Category Archives: The Word of God

Acts, Mission, The Word of God

Acts 13:13-52 – A Light for the Gentiles

 

Context

Paul (who was Saul) and Barnabas continue in their mission to take the gospel abroad. They had been sent by the church in Antioch (already a Gentile area), having been called by God, to go and preach the word of God and make disciples. They were successful on the island of Paphos to convert the Roman Procunsul to believe the good news. Their tactic has been to find local Jewish synagogues first before presenting the news to the greater community.

Observation

Structure

  • 13-15 Paul is invited to speak in a Pisidian Antioch synagogue
  • 16-25 Paul’s address on the history of Israel
    • 16-20 Exodus to the Promised Land
    • 20-22 The Judges to David
    • 23-25 David to Jesus through John
  • 26-41 Paul’s address continues to show Jesus as Messiah
    • 26-31 Jesus was rejected in Jerusalem but God raised him from the dead
    • 32-37 How the prophets spoke about Jesus
    • 38-41 Take care to receive Jesus
  • 42-44 Paul and Barnabas invited back
  • 44-52 The Split reaction to the message

13-15 Paul is invited to speak in a Pisidian Antioch synagogue

“…where John left them…” Remember that this is John who is called Mark (Acts 12:12). A significant little secondary character in the New Testament as he pops up in the story of Acts and later in the Epistles – he may have even appeared in the gospel of Mark (Mark 14:52). His departing in this verse is later viewed as a kind of untrustworthiness from Paul  (Acts 15:37-38).

“On the Sabbath, they entered the synagogue and sat down.” This was Paul’s approach to taking the gospel into the world: start with where God has planted a seed – the Jewish community. Although Paul and Barnabas relied on the Spirit and God’s sovereignty, they also had a strategy of moving forward. They didn’t just walk out the door and see what happens, they proceeded in a planned fashion.

“the Law and the Prophets” This is a Jewish way of describing the Old Testament since the parts were made up of the Law being the first five books and the prophets, evertyhing else. (Matt 7:12; 22:40; Lk 16:16; Rom 3:21 – also Lk 16:29, 31; 24:44)

“..a word of exhortation…” Paul and Barnabas were invited to speak to the people. Their invitation was about taking the word of God and expounding it, applying it, explaining it. They were being asked to encourage the brothers from the scriptures. This is how we apply preaching today – taking a passage of scripture and expounding it to those present to provide encouragement and application.

16-25 Paul’s address on the history of Israel

16-20 Exodus to the Promised Land

“Fellow Israelites and you Gentiles who worship God…” Being in the synagogue, he was clearly addressing people who feared the God of the Jews. He doesn’t distinguish between two religions here but between national and non-national Jews. It must be remembered that God made Israel a light to the nations and predicted that people from all nations would come to God through Israel – they were a type of mediator for all the nations. The book of Jonah teaches us that God had other nations in mind to repent and worship him. Daniel and Isaiah are two other clear books on the subject but the whole bible speaks of God having a concern for the whole world – but he would redeem the world through the Jews.

“All this took about 450 years.” Paul extracted a few facts from the story of Genesis to Joshua, covering hundreds of years in a single sentence. What’s important here is that Paul is able to read the entire Pentateuch and Joshua and see that the whole thing is telling a story – it’s a story of God choosing to treat one nation as his. Paul is doing what we have labelled today as “Biblical Theology” – being able to see the overarching story which holds all of the bible together. This is not a modern way of reading the scriptures but it is a Christian way of doing it. If you asked a Jew before Jesus (say David or Moses or Daniel) how do you love God, they would answer, “by obeying the Law.” If you ask Paul how do you love God, he might answer, “by knowing him and worshipping him in Spirit and in truth.” Paul has begun his sermon on what the Bible has to say about Promise and Fulfillment. Paul can see Jesus in the Old Testament story.

  • “God…chose our ancestors.” See Genesis 12:1-3; 15:1-6; 17:1-8.
  • “made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt” The story skips all of the details of Isaac and Jacob and Joseph. They slow the story down to confuse the point.
  • “with might power he led them out of that country.” Names like Moses are not significant. God is the one acting in this story and Moses shall not take centre stage.
  • “he endured their conduct.” In a quick phrase, Paul has included the fact that the people were not great or worth treating as special – they were something which God endured.
  • “giving their land to his people.” the first stage of the story closes with the receiving of land as a gift.

