Three Minute Bible

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

As we listen to Jesus talk, we get to the root of the matter. We learn more and more about the thoughts behind his words. Why does he want us to remain in him? As he begins speaking he explains we are to remain in him so that we can live. Without remaining in him we have no life, no hope, and no future. So from our own perspective, if we want to live we need to be in Jesus.

In today’s verse, we learn that when we bear fruit by remaining in Jesus, we bring glory to God the Father. Of course, this makes sense because everything Jesus does is centered around his Father. Every act and every word brings glory to his Father. Why should this truth be any different?

We also learn something about what it means to bear much fruit. When we show ourselves to be Jesus’ disciples, we are bearing fruit. Now we are getting a sense of what it means to “bear fruit.” Being a disciple is all about Jesus. A disciple listens to Jesus, obeys Jesus, and does his or her best to be like Jesus in terms of being faithful to the Father, loving others, and enduring persecution.

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If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

In this passage, Jesus is speaking to his disciples. He is speaking Truth, with a capital “T”. This means it is also true for you and me. He has already told us that branches that bear no fruit will be cut off (Verse 2). Then he tells us in verses 4 and 5 that we must remain in Jesus to bear fruit, or even to be able to do anything at all. Now he describes what happens to people-branches who do not remain in him.

The disciples remained with Jesus even when the going got tough. When Jesus leaves them, they remain together trusting in his promises. Then Jesus sends his Holy Spirit and they remain faithful to his Word, his Spirit, and their mission.

And what is the mission God has given us? 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 is easy when things are going well. When believers remain in Jesus, their hearts are soft and they reciprocate in the kind of love (agape) that Jesus is referring to. It gets more difficult when believers do not remain in Jesus. Then hearts get hard and priorities get confused.

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

How do you hear this verse? We each bring our own perspective to what we read and what we hear and see. To me, it sounds like Jesus is saying, “Hey, don’t wander off!” He also alludes to a kind of duality in our relationship with him. He chooses to remain in us, while we can choose to remain or wander off. Why else would he tell his disciples this?

Then he explains why we must remain. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself. A Christian cannot bear fruit unless they remain in Jesus.

So what does this mean, to “remain” in Jesus?

Where is your head at right now? Are you in Jesus or somewhere else? Are you thinking about the day? Are you planning to do something interesting? Are you bored, tired, afraid or hungry?

There are little tell-tale signs that tell us where we are. In the Old Testament, we see stories of people like Joseph who always remembered that everything came from God. Job was accosted by every evil that can befall man and yet he remembered his God, his Redeemer. David, throughout his lifetime, turned to God for guidance on important decisions.

I think remaining in Jesus is something like that. I think it means that we remember to confess our sin to God, to ask God for his blessing and protection, and to turn to him when we are in need.