V—Vine and Branches

Journey through the Gospel of John with rookie bloggers who are seeking to honor their good friend, Tina Downey.

Today we examine one of the most beautiful images of all Scripture. Jesus describes His relationship to believers using an allegory that would have conjured clear images in the minds of his followers. Not only were vineyards common sights to his disciples, but a golden vine adorned the gate of the temple that Herod had built. Once again, Jesus makes a powerful I AM declaration that draws deeply on Old Testament imagery while speaking to His own nature and ministry. The love of God is richly illustrated here:

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...
"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...This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.  

The elements of the allegory are clearly drawn:
The Father is the vinedresser who superintends the garden and fosters fruitfulness. Jesus is the true vine, through which flows the very life of the plant. The branches are people, those that are connected to Jesus will thrive. The fruit is the outgrowth of the life that Jesus imparts to those who abide in Him. Jesus mentions what some of this fruit will look like:

Now remain in my love...If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love...

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete...

Love each other as I have loved you. 

Love, joy, and obedience are all examples of the type of fruit that are seen in the lives of believers. The intimacy of the believer to Jesus is powerful, showing that an ongoing connection allows the believer to draw life and strength from Him. The purpose of Jesus' ministry is the fruitfulness and health of the believer, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

So how does one abide in Jesus? The same way that the disciple, John, did—by believing, by spending time with Him and remembering His teaching and by obeying. 

This is not duty. It is delight. It is exactly like telling a bride she must spend time with her groom. Or like telling a chocoholic that he must eat Godiva truffles. It is a gift to be able to do the one thing that you enjoy the most. 

Today, abide in Jesus, and rest. Know that you can trust the Lord to bring about any fruit that should spring from that.

T—Trust, Don't be Troubled

Journey through the Gospel of John with rookie bloggers who are seeking to honor their friend, Tina Downey.

Jesus had been acting strangely. First, he'd interrupted their dinner with a dramatic foot-washing. Then, he was troubled and spoke of a traitor being in their midst, "I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me." Next, He spoke of going away to a place where they could not find Him. Oddest of all, He told Peter that he would deny Him three times that very night.

What was going on? The disciples must have been alarmed by the warnings and pronouncement of their leader. Is it any wonder that Chapter 14 of this gospel opens with Jesus trying to comfort His followers?

Do not let your hearts be troubled. 
Trust in God; trust also in me.  

The disciples would have plenty to be anxious about in the days that followed. Surely, the Lord's prescription for setting aside concerns can be helpful to us today, as we struggle with the uncertainties and hardships of this fallen world.

Jesus' lesson in trusting in God can be boiled down to another great I AM declaration.

I AM the Way...

This chapter dwells on the resources available to believers as a

result of Jesus' ministry on the cross. He mentions first that He is preparing a heavenly home for us (14:1-6). Then He stresses the presence and power of the triune God (14:7-24): the Father whom we can now know, the Son who empowers our prayers, and the Spirit who leads us into all truth. Lastly, Jesus mentions that He gives us His own peace (14:25-31). Surely our anxiety must dissipate when we measure our worries against our prospects, our Partners, and our peace in Christ! We can rest in the Lord because Jesus' work on the cross has opened up heavenly resources to us.


                ... the Truth, and the Life...

Throughout this gospel Jesus as the Truth is a recurring theme.
The words "true" and "truth" occur dozens of times. Here are some highlights:

It is the essence of who God is
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory...full of grace and truth. —John 1:14   

It is equated with Jesus
John the Baptist has testified to the truth.—John 5:33

It is the source of our liberty.
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." —John 8:31-32

And it is by knowing the only true God that we have eternal life.
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ... —John 17:3   


    ...no one comes to the Father except through me.

Jesus makes it clear that we must put our trust in the right place if we want to receive the promise, presence, and peace of God. 


Are you trusting in Jesus? There is no place more restful nor so rich!

