John 22 Chapter 15

[HKHaugan]

Jesus and His disciples have just left the upper room where they were celebrating the Passover. Now they are on their way. The context is Jesus leading them to Gethsemane (which they probably don't realize as yet) and teaching while they are on the move. The world time is short but God's time is the event that will be a spiritual time to secure eternal life for anyone who through faith will believe in Him. So what follows on this teaching walk is series of principles, basics, fundamentals that center on Jesus Himself.

When Jesus says He is not just a vine but the True vine He is declaring He is the embodiment of Israel's hope, history and heritage. Everything in the Scripture was preparing for His arrival. Is.5:1-7, Hos.10:1-2 and Ps.80:8-18 describe Israel as the vine planted by God. These are just three of many setting the stage for seeing Jesus being Israel, the Vine in the flesh, the Spirit in a body, eternity in the present, God's time in man's time. Where God planted Israel in a physical land, He is now revealed in this person Jesus, His Son, whose mind, heart and Spirit make up the new Promised Land, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, of which He is King. “Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven.” Simply put the Kingdom of God is a relational experience into eternity, “That they may be in us and we in them (14:20).”

Vs.1-17 Having made clear that He is the way, the truth and the life He says, “I am the true vine (this is the last of His 'I Am” sayings) and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while very branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Note here that the pruning process consists of two parts, negative and positive. First, the negative is the unproductive parts are cut off. Second, the positive is the productive parts are cut back so that they can be more productive. Here is a picture that carries both the promise of a life wasted and life fulfilled. To be attached to the vine is to have eternal life and to be pruned is to be even more fruitful. However, to be cut from the vine is to lose everything, the present as well as the future.

But let's look at the pruning of the fruitful. When a branch is productive and then pruned it develops more branches. Think about this. A parallel will help here. Look in your closet and see all the stuff that is just accumulated without ever being used. Time to prune 'stuff.' But the real issue is what led to the accumulation. What inner compulsion drives the urge to accumulate? The issue is not 'the stuff', it's what caused getting the stuff. It's time to prune the compulsion by opening up the heart and exposing the unseen stronghold that drives the compulsion. Now we are pruning the heart's motivations, removing the obstacles to witnessing. We are freeing the heart to grow in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23) and make us more outreaching. This is part of what it means to take up our cross and allow the Holy Spirit to redirect our heart to trust that Jesus' lifestyle will give us far more satisfaction than the world's accumulative 'stuff' lifestyle.

This principle of pruning can also be adapted to our health and what we are doing about our physical condition (weight, food evaluation, exercise, etc.), how we spend our time building our mind (Scripture study and sharing) and what we are doing about growing spiritually within (prayer and small group sharing) and sharing our faith without (intentionally with non-believers). How much of our resources are allocated for the growth of the Body of Christ? That's not just our finances but our daily relational activity (are we alert to needs in believers and unbelievers?). Where our treasure is there our heart will be also (Matt.6:21). As we look in the mirror what needs pruning internally as well as externally so that we are freed up to make disciples? This is where you will say, “Now he's gotten into meddling!” Maybe, but our bodies---our minds, hearts and spirits---are temples of the Holy Spirit. They do need spring cleaning. Spring cleaning of the mind, heart and spirit free us to be Spirit led.

The point here is that if we remain in Christ, that is if Christ is the focus, the main thing, and we re-focus, that is re-main in Him, the Holy Spirit will be the pruner. “Remain” is used 11 times in this short passage. Remaining depends on two things which Jesus emphasizes and they are obedience and love. If we obey Him He remains in us and we in Him. If we love one another the way He loves us we re-main, remain, re-focus on Him. Carrying those two elements into every next occasion and event keeps us in Him.

What prevents remaining and refocusing from happening is what needs pruning so that we keep our consciousness of His presence before us.

So three things are vital to our pruning process, remaining, obedience and love, “I am the vine and 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 (vs.5).” Remaining is the truth, obedience is the way and love is the life. Jesus remains in His Father, is obedient to His Father and loves His Father. He believes in His Father, trusts His Father and acts in faith for His Father. Remaining provides the structure, obedience provides the lifestyle and love provides the substance for relational life with God and others. This pretty well sums up vs. 1-17.

But there are some other principles Jesus lays out for us in vs.13-17. The first is when He says that there is no greater love than that a man lay down his life for his friends. The way one lays down his life is to obey what Jesus says. In other words when we are Jesus-conscious He prompts us through the Spirit how to respond in any situation. When we follow His lead as opposed to what we think is best we are laying down our life not only for Him but for the others to whom we are responding. That makes everyone a potential friend.

The second principle is that obedience to Scripture makes us friends of Jesus.. Though a friend may serve He is no longer a servant because servants don't know the will of their master. But the disciples have been told everything that the Father told Jesus. That makes them friends, confidantes and special ambassadors of His.

