Deep Spiritual Truths - Essay Example

Jesus Image of Himself as the True Vine. John 15 11 What the Gospel Periscope Means Symbolically and Spiritually The Gospelof John is written with simple but very symbolic language that applies to the ordinary lives of the target audience but which portrays deep spiritual truths. One example is this parable of the vine and the branches, told by Jesus to His disciples, using the natural relationship between a vine and its branches, about how it would be the most unnatural thing to expect a detached vine to bring forth fruit (Lee, 1994). The sap in the vine gives power to the branch so that it may bring forth fruit and thus, detaching the branch would mean the end of the fruit bearing ability of the branch. He explains further that every fruit bearing branch is pruned so as to enhance its fruit bearing potential. The Gospel of John according to John Donahue’s commentary does not narrate the stories of Jesus in parable form like the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke for the reader to decipher meaning, which makes it different from them in this respect. Though the Gospel is symbolic, yet it is simple and in many instances, Jesus explains the spiritual lesson like in this instance. Jesus wanted to bring the Spiritual message across to the disciples about the importance of abiding, stressing the same in 5 where He says, “for without me you can do nothing”, and it would also be worthy to note that the word abide is repeated seven times between verses 1 to 12. Just as a detached vine cannot bring forth fruit and is not worthy for any purpose pertaining to fruit bearing other than to be thrown into the fire, thus also was Jesus teaching His disciples that their fruit bearing potential depended on their abiding in Him at all times (Michaels, 1998). The parable also is a continuation of His last words and instruction which He had started in John 14, before he was crucified, rose up again and was taken up to heaven and thus has very great significance in the continuation of the ministry He had started and which was to continue without Him being physically present with His disciples (Nissen& Pedersen, 1999). Just as the fruit bearing ability exists in the vine and not the branches, Jesus wanted to drive the point home in verses 5 to 7 that their victory pertaining to the bringing forth of fruit lay by the disciples’ abiding or remaining in Him. In other words, it implies that He was going to produce His fruit in them, since they were now the body of Christ. Jesus talks about His abiding in the love of the Father in verse 10, and challenges His disciples also to abide in His love. He desires to establish a relationship with His disciples, which is based on abiding, just as is the case of His relationship with the Father (Moloney& Sacra, 1998). Jesus has done this by obeying the commandments of the Father and would like the same repeated in His relationship with His disciples, in other word, fruit bearing was to be enhanced as the disciples maintained their relationship with Jesus. The Father would be glorified as Jesus said in verse 8 when the disciples bore much fruit, and this would signify that they were Jesus’ disciples. Since there was poor to bring forth fruit in Jesus, it meant that just as a branch automatically brings forth fruit as long as it is on the right tree, multiplication was going to be automatic and also was the production of other fruit was required of the disciples. Concerning the notion of cutting of branches that did not bear fruit as narrated in verse 2, this is more of a warning to the disciples that their failure to abide in Christ would make them unfruitful and thus make them liable to be removed by God. Jesus was speaking these words to eleven of His closest disciples because at this time, Judas had already left the group to prepare to betray Jesus. Jesus reminds the disciples that they are to abide in Him at all times and not only when it was convenient for them (Michaels, 1998). The verse also speaks another type of cutting that would enhance productivity, and would be done just as it is done on a natural vine, which is by pruning. Some areas in a Christian’s life may require removal before fruit bearing is enhanced, some of which may be so ingrained, but which are great hindrances. Jesus told His disciples in verse 3 that they were clean because of the word he had spoken to them denoting that one of the ways of pruning was by the disciples allowing the word of God to change their lives. Acts chapter 8:1-3 and other relevant chapters also narrate about the great persecution the disciples underwent in their pursuit of becoming witnesses and thus bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God. Imprisonments, beatings, torture and all types of persecution which can also be referred as a type of pruning did not extinguish the vigor of the disciples, but it increased their capability as can be seen in Acts chapter 8:4-8 where the spread of the Gospel