Week 40: John 15:1-17; "Abide in Jesus."

Today, we have the privilege of working through John 15:1-17. Some of you will be familiar with these verses. And if that's you, as we start reading, you will maybe find yourself thinking that you already understand this passage. You won't expect to learn anything, or be challenged. Well. Maybe. But if these verses hit you like they hit me, this sermon will cut pretty deep. We will see. As we start reading, it's going to help you to have three questions in the back of your mind: (1) What does it mean to abide in Jesus? (2) Why would people not abide in Jesus-- either stop abiding, or refuse to abide? (3) Why should we abide in Jesus? Verse 1: (1) I am the vine-- the true one-- and my Father, the Farmer, He is. In verse 1, Jesus starts a new topic in his teaching. He uses an illustration, or analogy, or parable, or allegory. I'm not sure what to call it, to be honest. But Jesus gives us this image to think about: picture Jesus as the grape vine, and God as the Farmer. Jesus is the grape vine. But he is not just any grape vine-- he is "the true one" (this is a slightly more emphatic way of saying "true" vine). He is the one you point to, and you say, that's the true grape vine. Why does he say this? Let's turn to Isaiah 5:1-7 (I maybe wouldn't actually use this part in the sermon, to save my word count, but I think it's helpful): (1) Let me sing, please, for my beloved a song of my beloved one about his vineyard: There was a vineyard belonging to my beloved one on a fertile hill, (2) and he broke up the soil,1 and he cleared it of stones, and he planted it with choice vines,2 and he built a watchtower in its midst, and, what's more3, a wine vat he hewed/dug out in it,4 and he hoped for5 it to make grapes,6 and it yielded rotten/bad/stinky grapes, (3) and so then, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and man of Judah, make a ruling,7 please, between me and my vineyard. (4) What shall be done still for my vineyard?, and I didn't do for it? Why did I hope for it to make grapes, and it made rotten/bad/stinky grapes, (5) and so then, understand, please, what I am doing for my vineyard-- removing its hedge, and it shall be for destruction/burning, breaking down its wall, and it shall be for trampling, (6) and I will make it a wasteland. It shall not be pruned, and it shall not be cultivated, and briars and thorns shall come up, while concerning the clouds, I shall command not to send rain upon it, (7) for the vineyard of Yahweh of Armies is the house of Israel, while the man of Judah [is] the garden of his delight, and he hoped for exercising of authority, and LOOK! Bloodshed. For righteousness, and LOOK! A cry of distress. In the OT, God did everything that He could possibly do to make Israel a fruitful, successful people. He set them up perfectly, and then, every gardener knows what comes next. You do you everything you can, and then you wait, and you hope, and you check the progress. But what God ended up getting, after all his hard work, was worthless. He ended up with a nation filled with bloodshed, where authority wasn't exercised on behalf of the poor and vulnerable. The rich oppressed, and cheated, and murdered-- and got away with everything. Israel was a worthless vine, and Yahweh, in anger and frustration, destroyed it. It's against this background that we should hear Jesus' words. Jesus is the vine God always wanted. He is the true vine. He is the vine, Israel was meant to be, and wasn't. And what that means, is that we are God's vine. We are his people, his family. We bear the fruit God was hoping for. I'm cheating ahead. But let's reread John 15:1, and keep going: (1) I am the vine-- the true one-- and my Father, the Farmer, He is. (2) Every branch in me not bearing fruit, He removes/takes away, and every branch, fruit, bearing, He cleanses/prunes8 it, in order that more fruit, it would bear. God is a competent Farmer. He understands vines, and how to successfully grow grapes. You can't just let a grape vine grow however you want, and expect good things to happen. On every grape vine, there are two types of branches. And both of these types need attention. (1) Branch type #1 The first type of branch is the one not bearing fruit. When harvest time comes, and you are looking at any type of fruit tree or vine, you'll notice that some branches don't bear fruit. A competent grape farmer understands that those branches should be removed. Maybe the branches look dead. Maybe they look like they are thriving. But if there's no fruit, there is no sense in letting the vine give life to that branch. That life is better used elsewhere. (2) Branch type #2 The second type of branch is the one that bears fruit. Now, maybe you'd look at those branches and just be satisfied that you're getting what you want. You've got something to turn into... grape juice or grape jelly. But God, looking at those branches, knows that they also need attention. In verse 2, Jesus uses a wordplay-- the Greek word can mean either "cleanse," or "prune" (a good Bible-- NRSV, for one-- will have a footnote telling