20-22 The Judges to David

“Then the people asked for a king.” This phase of the Biblical story takes us from Joshua to David. The book of Judges was a time when apparently nobody was in charge of Israel. On the one hand, this is a great thing because everybody is dependant on God to lead them. But the reality of sin means that everybody did what was right in their own eyes. Although the people wanted a king, God would make sure that they received a king who was good for them – one after his own heart (this phrase is ambiguous and can mean that David loved God but it can also mean that God loved David – the ambiguity is best not to be resolved and just enjoy the fact that when someone is a God seeker, they are also one who God has sought). This period of Judges to David was also about 300 years.

23-25 David to Jesus through John

“John preached repentance and baptism…” When John was preparing the way for the Saviour that God had brought, he did that by calling Israel to repent and commit their lives to God. The baptism that he gave was in the Jordan river which was a kind of reenactment of the crossing into the promised land. The point is that John was calling people to turn their lives back to God.

“…there is one coming after me…” Paul lands the story briefly with John, a notable and memorable figure in their modern history whose ministry was to point people to Jesus, the one coming after him. The whole story of Genesis to Malachi has been the story of one coming who is worthy to be found. Paul takes the second half of his exhortation to prove that Jesus is the one, just as the scriptures affirm.

Note that the first book of the New Testament begins with a list of names taking us through a similar storyline that Paul used. Matthew Chapter one contains the ancestors of Jesus divided in similarly to Paul’s story.

26-41 Paul’s address continues to show Jesus as Messiah

26-31 Jesus was rejected in Jerusalem but God raised him from the dead

“…this message of salvation…” This is how Paul views the entire Old Testament and the promises to Abraham and his children – a message of salvation! Jesus is the point of that salvation. But when Jesus came, he was not recognised by his own people – the children of the promise. John’s gospel opens with this kind of language.

“…yet…they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.” Paul isn’t referring to a particular verse of scripture which is read every Sabbath but to the Law and the Prophets which all speak of the Messiah (Lk 24:44). Yet, in rejecting the Christ, they did exactly as God had “predicted”.

“…they asked Pilate to have him executed….God raised him from the dead…” Paul’s sermon follows a very similar structure to Peter’s sermons in early Acts and to Stephen’s sermon in Act 7. Jesus is the fulfillment to God’s promises, he was rejected by his people but raised by God and seen by many. Paul recites a short, memorable structure in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5 which seems to have been a type of creed taught among Christians. It states the facts that Jesus died, was buried and rose on the third day, all in fulfillment of Scripture and he appeared for many to see.

32-37 How the prophets spoke about Jesus

Paul now takes a few quotes from the Psalms to show that there is a description weeved throughout the scriptures of someone who is God’s son, who will receive the promises given to David (see 2 Sam 7) and who will not see decay. Jesus fulfills these promises.

38-41 Take care to receive Jesus

Paul ends his sermon with two possible outcomes: 1) you believe that Jesus is the promised one and you will receive forgiveness of sins which the law of Moses cannot give; 2) scoff at the news and reject the one who God has sent. The choice is over to them now.

The ramifications of the first outcome are amazing. One thing that shouldn’t be overlooked is that Paul no longer distinguishes between Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. He simply says that “everyone who believes is set free from every sin.”

42-44 Paul and Barnabas invited back

“…the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.” This is a successful outcome for the missionaries. They have opened up the minds of their hearers to the message of Jesus and have been given a second chance to speak more.

“…many…followed Paul and Barnabas, who…urged them to continue in the grace of God.” A second outcome was that some people (many) stayed with the missionaries, talking more, not waiting another week to hear further. These followers were urged to continue in the grace of God. This is cool! They were not being told to abandon Judaism but to continue in the grace of God – I take it by receiving the grace through Jesus! Just as the Bible is the outflowing story of the grace of God which leads its hearers to Jesus, the faith of the Jew is to continue in the scriptures, studying the grace of God which is Jesus.

“On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.” Now this is a great outcome of the first sermon – that even more people come. Folk had been talking all week about this news and now, not just the converts to Judaism but other Gentiles in the city came to hear how salvation has come to everybody who believes in Jesus. And they have come to hear what God has to say. They want Paul to talk to them about the word of the Lord.

