expand that view to the immediate context (chapters 14-16), the message is more easily seen. To obey Christ is to love him and love the one who sent him. The message is simple, to love one another. It doesn’t take an entire system of laws to do that if we really have that as our 2nd priority (first being to love God with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind).
This vine (Christ) has no life of its own. It doesn't dwell anywhere (even in Wrigley Field) without sustenance from God, who helps it to grow. As branches only, we have no lasting life apart from the vine, and by extension, apart from God. I love the idea of this, getting our food and nourishment just by allowing it to happen. We aren't the ones digging in the ground looking for food, it comes to us as we need it by allowing Christ (the vine) to stretch into our lives. The fruit comes out of us as an overflowing expression of our love for and from him. I think it is interesting to note that the idea of being cutoff doesn't necessarily mean the branch is dead. But it isn't doing any good, not showing any beauty by just sitting there. In fact, it is taking away nourishment from the other branches that are trying to show fruit. How often do we stifle the spirit of others by taking away their nourishment, discouraging and trying to get them to do just the right things in just the right ways before they're ready to accept it? That's like branches choking other branches, and after the one is dead, then we just go on sitting there taking in nourishment but not expressing Christ's love by our fruits. Sad.
But don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying that you are in danger of hell if you aren’t currently involved in some ministry. I will never judge or condemn. I have been in situations where I struggle to live faithfully and situations where I study and meditate and spend enormous amounts of time in solitude. That may not be showing fruit at the time, but it is a time of pruning that causes me to grow so when I do show my fruit, it is even more beautiful than if I were try to bloom flowers without the full love and nourishment from God. Does that make sense? The key is to always be reaching for the nourishment from the Word. The fruit comes through us, not because of us (the branch). It is a natural reaction from the nourishment we receive.
After all you learn, teach, do, think, and say, we are still a branch among many branches, all needing nourishment from the Word. The preacher is a branch whose fruits help others to grow. As one of the non-preacher branches though, I think it is important to not rely on just the fruits from the preacher and the lesson he gives, no matter how moving or true. We must always go back to the source of our love, Christ, his Word, and the examples he set for us. Encourage those set under you to challenge and confirm your teaching by searching the scriptures. This will inevitably cause them to grow as another beautiful branch on the vine.
Great posts!
As a preacher, I could not agree with you more! It is Christ and his words that are true life. It almost slips by us in this passage but notice what he says:
Jn 15:3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
Jn 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
Compare this to what Peter says at the close of John 6:
Jn 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
The importance of "remaining" is tied to the words spoken by the Word. And fruitfulness is tied to the same.
What about this pruning thing?
Did you notice a progression in the discussion about fruit?
fruit
more fruit
much fruit
A few more thoughts:
The Father functions as judge regarding the relationship between Jesus and his followers (vine/branches).
Fruitfulness is seen in a prayer life that realizes results - vs. 7.
The obedience of faith finds its expression in love - see Gal. 5.6
Any thoughts about this day and what happened on 9/11/01?
This prayer was written by Brandon Fredenburg of Lubbock Christian University and offered to the public on September 14, 2001.
A Prayer of Remembrance and Mourning
September 14, 2001
O God, Who created all persons in your image, to you we pray on this day when the United States of America pauses to remember and mourn.
Help us, O God, to remember to pray for our enemies as Jesus commanded.
Help us, O God, to remember to bless our enemies as Jesus commanded.
Help us, O God, to remember that our enemies are those for whom Jesus died.
Help us, O God, to remember to be merciful upon the just (whomever they are) and the unjust (whomever we are), just as You are.
Help us, O God, to remember that we, as your Church, are called to wage supernaturally-enabled peace, compassion, and love as our warfare.
Help us, O God, to remember that the forces of naked wickedness and evil are arrayed against all creation, not merely the nation we live in and those our nation endorses.
Help us, O God, to mourn the dead, both theirs and ours.
Help us, O God, to mourn the loss of innocence, both theirs and ours.
Help us, O God, to mourn pride, both theirs and ours.
Help us, O God, to mourn hatred, both theirs and ours.
Help us, O God, to mourn cruelty, both theirs and ours.
Help us, O God, to mourn revenge, both theirs and ours.
Help us, O God, to mourn the evils of rulers, both theirs and ours.
Help us, O God, to mourn nation-state idols, both theirs and ours.
Help us, O God, to mourn attachments to all things less than You, both theirs and ours.
Enable your Church, O God, to be a constant witness with integrity against sin, idolatry, and bloodshed, both theirs and ours.
Help us, O God, to look at all persons, both them and us, through eyes blood-red — not with rage and anger, but sorrow and tears.
In the name of Him who said, at the most atrocious act in all of cosmic history, “Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing.”
Amen.
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