Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends on this Monday,
Have you ever walked through a VINEYARD admiring clusters of luscious grapes and then irresistibly plucking one or two and enjoying their delicious flavor? Vineyards, grapes and wine are an important part of the “Grand Narrative” Biblical story and have been a very important part of the culture of Israel from the beginning, thus when Jesus began describing a healthy vineyard as a picture of a spiritually healthy person, it wasn’t difficult for His disciples to pay close attention.
Jesus was in the upper room, on that Thursday of Passover weekend, with His disciples, and already, as we’ve seen in John 13 and 14, some amazing things had occurred, and Jesus had said some really important truths we still cherish 2000 years later. The latter part of John 14 has a very interesting formula for God honoring living, which Jesus presented simply yet powerfully. Have you ever noticed it? Are you living it? “Anyone who loves Me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and We will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey My teaching. These words are not My own, they belong to My Father in heaven who sent Me.” (John 14:23,24)
If you are a parent or grandparent, you need no explanation, do you? Obedience and love are inseparably linked. Disobedience and apathy are also inseparably linked. So, the person who either does NOT accept God’s truth OR refuses to act in obedience to God’s truth, is a person who is apathetic toward God and apathetic toward all Jesus has accomplished so they can live in a sin-forgiven, heaven assured relationship with God! Pause, did you get that? Have you seen it to be true in your own life journey?
Love for and gratitude to God is our great motivator to embrace and live in obedience to God’s Truth and God’s commands. Jesus then used Himself as an example by saying: “I love the Father and I do exactly what My Father has commanded Me.” (John 14:31) Oh my! I must stop, stand in front of the mirror and ask: What does this look like in my life, and what about you?
Sometimes when we read the Bible if we are not careful, we might overlook a small and seemingly insignificant few words. John 14 ends with this brief statement made by Jesus to His disciples: “Come now, let us leave”. It’s only 5 little words, but I’ve often wondered what happened after Jesus said that? Did they rise up from the table and leave the upper room with Jesus at that point, or was this something we’ve all experienced when at a gathering and someone says they’re going to leave, but the conversation continues on for some time? Is it possible they did leave the upper room at that moment, walked through Jerusalem in the dark of the evening, across the Kidron valley, and into the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus then continued His teaching as John recorded it in John 15,16?
If so, while the Garden of Gethsemane was mostly olive trees, it’s very likely there were also some grape vines along that Mount of Olives hillside, and Jesus may have paused using them as His teaching example. Can you see Jesus holding a cluster of grapes, well attached to the grape vine, while He spoke these words: “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… 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 you remain in Me and I remain in You, you will bear much fruit. Apart from Me you can do nothing…” (John 15:1-5) This is one of the most important things Jesus ever said! Let’s be sure we understand it accurately, my friends.
First, let’s understand how God designed grapevines to grow and produce fruit. What Jesus called the ‘vine’ we might call the ‘stalk’ or ‘trunk’ of the grapevine. It’s usually about 4 ft tall and looks like a small tree trunk. From this ‘vine‘ run out what Jesus called the ‘branches‘, and that’s what we often call the ‘vines’. They are so limp they need to be tied to a trellis, or they will droop down to the ground.
That’s the role of the gardener: tending his precious branches, tying them up so they get sunlight and will be able to support the weight of the clusters of grapes it will produce. The gardener also prunes away big leaves so the fruit buds can receive sunlight needed to produce grapes. Do you see the important role of the gardener always evaluating those precious branches, caring for them so they will produce fruit?
Now watch this, it’s very important. Any grape vine branch, left to itself and NOT tied carefully to a trellis will droop down to the ground. But there it will not receive sunlight and will easily be trampled. Certainly it will NOT produce grapes choked off by the dirt and mud. But the grape branch is FAR too valuable for the gardener to ‘cut off‘, rather it must be lifted up from the ground, cleaned off and tied to the trellis to thrive. A much better translation of the Greek word “airo” which is translated “cut off” in John 15:2, would be ‘lift up’ or ‘take up’ as used in Matt. 14:20 when the disciples ‘took up’ the leftover food. Please understand this! When a Christian is not producing fruit, God the Gardener will NEVER cut that person off from Jesus, the vine! Remember we looked closely at those promises from Jesus in John 6:35-40.
Now friends, do you see Jesus drew a strong similarity between the vineyard and Gardener lovingly pruning his grapevines; and the sheep and an alert, attentive shepherd, watching over their precious flock? (John 10:1-30) Isn’t it interesting Jesus used both pictures to describe the close relationship God has designed between Jesus and His people? Please notice both with the shepherd and the gardener, they are busy, active, alert, attentive overseers of their precious flock or grapevines.
Do we understand why Jesus used those examples? I think because so many people assume God is far away, uninterested and uninvolved in what is happening on our planet, in our cities, our families and even our individual lives! But nothing could be further from the truth my friends!! In fact, because God is omniscient, He knows FAR MORE about what is going on in our lives, our families, our world than we will ever understand, and He cares far more than we do!!
Oh there is so much for us to learn from Jesus in this vineyard that we’ll return here tomorrow. For today can you look closely at the connection you have with Jesus and compare it to the vine & branches, and the sheep & the shepherd Jesus described. Can you see the work of God the Gardener in your life and are you submitting to God’s pruning work?
Some really powerful ‘lessons learned’ notes are at the link below and then a great worship song, and please join me back in this vineyard tomorrow!
Today’s Scripture: John 14:23-31; 15:1-5.
Choose below to read or listen.
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John 15
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“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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