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My dear “Walking with Jesus” friends we have come to a very special day, Thursday of Easter week. For Jesus and His disciples, this is the day they gathered in the upper room of a Jerusalem house, for an evening which none of them would ever forget. It was Passover, and as they shared the Passover meal with Jesus, He shared with them very significant truths which would shape the rest of their lives.
The disciple John gives us four chapters of what Jesus said that night. Today, let’s focus on John 15 and some powerful, amazing truths, by which Jesus described the relationship God desires with His close followers….that’s you and me, my “Walking with Jesus” friends.
Do you notice the last few words of John 14? Jesus said “Come now, let us leave.” It’s possible at that point they started preparing to leave the upper room. Chapter 18 begins with this: “When He had finished praying, Jesus left with His disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and He and His disciples went into it.” That, of course, is the garden of Gethsemane. TO that garden, Judas led the soldiers, later that evening, to arrest Jesus, and FROM that garden, the disciples scattered. From that garden, Jesus was dragged by the soldiers to trials, and beatings, and eventually on Friday morning, they crucified Him.
Would you come with me? Let’s join in that upper room, with Jesus and 11 of His disciples, and experience the amazing power of these precious hours with Jesus, on His last evening before His death.
The place where Judas had been sitting at the table is empty now. He has left, and is right now meeting with the religious leaders finalizing his plan to betray Jesus later this evening. The other disciples don’t know where he is or what he is doing. They are confused as to why Judas left so abruptly and why Jesus identified Judas as one who would betray Him. What could it possible mean? They’d spent together months, and never imagined this could happen.
Look at Peter, over there, sitting quietly, with a troubled look of intense reflection on his face. That’s unusual for Peter. A few minutes ago, he had boasted he’d be willing to die for Jesus, and yet Jesus had responded that Peter would deny Him before the sun rises tomorrow morning. Peter sits in stunned, reflective silence.
As John opens his 15th chapter, Jesus may have reached across the table to pick up a cluster of grapes from a basket on the table, since grapes were plentiful and wine was an important part of the Passover meal. Or, it’s possible Jesus may have led His friends from the upper room, down into the courtyard of the house, where there may have been a grapevine trellis and as Jesus often did, He may have stood by that trellis, His hands running over the grapevines, to explain about the very special, fruit bearing relationship, that God wants for all Jesus followers, for all time, including you and me today.
Jesus said: “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…” (John 15:1-5)
Grapes and Olives are the two fruit most often mentioned in the Bible as evidence of God’s blessing on the land of Israel. Wine was an important part of life in Israel and of course pure olive oil was essential for cooking but also both for lamps in homes and the lamps in the Temple. On this special Thursday evening, both grape vines and olive trees would be very significant for Jesus and these memorable hours with His disciples.
Bruce Wilkinson has written a little book “Secrets of the Vine“, which has become a favorite for me and is so very helpful in understanding what Jesus was saying to His disciples here in John 15. In a vineyard, what Jesus called the ‘vine’ is more like a stalk or trunk which is rooted in good soil, and each year produces ‘fresh branches‘. Some vines can be many years old, even decades old. Life is in the vine, and the connection between the vine and branches is vital to the life flow out through vibrant branches to produce grapes.
We often call those long, winding strings the ‘vines’ when in fact they should be called ‘branches’. The grapes grow in clusters hanging from the branches, and of course a trellis is essential to hold the branches up, bearing the weight of the grape clusters. Left to themselves the branches will naturally droop from the vine, all the way down to the ground, and will not bear any fruit down there.
Holding the branches up for air and sunlight is the important role of the trellis, so the grape clusters can develop and be cared for by the gardener who walks along the grapevines and with a trained eye can quickly see the pruning that may be needed, or drooping branches which need to be tied up to the trellis. Grape branches produce large leaves which look bountiful but can actually absorb vital nutrients which are needed for the grapes to develop. The big leaves can also block the essential sunlight from the grapes, thus frequent pruning to remove those big leaves is vital in healthy vineyards.
Do you see what Jesus is saying here? He is our source of LIFE! Our connection to Jesus is vital to living a healthy, fruit bearing life! John 15:2 in most translations says “He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit…” Bruce Wilkinson’s book helps me understand this may be an unfortunate translation of the word ‘airo’, which is the original Greek language word used here. “Airo” can be translated “take away” or “take up”, and here too often translators have used “cut off” as a version of ‘take away’, when in fact with grapes, the last thing a gardener would do is ‘take away’ or ‘cut off’ an unproductive branch which is drooping down to the ground. Rather he would “take up” or ‘lift up’ the branch, clean it off, if it was mud covered on the ground, and tie it to the trellis and prune the branch. Then in short order, with sunlight, fresh air, good nurturing from the vine, this branch will start producing grapes!
