July 30, 2014
Today’s reading from Encounter with God

Who Is Jesus? Where Am I?

Please see the links to our EXTRA Bible Study notes at the bottom of the page.

Opening Prayer

Father, You have given me so much! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… In his great mercy…” (1 Pet. 1:3).

Read John 15:1-17

For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.

[1] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. [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. [3] You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. [4] Remain in me, as I also 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. [5] “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. [6] If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. [7] If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. [8] This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. [9] “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. [10] If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. [11] I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. [12] My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. [13] Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. [14] You are my friends if you do what I command. [15] 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. [16] You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit-fruit that will last-and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. [17] This is my command: Love each other.

Scripture taken from the THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION, NIV Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Reflect

“Life is committed life. Therefore, a branch that does not bear fruit is not simply a living, unproductive branch, but a dead branch” (Raymond E. Brown, 1928-1978). A solemn reminder!

Here is one of seven “I am” sayings in John: Jesus is the true vine. Like so much in this Gospel, the saying communicates in a host of different ways. As a picture of farming and fruit growing, it grounds the Gospel in ordinary daily life. Branches have no power in themselves to make the fruit grow; they get this from the stem of the vine. In the same way, disciples of Jesus must stay connected; the energy and goodness we need for Christian service can only come from him. Detached branches, which have lost their contact with the stem, are useless. This thought echoes Ezekiel 15. You cannot do anything with vine wood by way of carving or carpentry. It is useless, except as fuel.

This opens up a second aspect of this saying: it resonates with the Old Testament. A vine or a vineyard could be a symbol of Israel and her life with God (Psa. 80; Isa. 5:27). So Jesus draws Israel’s calling onto himself. What she seeks to be, he fulfills. He is the Messiah, the anointed one, in whom the nation meets its promise and potential. Other “I am” sayings, for example, the bread (John 6:35) and the shepherd (John 10), also take up themes from Hebrew Scripture. In Jesus, hope comes home, and symbol takes substance.

Two other themes are introduced here: friendship and joy. Jesus has chosen his closest followers (16), but only here has he called them friends (13-15). These verses explore the meaning of that friendship, not only for the men who were with him then, but also for Christians across the ages. Joy is also mentioned (11). The mood has been sorrowful and somber. yet Jesus speaks of joy that is full and free: an endless spring, nourishing and God-given.

Apply

Think what it is that you value in the friends and friendships you have. How does all of that reflect and compare to your friendship with Jesus?

Closing prayer

Lord Jesus, I need to strengthen my relationship with You. It is easier to drift away from You than to move towards You. Create emptiness in me so that I long for You.

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