Three Minute Bible

…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?”

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…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.

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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?

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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.

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

In this chapter Jesus spends considerable time talking about the fact that He is the source of life. If anyone does not remain in Him they can do nothing, and will be “thrown in the fire and burned.” (Notice that this description of Judgement is very non-judgmental. It is of no more consequence than picking up a dead stick from the ground and throwing it into the fire.) Next, Jesus talks about what He will do for the believer, and then he discusses the importance of keeping His commands.

Why? Once again we are faced with questions. Why is Jesus saying this? Why does He want us to remain in Him? Why does he warn us about the fire? The answer, it seems, is Joy.

Jesus, for all his cares and sorrows, is full of joy. It is a joy that comes from being in right relationship with the Father. It is a joy that results from being aligned with the Father’s will. Golfers call this the “sweet spot.” Some people call it being in “the groove.” An old-time phonograph only makes music when the needle is tracking along the groove of the record. Being “in the groove” is what a phonograph was made for. If the word “joy” can be applied to such a simple machine as a record player, then doing what it is made to do brings it joy.

Hopefully, everyone has experienced some joy. The glory of knowing Jesus is that in Him, our joy can be complete.

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If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

What are the commands that Jesus has given us? How many of them are there? Are they hard? Are they difficult? What does he want us to do?

These questions can be a little confusing for those of us who are not Jewish. Jesus was born a Jew. The Jews of Jesus’ day were the chosen people of God. Their history was rich with traditions and replete with all kinds of rules and commands. Much of the discussion between Jesus and the Pharisees is a very technical debate over rules and regulations.

But Jesus is here on earth to institute a new agreement between God and mankind. The old agreement, or covenant, has run its course. There is nothing left of it but a tattered worn out prayer shawl. The Israelites have turned against God even when they claim to be doing His will.

In John 13:34 Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This command to love is really the sum of his commands. In essence, there are no others. Love one another.

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