This is why Jesus said “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” Jesus was saying His disciples were not like drooping branches crawling along the ground and mud splattered. Because they had been with Jesus, the God-truths He had been explaining to them were doing a deep cleaning, nurturing work in their lives. And if they would stay connected to Him, they would be fruit bearing disciples! Little did these men know it at that moment, but their ‘fruit bearing’ is how you and I have come to know the Gospel, 2000 years later!!
Now let’s apply all this to us… today. In real, everyday life, you and I can get so overwhelmed with the stuff of life, that we neglect God’s Word, we neglect time with Jesus in worship and prayer, we become consumed with the busyness and burdens of life, and it’s like a vine-branch drooping down on the ground, covered with mud and the weeds of life. That weary branch needs to be picked up, cleaned off, tethered to the trellis, pruned, nurtured by the vine…and soon fruit will come! Do you see it my friends, can you apply it to your life? Are you a drooping, unproductive branch that the Gardener, Almighty God, wants to help become productive in your vine-branch connection with Jesus? What causes you to droop and be overwhelmed with life rather than fruit bearing?
You noticed Jesus challenges His disciples to be alert in their lives so they can detect if they are drooping, unproductive branches which need to be lifted up, cleaned up and nurtured. Or also, are they branches which are producing some fruit, but if pruned could produce much more fruit? Again, remember that unpruned grape branches will produce LOTS of big leaves, but very few grapes. While they may appear green and healthy, they are producing worthless leaves. Much better to prune some of the leaves so the branch can produce that for which God has it attached to the vine… grapes, lots of grapes!
Jesus urged His disciples to stay closely connected to Him. He said “This is to My Father’s glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be My disciples.” Ah my friends, so in these challenging COVID-19 pandemic times, what God pleasing fruit in your life and mine will be the evidence of the closeness and vitality of our relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord? What truths of Jesus, what attributes of Jesus, are desperately needed in our fearful, ‘social distanced’ world right now? Are you and I vibrant, joyful, encouraging, helpful, comforting, serving, pointing people to Jesus and lifting them up as Jesus would if He was in our shoes? How are your grapes my friends? Is the Gardener delighted with your fruit bearing? Is Jesus supplying you all the nourishment you need? Has some pruning of the Gardener been very helpful to your fruit bearing vitality? Is more pruning needed?
May I point out one more thing in John 15 as we contemplate the significance of this very special Thursday before Easter? Jesus looked around at His disciples and said “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 one another 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 have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you. You did not chose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last…” (John 15:9-16)
Oh my friends, how do you understand the Love of God for you? How do you measure it? The cross stands as the ultimate evidence and expression of God’s love for you and me, and every human being, no matter who they are, where they live, what they have done or have not done. But the love of God expressed to you and me through Jesus came at a horrible price. . .and that’s the story of tomorrow, crucifixion Friday!
The disciples at this Thursday evening moment, could not have imagined what the next few hours would hold for Jesus, or for them. But for the rest of their lives, wherever they went, they told whoever would give them a hearing, that God so loved the world, that He sent Jesus His only Son, to love the sinful people of the world. Jesus did it through His words of God’s truth, His miracles of God’s power, and His atonement death which makes it possible for any of us to be given God’s forgiveness for our sins and be adopted as a deeply loved son or daughter of God!
Lastly, did you notice Jesus longed for His disciples to understand that He desired them to live in His joy! “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete…you are My friends…” (vs 11,14,15) As you walk through this Thursday with Jesus, and then contemplate what He experienced for you that Thursday night and crucifixion Friday… remember this from Hebrews 12:1,2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the JOY set before Him, endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Father…”
As horrible and excruciating as the next 18 hours would be for Jesus in His crucifixion, He held tightly to the joy He had of knowing what His suffering would make possible, and what it would accomplish for you and me, and millions of others who have chosen to trust and follow Jesus. We have been rescued FROM our sin condemnation and eternity in hell. We have been restored TO being fruit bearing, joy filled, friends and followers of Jesus!
Oh what a contrast to who we would be if Jesus had gotten up from that table that night and said ‘NO’!! I will not do it. I quit! I will not complete the mission God sent me to earth for. I am returning to heaven and my throne room and leave you and all humanity to live and die in your sin!’ Can you imagine? So how will you thank Jesus today, this evening, for all He has done for and in you? Are you a friend of Jesus, do you have the joy of Jesus, are you a fruit bearing follower of Jesus this Thursday of Easter week?
May I remind you of our “Walking with Jesus” Facebook group. We’d love to hear from you and how Easter weekend is where you are in the world. Here’s the link below:
Oh Lord Jesus, how do we begin to thank you for Thursday of Easter weekend and all that You accomplished in that upper room that night. Help us, Holy Spirit, understand how to live vibrant lives as fruit bearing branches attached to Jesus, the vine of life! Help us see anything in our lives that needs to be pruned away. Oh how we long for the Joy of Jesus as we bear fruit for God’s glory!
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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