N—Never without Hope

Journey through the Gospel of John with rookie bloggers seeking to honor their good friend, Tina.

Chapter 11 narrates the last—and perhaps most dramatic—sign that John records: the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

Once again, Jesus' unique interactions with the individuals in the story are of particular interest. The people highlighted here are the family at Bethany:
"Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus."

Martha
Martha is known principally from the story told in Luke 10. There she complains about her sister, who isn't helping with the work of hosting Jesus and his companions.  We see her "distracted by all the preparations."  And often sympathize with the loving rebuke she receives from our Lord.  "Martha, Martha...you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed..."

But in John 11, this sister is portrayed more positively. Martha's propensity for activity is seen in how she rushes to meet Jesus.  She is the one to whom the Lord reveals what he is going to do, "Your brother will rise again." She is the one, to whom Jesus pronounces:   "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies."   And she is among the seven witnesses in this gospel who testify to Jesus' divinity, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world." 

Mary

There is a  marked difference in the way Jesus deals with her sister.

In this story, expressive Mary looks a lot like Martha. Both sisters greet Jesus in the same way, saying: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."  But Mary's grief is more pronounced, Mary is weeping and "falls at his feet."  Jesus responds to her in kind, and is moved in His spirit, He weeps. His emotional response is so strong that the crowd comments on how much He loved Lazarus. But there is a real sense that it is Mary and the mourners that He is responding to.

Both of these grieving sisters feel that their situation has moved beyond hope because of their limited expectations.  They both felt that it was too late for Him to help. To practical Martha, Jesus sought to expand her understanding of His power. With sensitive Mary, Jesus empathizes and weeps. 

Lazarus
Jesus' beloved friend seems the most hopeless of all.  Bound in grave clothes and entombed for four days, what could seem more pointless? Martha, practical Martha, tries to dissuade Jesus from having the stone moved away from the cave where Lazarus had been lain.

"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone...Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."  Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.  —John 11:39-45

Imagine the shock and the joy of this family!  They had put their hope in the idea that Jesus would act to restore Lazarus before he died. They were now just beginning to understand that they could trust in the person of Jesus and all that HE IS. They were just beginning to glimpse that He Himself was "the resurrection and the life."


Us
Jesus is ready to meet us right where we are at. He sees the challenges in our lives and knows our need. We are NEVER without hope when we hold on to Jesus. We just might see Him work in ways that are outside of the box of our expectations.

Have you seen Jesus work in surprising ways?

M—My Shepherd

Journey through the Gospel of John with rookie bloggers who are seeking to honor their good friend, Tina Downey.

Chapter 10 of the gospel of John offers two more "I AM" declarations that speak of the Messiah's mission. Here Jesus draws on images familiar to His agrarian audience.

"But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep ...Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.... If anyone enters by me, he will be saved... I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."

The link between these two seemingly unconnected images, "the door" and "the good shepherd", may not be readily apparent to our modern experience.  But the meaning becomes clear when you learn about how a shepherd of that time might care for the sheep at night.  As evening approached, the shepherd would lead his flock into a stone enclosure that had only one opening. The shepherd himself would lay down in the entrance, and serve as the door that kept predators out while keeping the sheep together and inside the sheepfold.

I am the Good Shepherd...I am the Door

When Jesus speaks of the good shepherd "laying down" His life, He summons two images—the shepherd literally lying in the doorway, and the shepherd sacrificing his life for his sheep.  Even in this bucolic image, Jesus points to the cross. At the same time, He presents Himself as the only legitimate way into God's flock.  "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." —John 10:9

One of the most meaningful aspects of this discourse lies in how Jesus characterizes His relationship to believers. As the good shepherd, He calls each sheep by name. He cares and contends for His flock. He knows His own, and each one knows Him and His voice and follows after Him.  

