Author: Jeff Englund

If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

As Jesus teaches his disciples on his last night on earth he starts with a lesson in feet washing. Then, after dealing with the traitor Judas, Jesus begins to give them last minute instructions. In Chapter 13, verse 34 he begins with, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Then he says that this is a sign that people are truly his disciples.

In Chapter 14 Jesus lays the foundation for his instruction to abide in Him. He talks about He and the Father being one, and what that means. He speaks of the Holy Spirit and how the world will not be able to accept Him. He speaks of peace and life and his coming departure from the world.

Then we come to Chapter 15 where Jesus begins to teach about what it means to abide in Him. He talks about bearing fruit and how this brings glory to God. Finally, he gets to the scary part.

“If the world hates you…” It doesn’t seem like much of an “if” after all that happened to the disciples and the persecutions that have dogged Christians throughout the ages. The world doesn’t really like the idea of people knowing about God and judgment and the salvation that Jesus offers. The disciples still have no idea what is about to befall their Teacher. They have no clue about the hate that surrounds their Lord and is lurking outside the door. Jesus prepares them for life as a Follower of the Way by giving them a heads up: The world might hate you. Don’t be surprised.

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

This is my command: Love each other.

One thing you can say for Jesus: He was not shy about repeating himself! Is there any doubt in your mind after reading these last two chapters that Jesus has one main task for us? Love each other. Not a casual love, not a “feel good” type love, but a Jesus kind of love … sacrificial love.

Let’s Discuss: What comes to mind as a modern day example of sacrificial love?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

…and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Have you ever noticed that when people pray to God they often end their prayer with the words, “… in Jesus name?” Have you ever wondered why people do that? I think the answer is in these verses where Jesus says, “…whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.” But he is not offering this spectacular offer to just anyone, is he?

Jesus is talking to people who will be “in Him.” They have been instructed to remain in Him. They are to be one with Him. After Jesus ascends into heaven he sends his Holy Spirit to abide in those who remain in Him. There is a oneness implied in such a relationship.

It is the same kind of relationship that Jesus has with His Father. Jesus and the Father are one. The Father would do anything that Jesus asked and Jesus would do anything the Father asked. When it comes to being crucified, Jesus asks to take a pass. The Father would have said yes except for you and I. His love for us is so great that he did not give Jesus the way out that he asked for. Yet even in this moment of conflict, Jesus was clearly obedient and subordinate to the Father’s wishes.

When we ask for something in Jesus’ name, it seems like a good starting point would be in Him. Abiding in Him, remaining in Him, our will commingles with His. Our desires are His and what we ask is something He wants to do.

Does the person who does not abide in Jesus have this same privilege? I think that there are prayers that Jesus answers for all who call on him, but the spectacular offer of “whatever you ask” belongs to His own.

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

…fruit that will last…

Yesterday we looked at the Fruit Stand of the Bible, today we take a closer look at the actual fruit. We talked about the various ways we can understand “bearing fruit.” One thing we did not talk about was the nature of the fruit itself.

Earlier in this chapter, Jesus tells us he is the vine and that we have to remain in Him to have life. Now what he said earlier takes on more meaning. If we want to “bear fruit” we have to be a plant or at least part of a plant. To use Jesus’ allegory, He is the trunk that provides everything needed for life to the branches. We as individuals are the branches.

When he says, “…fruit that will last….” He is not talking about a fruit that is eaten. We are not growing fruit to feed ourselves. (In the allegory, Jesus Himself provides everything we need.) Instead, the kind of fruit that Jesus is talking about is something that has to do with propagating the plant itself. It has to do with life.

Let’s suppose for the moment that Jesus allegory has some very literal elements to it. In this life, we are branches that are grafted into Jesus so that we can have life. By being grafted in, we become fruitful in this life which results in … fruit. A fruit that carries the seeds of eternal life. When our physical bodies die, we have an eternal relationship with the Father through his Son, Jesus.

Let’s Discuss: What do you “hear” when Jesus talks about “fruit that will last?”

