SCRIPTURE; JOHN 15
THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES (vs. 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 love 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”.”
THE WORLD HATES THE DISCIPLES (vs. 18-27)
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. Ifo you belonged to the world; it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates me hates my Father as well. If I had not done among them what no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen these miracles, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.”
“When the Counselor comes whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.
THOUGHTS:
In the Old Testament, grapes symbolized Israel’s fruitfulness in doing God’s work on earth. In the Passover meal, the fruit of the vine symbolized God’s goodness to His people. The grapevine is a prolific plant that bears many grapes.
Christ is the vine, and God is the gardener . The branches are all those who claim to be followers of Christ. The fruitful branches represent true believers who produce much fruit. But those who become unproductive will be separated from the vine and will be cut off and tossed aside.
There are two kinds of pruning : (1)-cutting off and (2) cutting back branches. Fruitful branches are cut back to promote growth. In other words, God must sometimes discipline us to strengthen our character and faith. But branches that don’t bear fruit are cut off because they are worthless and they often infect the rest of the tree. People who do not bear fruit for God or who try to block the efforts of God’s followers will be cut off from life-giving power.
“Fruits” are qualities of Christian character. Galatians 5:22-23 mentioned Fruit of the Spirit which comprises Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-control.
WHAT IS MEAN BY “REMAINING IN CHRIST”?
- Believing that Jesus is the Son of God.
- Receiving Him as Savior and Lord.
- Doing what God says.
- Sharing the Good News.
- Loving people.
Jesus said: “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”. Jesus is emphasizing the importance of remaining connected with Him as a branch is connected to a vine in order to bear fruit and live a meaningful life for God’s glory.
Why is it very important for us to be connected with God? Life is not a bed of roses. When things are going well, we feel elated. But when hardships come, we fall into depression. We need true joy to transcend the rolling waves of circumstances. And joy comes from a consistent relationship with Jesus Christ. When our lives are intertwined with His, He will help us walk through adversity without sinking and manage prosperity without moving into deceptive highs. The joy of living with Jesus daily will keep us confident no matter how high or low our circumstances.
THE WORD “LOVE” IS MENTIONED 10 TIMES IN THIS CHAPTER:
- As the Father has LOVED me, so have I LOVED you. Now remain in my LOVE. (v. 9)
- 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 (v. 10)
- My command is this: LOVE each other as I have LOVED you. (v. 12)
- Greater LOVE has no one than this, that he lays down his life for his friends. (v. 13)
- This is my command: “LOVE each other” (v. 17)
- If you belonged to the world, it would LOVE you as its own. As it is , you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. (v. 19)
12 Ways to show sacrificial love to people:
- Prioritizing the needs of others
- Empathizing with their sorrows
- Giving without expectation
- Offering support and services
- Understanding and forgiving
- Making personal sacrifices
- Being selfless and friendly
- Speaking encouraging words
- Keeping your promises
- Learning to listen
- Showing physical affection
- Practicing patience
Jesus considers us as his friends if we do what he commands. Then He promises to give us whatever we ask in His name. And his command is LOVE EACH OTHER.
Jesus chose to love and to die for us and invited us to live with Him forever. Your choice is to accept or reject his offer. Which one do you choose?
Because the world hates Christ, followers of Christ had to endure the unreasonable hatred towards them. But Jesus offers us the Holy Spirit to give us strength in facing persecution.
Jesus uses 2 names of the HOLY SPIRIT to minister to our head and heart:
- Counselor – it conveys the helping, encouraging and strengthening work of the Spirit.
- Spirit of Truth – it points to the teaching, illuminating and reminding work of the Spirit