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. —John 10:27-28

In these remarkable statements, Jesus is affirming His commitment to those who follow after Him. Surely, the intimacy described here is one of the distinctives of the Christian faith. This is the underlying idea of t-shirts and bumper-stickers that read, "It's not about religion, it's about a relationship." 

Knowing Jesus as my good shepherd has strengthened me in the hardest times of my life. It has granted peace and assurance to me when I felt lost.  It has brought deep comfort when life was darkest.

The meaning behind this image is laid out in one of the best-loved psalms of David. Jesus draws on this picture and amplifies it to communicate the depth of His love and effective care for anyone who would follow after Him.

Do you know Jesus as your Good Shepherd?  
What has that meant to you?

L—Light of the World

Journey through the Gospel of John from A to Z with rookie bloggers who are seeking to honor their good friend, Tina.

Throughout this gospel, John emphasizes themes of light and darkness, and portrays Jesus as the source of spiritual light from whence flows life. These strains are introduced in the Prologue, of course:

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines

in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it —John 1:4-5

Then, in the Temple at the Feast of Tabernacles, perhaps before the grand candelabras that were used at that festival, Jesus proclaims:

"I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me

will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."—John 8:12

The power of this imagery is illustrated in the drama that unfolds in the healing of a man that had been blind from birth.  

The story, told in John Chapter 9, traces the development of faith in the man born blind in parallel with the hardening rejection of the religious leaders.  

From the moment Jesus declares that He is "the Light of the world," the leaders reject His testimony, knowing that His popularity and claims threaten their position.  But their resistance grows as they challenge the authenticity of this healing, and scornfully intimidate and persecute those who support Jesus as they insist that Jesus was "not from God," and "a sinner."

In contrast, the man has nothing to lose by trying out Jesus' strange prescription of washing mud off his blind eyes in the pool of Siloam.  He responds to Jesus first with the obedience that leads to his eyes being opened.  More significant is the gradual opening of his eyes to the One who healed him.  The man's descriptions of Jesus evolve throughout the story.  First, he says his healer is "a man" then "a prophet", then he defends Jesus as "a godly man" that does God's will, before boldly confronting the Pharisees with the fact that Jesus could not have healed him if he weren't from God.

As with others, we see Jesus taking this formerly blind man further into faith. You can sense the man's eagerness to believe everything of Jesus.

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?"  
He answered, "And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"  
Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, it is he who is speaking to you."
He said, "Lord, I believe," and he worshiped him.  
Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind."  —John 8:35-39

Jesus also addresses the increasing hardness of the Pharisees.
Again, you sense the inclination of their hearts:

Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?"  
Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains. —John 8:40-41

Have you come into the light of Jesus?

I—"I AM"

Journey through the Gospel of John from A to Z with rookie bloggers who are seeking to honor their good friend, Tina.

We now come to Chapter 6 in our Journey through John—a chapter full of activity and discourse, hope and disappointment, enthusiasm and abandonment

Two more signs open this chapter: the feeding of the 5,000, and Jesus walking on water and overtaking his disciples in their boat.

These are two incredible signs!  Surprisingly, they do not lead to faith.  When the crowd approaches Jesus, they ask him to perform another sign and remind him that Moses gave their forefathers manna.  Perhaps they are hinting at a desire to be fed again—maybe they wanted something more than ordinary bread, or to be fed regularly, or on a larger scale.

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life..."I tell you the truth, it is not Moses ...but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world"...Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty....I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life.  Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.  But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  (John 6:26 ff.)

This is the first of seven I AM declarations in the gospel of John.  Each of these statements assert the divinity of Jesus by echoing the name that Jehovah gave to Moses, "I Am."  But they go further; each reveals something of Christ and our relationship to Him.

Here again, Jesus presents Himself as the Lifegiver, the source of eternal life.  Here again, we are called to belief.

The crowd swings from wanting to make Jesus king when their bellies are full to abandoning Him when their appetites aren't catered to.

 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.  
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."  John 6:66-69

What about you?  Will you follow after the words of eternal life?