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

…and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit…

Once again we are back in the Fruit Stand of the Bible. Jesus has appointed those who believe to “go and bear fruit.” What kind of fruit is he talking about?

The word “fruit” can refer to a single kind of fruit such as a grape or an apple. (As she stood in the orchard she looked at the cherries all around her and then she reached out to pick the fruit.) But it is also a generic term that describes an entire category of seed-bearing structures that grow on plants. Did Jesus mean that we should go and bear only one kind of fruit, or was he referring to a variety of fruits?

One of the characteristics of fruit is that it always contains seeds. Seeds are the means that fruit replicates itself. Was Jesus inferring that we should be planting seeds with this fruit we are to bear?

And then there is the practical question of, “What is he talking about?!”

Without going into specifics, I would like to offer this possibility: By obeying Jesus’ command to love each other as God has loved us we plant a seed in those we love. There are many forms this love can take, which is why I do not think Jesus means a specific kind of fruit. Some are missionaries, and some are people who just look out for their neighbor. Yet all can shine the love of God on those around them.

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

You did not choose me, but I chose you…

John 15:16 is a summary statement of all that we have been reading so far in this chapter. There is so much in this one verse that I am choosing to break it up into four parts. The first part is “choosing.”

We understand that the context of this verse is Jesus speaking to his disciples. However there is a larger context here: Jesus speaks to us, too. He speaks to us through his disciples’ writings. He speaks through His Holy Spirit given to the disciples after Jesus ascended to be with His Father.

So does this first part of John 15: 16 apply to us as well as the disciples? Who does the choosing? If you believe in Jesus did you choose to believe or do you believe because Jesus chose you and pursued you?

The answer to this question is, in principle, similar to our discussion of John 15: 14. (See “Loveometer”) In that post we talked about how doing what Jesus commands is not a reason for our salvation, but an indication of it. In this case, we choose Jesus not because we are so smart, but because he has chosen us.

Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

What profound words! “Everything” that Jesus has learned from his Father he has made known to his disciples. John, the disciple writing the gospel we have been meditating on, listened to Jesus every day. What did Jesus tell him and the other disciples that encompasses everything the Father taught him? What was it he learned from his Father?

Let’s look back over Jesus life and see if we can figure it out.

The first thing that comes to mind is obedience. Jesus obeyed his Father when he fasted in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. He obeyed his mother when she asked him to do something about the lack of wine at the wedding in Cana. Jesus obeyed.

The second thing that comes to mind is the primacy of God’s Word. Jesus answers Satan with God’s Word and generally uses Scripture for every defense against the hostile Jewish leaders. We should ponder the wisdom of what God has placed in the Scriptures. Jesus knew the Scriptures by heart and lived them perfectly.

The third thing that comes to mind is love. Not “love” in the worldly sense of “I love water skiing” or being “in love” or “making love,” but love in the sense of sacrificial giving.

We could make it more complicated than this if we wanted to drill down into the fine details, but in the larger sense of things the lessons Jesus learned from his Father and conveyed to his disciples were simple: Obedience, Scripture, Love.

Let’s Discuss: If you were to add to this list of things Jesus learned from the Father, what would you add?

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business.

Sometimes things look easy even when they are not. In fact, when someone is really good at something they make it look easy. Have you ever watched professional ice skaters and found yourself thinking, “That doesn’t look so hard”? And then you tried to stand up on skates and discovered that just staying upright was harder than you ever imagined?

There are a million things people do well that require skills and knowledge. What they know is invisible to others. If you want to learn how to do what they do you have to go to the School of Hard Knocks or find someone to teach you. Both ways are expensive.

Jesus spent three years with his disciples. During this time they knew nothing and understood less. Yet Jesus persisted. Now, on the last evening Jesus would spend on earth, he graduates them from servants of the Messiah to friends.

He has explained everything to them. Even though they do not yet understand, they have all the pieces of the puzzle before them. In a few days the Holy Spirit will come and will open their eyes to the truth. Then the pieces of the puzzle will start to fit together and they will understand what Jesus was doing, who He is, and what He is all about.

Please click “Continue Reading” for comments.