Wouldn’t it be great to pray for an impact in church like this one?!

45-52 The Split reaction to the message

“…the Jews…were filled with jealousy. They began to contradict what Paul was saying.” What a terrible sin it is for people to love themselves more than they love God. How were these Jews being a light for the Gentiles? They were not! Sure, they included some God-fearing Gentiles in their mix but that is ok, since they are still Gentiles – not truly Jews. Power and the feeling of being special rated higher for them than truth. Didn’t they hear that they were not God’s people because they were special? To contradict what Paul was saying could mean that they disagreed with this biblical knowledge or that they disagreed with his testimony about Jesus. But when you are not for Jesus, you are against him.

“We had to speak the word of God to you first.” Well, God had chosen the descendants of Abraham and Jesus said that the gospel must go out, first to the Jew and then to the Gentiles. Paul uses this same sequence in Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” Paul does not believe that all of the descendants of Abraham will be saved but that all of Israel must hear the gospel and have the opportunity to believe. If they do not believe, they will face the same condemnation – no worse – than the Gentiles.

“I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” See Isaiah 49:6. This is an Old Testament verse. Several hundred years before Jesus came, God had made Israel the spokespeople, the watchmen, the lighthouse for the whole world – that everybody will come to God for salvation!

“When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honoured the word of the Lord…” The Gentiles heard from the Jewish scriptures that salvation is for the whole world – that salvation was for them – that they are not the dregs but much loved by God and welcome into his kingdom! They heard that the bible spoke about them! That God loves them! The Jews, by and large, heard that God was for them and them alone. They failed at their lighthouse ministry.

“But the Jewish leaders…” Jealousy and hate flows out of anyone who does not call on the name of the Lord.

“So they shook the dust off…and…were filled with joy…” The mindset of the disciples was that all who follow Jesus will be persecuted. The world will hate them because it hated Jesus first (Jn 15:18). They had said what they needed to say among the Jews and the word of God had successfully achieved its purpose – it saved some and condemned others. Our place in the mission is not to argue everybody into the Kingdom of God. We preach the word of the Lord and let the Spirit call “all who were appointed for eternal life” to believe.

“The word of the Lord”. It’s worth pausing to think about this little phrase. It’s a phrase that, on face value, means “the words that the Lord has spoken,” or “the message from the Lord”. Gen 15:1 “the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision…” It’s a phrase occurring 237 times in the whole bible. Fifty-seven of those times occur in the book of Ezekiel alone! It is about the message that God wants us to hear. A direct revelation from God – the LORD who is Yahweh. In the New Testament, the phrase occurs 10 times and nine of those are in the book of Acts. The Old Testament came to be through the prophets writing down the words of God and combining them with the narrative which explains and illumines them. The narrative, explains Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16, is also God’s word.

In Acts 8:25, Peter “proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus…preaching the gospel.” What was once about direct revelation from God to a prophet, is now being used to sum up the scriptures. Peter expresses that it’s the word of God which is preached when the gospel of Jesus is proclaimed (1 Peter 1:23-25). We do not abandon any of the scriptures when we preach Jesus. We embrace them and continue to teach it because they speak of Jesus as Lord.

Meaning

Jesus Christ is God’s gift of salvation to all the earth. The whole of the bible speaks of him fulfilling the promises of God. He is the saviour to everybody who believes and therefore, the scriptures are for everybody to hear and adore.

2 Timothy 3:15 “…you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Application

  1. Knowing the word of the Lord. Paul’s understanding of the bible meant that he could see how everything is connected to Jesus. It didn’t matter whether he was preaching to Jews or Gentiles, he used the word of the Lord to show how it is written for all to put their trust in Jesus. Biblical Theology is a modern term used to describe this approach to reading the bible. Being able to read the bible the way Paul did helps us to reach better understanding on everything about this world and to grow in our maturity in Jesus. Reading the Old Testament as Law and ancient history is only a shallow reading. If you would like to grow in your knowledge of God, learn to read the bible as a whole. The “God’s Big Picture Plus” course is aimed to do this. As is the Moore College Distance Learning subject called “Introduction to the Bible.”
  2. Being a light in the world. Although God chose Abraham’s descendants to receive his blessings, they were intended to be a light to the world. This same principle applies to Christians. We are saved and are called to proclaim the word of the Lord to the world (2 Peter 1:9-10; Matt 28:19-20). We live each day because God is holding back his wrath so that more people may hear and respond to the gospel (Romans 2:4).
  3. Loving the gospel regardless of the response to it. Knowing when to speak and when to walk away is a tough thing. Paul’s strategy was to arrive at a new place and seek a Jewish community to speak to. From there, opportunity arose to speak broader than that. His tactic was not to speak only to those who he knew would respond well. History assured him that the Jews could easily reject him and persecute him. When and where to speak are strategic decisions but whether to say something or nothing is really not that hard. Whenever there is opportunity to say something, say it. Let the Spirit call in the elect and learn to rejoice no matter what the outcome. The evangelist, John Chapman, used to ask himself when he returned home from preaching, “Did I preach Jesus? Was I clear? Did I call people to respond? Then shut up and go to bed.”