The third principle is to remember they were chosen by Him. They were chosen to be His friends, friends who will produce fruit. When we are in the production process it means we are obedient to loving as He loved and having an open heart, mind and spirit for Him to use. When we ask to be that kind of friend we just have to ask for that ability and He will give it to us. This reminds us of Solomon who didn't ask for wealth, riches, honor or the death of his enemies. Rather He asked for wisdom to rule God's people which pleased God and he received more than he could eve have expected (2Chron.1:10).. This is the attitude we carry before God, the openness to be led by His Spirit, the Spirit of wisdom. “Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: love one another (vs.16-17).”

Now here Jesus is with His disciples as the new covenant fulfilling the promise of the old. The new is the internal relationship with God which is spiritual, personal and relational. This is why John says, “The Law was given through Moses but grace and truth came through Jesus (1:17).” The true vine has sprouted the branches of Spirit-transformed disciples who will become the Apostles who carry the personally relational fruit of the True Vine into the world. One branch is already cut from the Vine,---Judas, the example and poster child for the pruning process.

V.18-27 While Judas has been cut off it is the disciples whom Jesus warns about the future. The pruning process will be in full swing. But it will come from the world in unexpected places. If you read this section carefully you will note that the world is secular society. Secular society is godless therefore whatever is godly the world will hate. Hate comes from people who are compromised by secular standards and goals. Jesus reminds us that it could very well happen that those in our own household could become our enemies because of Him (Mt.10:36). The parents of the blind man healed by Jesus represent the subtle force of fear that can neutralize even those who have personally witnessed Jesus' miracles (9:21). The real measure is Jesus' statement, “He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters (Lk.11:23).”

Hatred is a spiritual issue to the core. Hate includes the spirits of apathy, indifference, denial, avoidance and an appetite for having one's own way at the expense of others. They are the symptoms of sin, the suicidal bent in the heart. When these are institutionalized they become collective forces that involve conspiracy, manipulation, rationalization, self-justification, deception, blame, excuse and political maneuvering. These are how the mind, heart and spirit are destroyed. These were the ingredients the devil instigated against Jesus. The spirit of fear is their fuel and the unholy spirit of the devil. The Cross summarized and exposed these dark forces and their author. The Resurrection signaled their defeat.

Therefore the pruning is going to take place when the disciples face hostility because of their belief in Jesus. How will they react when hauled before authorities, persecuted, betrayed and unjustly punished? These will be the test of faith. This will be the measure of taking up their cross and taking up the cross is the pruning process. Think of the Christians around the world who have been facing these very things.

In vs.18-27 are contained the specifics of the cross they will bear.

vs.18 The world hates Jesus so the world will hate His believers.
vs.19 The disciples do not belong to the world. Jesus has chosen them out of the world.
vs.20 If they persecute Jesus they will persecute the disciples.
vs.21 They will treat you this way because of my name because they do not know who sent me.
vs.22 They are guilty of sin because they have refused Him and His words for which there is no excuse.
vs.23 He who hates me hates my Father as well.
vs.24 What I have done among them no one else has done which makes them guilty of sin. After having seen His miracles and not accepted him also means they both hate the Son and the Father.
vs.25 They fulfill Is.35:19, 69:4 which say they hated Him without reason.

Each of these will be experienced by believers. Believers are known by their biblical view of the world. Those church people who do not trust Scripture most likely will not experience the hate in the world since they have already been compromised. Believers can sense it immediately. Because of their new citizenship they stand outside the world. They know their faith is proof they have been chosen out of the world to be His. The haters reveal themselves by their frozen 'deer-in-the-headlights' look when confronted about anything spiritual or their emotional outbursts which are really defensive ploys. This is what hate without reason is all about. We can give a reason for the hope that is in us (1Peter 3:15). Without belief there is neither reason nor hope. Hate denies reason. That is why patience, kindness, an open heart and ear make the difference.

The question for believers is, “How do you respond when hostile forces confront you?”

First, consider that you don't want to fall into the trap of social paranoia. “They're against me because of my ethnicity, from wrong neighborhood, foreign, upper class, lower class, short, fat, tall, non-athletic, too athletic, pretty, ugly” and whatever else is out there.

Second, there are always those who have no purpose in their lives so they jump on the latest social cause to give themselves purpose. They end up very alone and confused when the social weather shifts.

Third, the focus of a person's life who doesn't have faith lives only for the moment and becomes the victim of a maelstrom of emotional upsets moving from one crisis to another. Having taken the reins of their life they drive headlong into the ground exhausted and frustrated by the lack of immediate results.

Fourth, you will never live in a world where there is no bias, prejudice, hate, judgmentalism and emotional perfection. Perceptions are internal, imperfect and subject to sinful reason based on painful experience. This is the real world folks. No amount of legislation, wishful thinking or denial can change the fact we live in a fallen world and “the poor you will always have with you (Mk.14:7).” Poverty in mind, heart and spirit are part of the reason Jesus came.

The believer's response is based on the presence of Jesus in the heart who directs the Holy Spirit at the moment of challenge. Believers in Jesus have the personal, spiritual and relational platform of the Word to sort out that which lies before them. They have the gifts and fruit of the Spirit to perceive and engage any and all 'every next moments', occasions and events. Our responses are always to be Jesus-conscious, Word-evaluated and Spirit-led.

The bottom line for us are Jesus' words, “When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning (vs.26-27).”