extended as the disciples were scattered through persecution. The Jewish Culture Pertaining To Vine Farming This was very natural to the disciples who, being from the Jewish culture they understood vine farming as it was common to the area, both in the New and Old Testament times, and they knew that, a bushy vine needed trimming to bring forth more fruit, since old or wrongly placed branches on the vine would inhibit the fruit bearing potential of the vine. Pruning involved cutting and removal so that new and more powerful branches would shoot from the vine. Some leafy branches without fruit bearing potential would only suck on the power of the vine but were of no use in the fruit bearing process. How the Periscope Comes Into the Whole Gospel It can be seen that though the disciples faced death, imprisonments and torture as recorded in many instances in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, they derived power from Jesus because they abided in Him and accomplished what they would not have done by their own strength (Lee, 1994). Acts 2:42 explains that all those who believed, continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship when they engaged in the breaking of bread and praying. This in effect demonstrates that the reason for the recorded victory over all opposition and the great harvest of souls, (Acts 2:41) came about due to the steadfast abiding that the disciples had in Jesus, where it can correctly be said that Jesus the vine continued to bear fruit through them. The disciples were able to produce in themselves the love of Jesus even in the face of imminent death, because that is what witnessing entailed during those days. Jesus had told them about the greatest demonstration of love, the laying down of one’s life on behalf of others (John 15:13). By their own strength, it would have been impossible, but they drew power from Jesus the vine and bore fruit as was required by their calling. They were able to witness to the very people who persecuted them about love and forgiveness as can be demonstrated during the death of Stephen in Acts 7:60 where in his last breath he said,’ Lord do not charge them with this sin,’ implying about those that were stoning him (Michaels, 1998). It is important to remember that just as a vine cannot produce fruit by itself, thus also, Jesus was teaching His disciples that it was impossible for them to bring forth fruit for the Kingdom of God effectively without deriving power from Him (Kelly &Moloney, 2003). It is also worthy to note that a vine dresser or gardener is very keen that his vines bring forth fruit, and that is why he works on them, including pruning them and removing non fruit bearing ones. God, the vinedresser has given Jesus all things and thus Christians able to produce whatever fruit is desired through abiding in Christ as they remain true to Him (Nissen& Pedersen, 1999). The Father being the vine dresser too denotes that the father is responsible for the vine what Jesus who is the vine does while Jesus in turn gives life to the branches. There are habits and character traits in a Christian that are engrained but which hamper the fruit bearing process in a great way and which at one time God will require to prune. Pride, envy, bodily desires would seem alright to man but would be hindrances to fruit bearing. How We Read the Passage in the Church Today The situation has not changed today because the world needs the touch of Jesus through the church, (His body) and this cannot be accomplished in other way but by Jesus bearing fruit through today’s disciples. Just as the natural fruit bearing process remains unchanged, this important Spiritual fruit bearing principle still applies to a needy world that needs the love of Christ to be demonstrated. Though Jesus is not physically in the world today, it is His will to have the work of fruit bearing to continue, and this is only possible as His disciples continue to abide in Him, and thus enable Jesus to bear fruit through them. References Kelly, A. &Moloney, F. J., 2003, Experiencing God in the Gospel of John, Paulist Press, New Jersey. Kruse, C. G., 2003, The Gospel According to John: An Introduction and Commentary, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, Michigan. Lee A. D. 1994, The Symbolic Narratives of the Fourth Gospel, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, UK. Michaels J. R., 1998, The Gospel of John: Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan/Cambridge, U.K. William B Moloney F. J, Sacra P., 1998,The Gospel of John. Liturgical Press, Collegeville MN. Morris, L., 1995, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: The Gospel According to John, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids. Nissen J. & Pedersen S., 1999, New Readings in John: Literary and Theological Perspectives, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, UK. Sanders J.N. & Mastin B.A., 1968.The Gospel According to St John, Adam & Charles Black, London, Read More