 

Holy Spirit, Johah, The Word of God

John 16:1-33 – The Plain Truth

Context

Jesus has been speaking to the 11 disciples who will take the message of the gospel out into the world when the time comes. It’s the night of his arrest but his disciples don’t understand this yet. Jesus has told them that they must remain in him and that the world will treat them badly because they remain in him. Even so, they are told to go and testify about Jesus as witnesses who have been with him since the beginning of his earthly mission.

Chapter 16 are Jesus final words in this lengthy speech to the disciples. Besides being able to listen in on His prayer in chapter 17, these will be the last instructions from Jesus to his disciples before the great disaster takes place – the arrest of Jesus and the scattering of the disciples.

Observations

Being a lengthy section this week, you may want to ask your group how they would divide the text into sections – what would their structure look like? Take suggestions and discuss why they chose those breaks. Passages can be broken up in different ways. Sometimes it’s obvious and sometimes it’s not. Although there are certainly wrong ways of dividing the text, there are usually options in parts. Here is how I’m dividing up the text based on themes or messages in each section:

Structure:

  • 1-5a – Be strong and courageous
  • 5b-15 – I must go so that the Spirit of Truth can come to you
  • 16-24 – Your grief will turn into joy
  • 25-33 – Jesus speaking plainly

Verses 1-5a – Jesus warns the disciples that what is coming is a time of persecution. It’s important to recall two things here: 1) that Jesus is talking specifically to 11 men about their future and 2) that what Jesus teaches these 11 men is the same principal for us. That is, we do not need to see a prediction for us but we do need to listen to the same lesson of encouragement: to be strong and courageous in a world that has rejected the love of the Father.

“…so that you will not fall away.” How do they avoid falling away? By listening to Jesus words! By “remaining” in him! (John 15:7). Can Christians fall away? Yes. They fall away when they stop giving Jesus their attention. When they “walk in the way of sinners” (Ps 1). But the word of God is what prevents us from falling away. It is the power of God (Romans 1:16-17). God keeps us for eternity by his word and with his Spirit. This is the distinction between those who are truly called by God and those who enjoy the benefits of grace but do not remain in Jesus. 1 John 2:19 (the same writer of John’s gospel) says that those who depart from Jesus show that they were never really saved to begin with. Are you nervous that you might fall away? Good. Keep listening to Jesus and the word of God.

“I did not tell you this from the beginning…” Jesus has in mind the beginning of his ministry with the disciples – back when he called them from their fishing boats (some of them) to become fishers of men. Back then, Jesus had a three year education in store for them. They didn’t need to worry about the specifics of their future and Jesus’ departure back then, but Jesus now tells them everything they need to hear to prepare them for what is next. We can learn from this same idea when we teach others about Christ. Every one of us continues to grow in our knowledge and understanding of Christ. We must be patient with one another and also not be anxious if we don’t have the same depth of understanding as others.

Verses 5b to 15 focus on the Holy Spirit who will come when Jesus departs. It’s helpful to realize that the disciples are growing in their grief as Jesus says that he is departing. But it’s for their good that he goes. In this section, we learn that it is good because unless he goes, the Spirit cannot come. In the next section, 16 onward, Jesus tells them that they must grieve before they see joy.

“When he comes he will…” three things Jesus says that the Spirit will do (specifically).

  1. The Spirit will prove the world to be wrong about sin because people do not believe in Jesus. This is the conviction of the Spirit. Sin will not be reduced to small occurrences of lies, stealing and adultery (not that any of these are minor) but the guilt of sin will land on where you stand with Jesus. The Father will come and make a home with anyone who loves Jesus and obeys Jesus’ commands (Jn 14:23-24). People that very night will show their ignorance of Jesus and will nail him to a cross. This will be the world’s ultimate act of sin.
  2. The Spirit will prove the world to be wrong about righteousness because Jesus is going to the Father. Righteousness is not found in our works because nobody can please God by their own righteousness. Righteousness is not found through the Jewish laws and religion because they will turn on Jesus and crucify him. The Spirit will show their actions to be wrong when Jesus is raised from the dead and returned to the Father (Romans 8:11).
  3. The Spirit will prove the world to be wrong about judgment because the prince of this world now stands condemned. Jesus had mentioned the ‘prince of this world’ back in Jn 14:30 and said that he has no hold over Jesus. The person being referred to is commonly understood as Satan – the deceiver. A great moment occurred at the cross, which the Spirit of Truth has ever since been speaking into this world: Jesus has died for our sins and we need not ever listen to the lies of Satan again. He was wrong to deceive Adam and Eve in the beginning and wrong to deceive every human ever since. He cannot, ever more, stand and tell any of his holy ones that they are guilty and must pay for their crimes. We stand with the Holy Spirit and say back, “I am with Jesus who died for me so that I do not have to listen to your lies any more!”

“The Spirit of truth…will receive from me what he will make known to you.” Verses 12-15 center on the Spirit serving the Father and Jesus to make known to the disciples the truth. This truth captures what we’ve already looked at above and everything that the Father has revealed to Jesus. Notice again the language here that has made up the doctrine of the Trinity. It’s not a man-made myth or something that the church has adopted on its own but a way of taking the words of the bible and giving that relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit a name. “All that belongs to the Father is [Jesus’]”. “…the Spirit will receive from me…” “[The Spirit] will glorify [Jesus]” “The Spirit will not speak on his own.” Add these words to the description in chapter 14 and 15 and you build a great vision of the Godhead from Jesus’ lips alone! Notice too how integral the Spirit is to the word of God. His role is focused on truth and sharing the words of the Father. The Spirit of God and the word of God cannot be separated.

Verses 16 to 24, describe a passing event which will begin with grief but then be replaced with joy. Compare verses 16, 20 and 22. The illustration of the woman in labour describes the comparison of the two moments: great pain will give way to great relief and excitement – such joy that the pain will be overlooked. Jesus is surely talking about the cross and resurrection. That is what has been on his mind over these past few chapters and he has been telling the disciples that he must go away. The pain they will face will begin at his arrest (chapter 18) and continue beyond his death right up until they hear and see that he has been raised from the dead! Then they will bring back to memory all that Jesus has said to them about this event (John 16:4).

“Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him…” (v19). Jesus and John (the narrator) draw attention to this little phrase quite a bit. Perhaps more than seems natural. The words of Jesus could have simply continued as John reflects back at this conversation without the little issue of the disciples not understanding. Why does John tell us what the disciples were thinking and then have Jesus know what they were wanting to ask? You could say that any perceptive person may have known what the disciples were wanting to ask, but even the disciples are amazed when in verse 30 they are convinced that Jesus knows what they want before they ask it! Furthermore, Jesus talks about being asked things in verse 23, 24, and 26. It’s like he takes the “unasked question” and converts it into a lesson about asking for things but no more asking Jesus, but asking the Father. What draws all of this together? Firstly, that the disciples are convinced of Jesus’ truth because he was able to know what they wanted without being asked but secondly, that he came to earth in the first place to give his disciples something that they didn’t necessarily ask for: “I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” This was all the initiative of the Father and Jesus. This is grace. Not that we asked God but that he saw what we needed and came to deliver. Now that we have been given access to the Father even before we asked for it, we are invited to talk directly to the Father about anything we desire. Perhaps my words have not been clear here, but seeing how Jesus plays with the idea of “not asking” is kind of awesome and impressive – and it teaches us about grace.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” What a great way for Jesus to end his dialogue with his disciples. It’s a solemn and serious way to end his ministry with them but an important one. They are promised PEACE and TROUBLE at the same time. The first will come from God and the latter will come from the world. But take heart! Don’t be discouraged. Grasp onto this truth: that Jesus has overcome the world. He is superior. He is the boss. He is the one who has returned to the Father with a mission accomplished! If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)!

The disciples will truly need to remember these words. Even with the conviction that they share in verse 30, they will be scattered before the night is over (verse 32). When we are confident in our faith, be careful, because there are times when we may feel very weak. But when we feel weak and failing, take heart because Jesus has been strong for us.

Meaning

Jesus’ mission on earth is almost complete. He will go to the cross and see the disciples scattered before he conquers death and replaces their grief with joy. As Jesus prepares to leave, he promises that the Spirit of truth will come and bring clarity to the events that are about to take place. Sin, and righteousness and judgment are all seen at the cross as Jesus’ mission is accomplished. Sin is exposed. Righteousness revealed. And the prince of this world is stripped of all his power. The disciples declare their understanding and belief over who Jesus is as Jesus warns them to stand firm and not fall away.

Application

  • Negative influences from the world that we live in will bring us trouble. It might be silent or audible sniggers from family or acquaintances. It might be public shame from a position that makes no sense to people outside of Christ. But Jesus says to us: don’t fall away. Don’t take your eyes off Jesus. Listen to the Spirit of truth and not the spirit of this age. The world can judge us all it likes, but God has sent his Son into the world to give us grace and peace! So take heart!
  • Thank God for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that it was crucial that he go away, otherwise the Spirit could not come. Jesus thinks very highly of the Spirit when he puts it that way: “it’s better that I leave”, he said. The Spirit has upheld the 11 disciples to bring them clarity on all that Jesus did and said and so that they could deliver this message to the world. The role of the Spirit is to testify, or bear witness, or reveal to people everything in truth about the Father and the Son. Thank God for his gift to us! We are not alone.
  • Although Jesus spoke of this death and resurrection as the time of pain which gives way to joy – surely we can see the similarity between our lives which endure trouble and hardship while we wait for the joy of our own resurrection and of seeing God in glory! Suffering, in the bible, is seen as part of the process leading to great joy. James said, consider it all joy when you face trials of every kind. This is not because the Christian loves pain, but because we know that this pain will give way to liberty, freedom, eternal peace, joy and rest. The memory of the pain of this world will pass away as we celebrate with excitement the very real deliverance into glory.

Prayer

Father God, you sent your Son, Jesus Christ, into this world in order to set us free from sin and shame. Keep us, we pray, in your love and teach us to serve you through good times and poor. Keep our hearts from despair as we live our lives listening to the Spirit of your word. Amen.

John, Prayer, The Word of God

John 15:1-17 True Danger, True Disciple, True Love

Context

Jesus is speaking alone with his eleven followers (Judas Iscariot has left the building). In chapter 14, he declared that if they love him, then they will keep his commands. The test of a follower appears to reside in listening and obeying – love in action. In chapter 15, Jesus fleshes this out some more to talk about how disciples are made, shaped and grown.

Read John 15:1-17

Observation

What it says over and over again:

Jesus is like a vine and we are like branches. Branches detached from the vine are only good for firewood. Branches connected will live, bear fruit, be cared for and will love the vine. We need to be and stay connected to Jesus.

Questions that arise:

What fruit does Jesus have in mind? What does the gardener’s pruning involve? How do you know if you are connected to Jesus or not? How real is Jesus offer to give us anything we ask? Is Jesus being clear or unclear? Is it possible to sum up Jesus’ teaching here so that we know for sure what he is saying? How can we take these words and live it? That is, how can I adopt these words beyond theory? How do they affect me?

Structure:

  • 1-4 Jesus is the vine and the Father is the gardener
  • 5-10 Jesus is the vine and you are the branches
  • 11-17 Listen to why I have told you this

Notice that the NIV places the structure change at verse 9 probably picking up on the theme of love that runs through verses 9-15. But the information in verses 9 and 10 continues the theme of remaining in Jesus who remains in the Father. We could stick with the NIV structure; however, doing so seems to camouflage the impact of verse 11.

Verses 1-4:

‘I am the true vine…’ Jesus has not just invented a metaphor out of the blue. The image of the vine and the vineyard has strong Old Testament influences. The story of the vine is a story of the blessing and cursing of God. The following is only a sample of ‘vine’ passages from the bible…

Genesis 49:22 is the beginning of the blessings to Joseph. He is described as a vine and a fruitful one. It turns out that he is fruitful because of the hand of the Almighty, the Shepherd and Rock of Israel (24-26).

Searching through the bible for uses of the word ‘vine’ make it clear that having a healthy vineyard is a sign of God’s blessing. There are too many vineyard references to mention all of them. Going into the promised land, for example, promised the people healthy vineyards that produced good fruit. From Genesis to Joshua, the attention of the vine is quite literal – there will be good living in the promised land.

Psalm 80 describes the people of Israel as a vine that has been transplanted from Egypt, and cared for. The vine is now being used as a metaphore for the people of God. God is the gardener who will tear down the vine if it is not bearing fruit.

Psalm 105:33 describes the destruction of the vines as one sign of judgement.

Isaiah 3:14 again describes Israel as a vineyard whom the elders and leaders have ruined – they have not taken care of the vineyard.

Isaiah 5 contains, most applicably, a song about a vineyard. The whole chapter is worth reading as this is perhaps the height of the allusion that Jesus describes in John 15. Isaiah sees a whole vineyard which contains bad vines. Jesus sees just one vine – the true vine – a good and healthy vine which produces good branches and good fruit.

Ezekiel too uses the image of the vine to describe God and his people: Ezekiel 15 teaches us that even the precious vine will be thrown into the fire when it is detached – the people of God will receive God’s judgement for being a useless, dead vine. And Ezekiel 17 is a useful passage but not a good one to get bogged down in. It describes Israel again as a vine which has been taken away and yet a new seed will be planted which will produce a great tree – one that many people will come and take shelter in.

The story of the vine and the vineyard is one of blessing for the people of God who listen and love the LORD and a mark of judgement when they do not.

Zechariah 8:12 is one of many passages which promise again that the people of Israel will enjoy fruitful vines again when God restores his people.

The vineyard and the vine, therefore, are bound up with the promises of God to bless the people of God. Although Israel was described as the vineyard, they were unable to bear good fruit and so were torn down. When Jesus says, ‘I am the true vine,’ he is saying that he stands in the place of Israel to be what they failed to be. The rest of John 15 invites us to choose to join with Jesus or to stand alone. The invitation is clear and the consequences of refusing it is not hard to see either.

‘…my Father is the gardener.’ Insert this phrase into the discussion about the vine and you see that the Father of Jesus is the one who has been planting and transplanting and pruning and cutting throughout the Old Testament. The Father of Jesus, therefore, is the God of the Old Testament.

‘He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit…’ Verses 2-4 give a reminder of how important it is for vines to bear fruit. The gardener will ensure it bears fruit by pruning what is not working and to mould or encourage the plant in the right direction. In verse 2, the object of the pruning is really Jesus since he is the vine and the Father is the gardener who prunes the vine. Before we move on to verse 3, we can pause to realise that Jesus is involved deeply in the whole process of bearing fruit – even when it hurts.

‘You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.’ This line doesn’t quite fit the analogy of the vine. It fits more the scene in chapter 13 when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. Our passage this week speaks of the words of Jesus in connection with being clean (v3) and of how Jesus is to remain in us (v7). Salvation from being cast aside by the Father’s wrath is by listening to Jesus and continuing to listen to him.

‘Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.’ We see that the disciples are now brought into the metaphor and the part they play is the branches of the vine. But no branch on its own is useful for anything. The vine is subject to the gardener and the branch must depend and be subject to the vine.

The warning in verses 1-4 are that the Father is actively clearing out the branches that do not bear fruit and the only way to bear fruit is to be attached to the vine and prepared for pruning by the Father. The gardener is only mentioned once but his reference makes the focus of this section.

Verses 5-10:

‘I am the vine; you are the branches.’ If verses 1-4 are about the gardener, these verses are about the branches. The attention in this section is on the branches and on how they can remain in the vine. Let’s list in bullet point what Jesus says in this section…

  • attached branches will bear fruit – these are healthy branches (v5)
  • unattached branches can do as much as a dead person can – nothing (v5)
  • dead branches are not left alone but are picked up and destroyed (v6)
  • Jesus remains in us by his word being in us (v7)
  • The prayers of a true disciple are heard and answered (v7)
  • The Father is glorified when we remain in Jesus and ask with his word in us (v8)
  • A disciple is known by these ingredients: listening to Jesus, and asking to bear good fruit (v8)
  • Jesus has loved us equal to the Father loving Jesus (v9)!
  • Remaining in Jesus is by keeping his commands (v10)
  • Thus, when we keep Jesus commands and listen to his words, we can ask and receive to the glory of the Father! (v10,7,8)
  • Jesus has shown us how this works by the way he remains in the Father and the Father in him (v10)
  • Remaining in Jesus and Jesus in us is about love (v10)

When the whole of the above is analysed we see that Jesus is describing a tight relationship between you and Jesus which can be seen between Jesus and the Father. What does Jesus want? For us to listen to him and follow.

When we pray with the expectation to receive, it is with the premise that we have Jesus words and command of love in our heart and mind. Rather than sounding like a loop-hole, it is the description of something running smoothly. Put the right ingredients into a cake and you can expect the goods. Why expect to get a good cake if you have made no effort to understand what makes a good cake? Perhaps a car is a better illustration…only the right fuel and oil, placed in the right spots will make a car move smoothly. Have no respect for a car and you can’t expect to win the Piston Cup! A father will grant his son anything he asks for when the son has come with wisdom and love! These are exactly the ingredients that Jesus asks us to have in prayer: wisdom (knowing Jesus) and love (following Jesus).

Verses 11-17:

‘…so that…your joy may be complete.’ Amazing! Outcome number one of remaining in the vine is so that we avoid the disaster of judgement. But the other outcome is more brilliant: our joy! Following Jesus is like hearing the end of a brilliant story, it makes sense and makes us glow. This joy is not the same as being continually happy, like a stupid clown. It is more like contentment. This is why words like joy, peace, rest and love are used by Jesus to describe the kingdom of God instead of words like anxiety, doubt, worry and war (of course Jesus does warn that our lives will not be all rosie because of him and that will be his topic next week – but there is a joy that can only come with the gospel so that life’s worries do not overcome us).

What I am saying is this: sticking with Jesus is not anti-human and weird. It is quite the opposite. Sticking with Jesus is the most human thing that a human can do.

‘My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.’ The only law that the Christian is to follow is the law of love. And the example of love is what Jesus has shown for us.

  • Let’s again list what is contained in verses 11-17:
  • Being a disciple of Jesus results in joy (v11)
  • If you want joy, listen to Jesus’ words (v11)
  • Jesus’ joy is in us also (v11)
  • We are commanded by Jesus to love (v12)
  • This is extreme love: to regard another persons’ life as more precious than yours (v13)
  • Those who listen to Jesus’ command to love are friends of Jesus (v14)
  • As friends of Jesus, we are treated to know everything Jesus knows about the Father (v15)
  • We don’t make friends with Jesus, he makes friends with us (v16)
  • We are chosen in order to bear fruit (v16)
  • We bear fruit that will last (forever) (v16)
  • The fruit that we bear is what we ask the Father to give (v16)
  • What Jesus commands us to do is to love (v17)

Having listed the promises and instructions, we might notice that the fruit we are to bear is the fruit of love.

Meaning

Like a branch only has life when it is connected to the tree, our life only exists when we are connected to Jesus. This connection is by listening to his words, to follow his example of love and to ask the Father to give us hearts that will love. Jesus saves us from hell and he gives us the full joy of true life.

Application

  • Seek Jesus. Life or death; heaven or hell; friend of Jesus or enemy with God – which would you choose and which have you chosen? There is no in-between option.
  • Follow Jesus. Remaining in Jesus is by listening to him, learning from him and requesting God to help us be more like him. Failing to do this makes it difficult to identify a person as a true disciple.
  • Pursue love. Jesus has given us a direct command here. We may well often ask ‘what does it mean to be a Christian’ but here is one clear path: we are to love. When we find it hard to love, the passage directs us to pray and ask God for it. What others need more than anything else in this world is to have their joy made complete and being grafted into the Jesus-vine. If our prayers for others are simply for good HSC results or healing from sickness, then we leave them as dead wood in the forest waiting to be burned. We who know the love of Jesus need to capture the same urgency that Jesus had for us and we must bring people to Jesus.

Prayer

Father God, we ask in the name of Jesus that you will give us great love for the lost. For our neighbours, our families, our work colleagues, and all who you put in our path – give us hearts that will speak to them on your behalf. You have chosen all who will be your friends, please introduce us to them. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.