you that here). When God sees a branch bearing fruit, He "prunes" it. He "cleanses" it. What does this mean? And how does He do this? Let's add verse 3, and then think about it: (3) Already, you (plural), clean/pruned, you are, because of the word which I have spoken to you.9 So Jesus tells his disciples, in verse 3, that they are already "clean" or "pruned." But he tells them, in verse 2, that God "cleans," or "prunes," branches that are bearing fruit. How do we explain the tension here? There's at least two ways to explain this. I'll leave it to you to decide which is right. (1) Explanation #1: What we are seeing here is an echo of Jesus' words to Peter when Jesus washed Peter's feet. Jesus told his disciples that they are already clean (same word; John 13:10), and that from now on, they only need their feet washed. So maybe, Jesus is talking about how the Father continues to cleanse us from sin, pruning out the sin from us, so that we become more and more fruitful. We hear this, and it makes sense. Maybe we are tolerating sins in our lives, and those sins keep us from being as fruitful as we could be. We have been pruned-- we are clean-- but God in an ongoing way, continues to prune us as necessary. (2) Explanation #2 (Jerome Neyrey is the guy to read here) The way that God prunes his people, in the gospel of John, is through persecution. In John 15:18, Jesus transitions to talking about how the world will hate you, and how you will be persecuted. Then, in 16:1-2, Jesus will talk about how the Judeans will kick you out of their synagogues for confessing Jesus as Messiah. So when unpleasant things happen to you, because you are Jesus' disciple, know that this is part of God's pruning process. Persecution has a way of stripping off things in your life that are a distraction. It simplifies your faithfulness toward Jesus. [If this explanation is right, verses 18ff can be viewed as an elaboration of this-- because Jesus otherwise just says this, and then drops it.] I think both explanations are true. Both are biblical. And I don't know which is right. But it's probably one or the other. Verse 4: (4) Abide in me,10 and11 I [will abide]12 in you. Just as the branch isn't able, fruit, to bear from itself unless it abides in the vine, in the same manner neither can you, unless in me you abide.13 Verse 4 answers one of our questions, at least in part. One of the reasons you should abide in Jesus, is because that is the only way you will ever bear fruit. There is no fruit, apart from Jesus. So if you walk away from Jesus, you become worthless. Useless. At this point, you should have another question stuck in your head. What is fruit? Verse 5: (5) I am the vine. You [are] the branches. The one abiding in me, and I in him14-- this one bears much fruit, because apart from me you aren't able to do anything. In this verse, Jesus spins his language around, to talk about all of this more positively. If you abide in Jesus, not only will you bear fruit-- but there will be lots of it. You won't be the kind of branch that has just a few grapes. You'll be the kind that your Farmer gets excited about, when he sees it. Verse 6: (6) If anyone doesn't abide in me, he is thrown outside like a branch, and it dries up,15 and they gather them, and into the fire they throw [them], and they are burned. In verse 6, Jesus spins the language around again, to talk about this more negatively. If you fail to abide in Jesus, you are thrown "outside." There are insiders, and outsiders, to God's vine. And you become an outsider. And once you willingly lose your connection to Jesus, what happens? Jesus is Life. He is the Living Water. He's like the sap in the vine. Lose that, and you dry up. You wither. So at this point, you're separated from Jesus, and dead. Then what happens? You're gathered up with all the other dead branches, thrown into the fire, and burned. Not a good fate. Not an image I like.16 In verse7, Jesus spins the language around again, to talk about this positively. Are we dizzy yet? (7) If you abide in me, and my words in you abide, whatever you want/wish, ask for, and it will be done for you. (8) By this my Father is glorified:17 that much fruit you bear, and that you become my disciples. Here, we find an echo of John 14:12-14. Which we have to reread-- any excuse, to read these verses: (12) Truly, truly, I say to you, the one "believing"/giving allegiance to me, the works that I do, also that one, he will do, and greater than these things, he will do, because I toward my Father am going,18 and whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, in order that the Father would be glorified in/through the son. (14) If, anything, you ask me in my name, I will do it. So what is fruit? Part of it, at least, has to do with the greater works that Jesus promised. So what does verse 7 teach? If you abide in Jesus, and you abide in Jesus' words, you will get everything you ask your Farmer for. No exception. Everything. And when you ask, and your Father says "yes," He is glorified. It's not you. Your Father. When people realize what God has done for them, you point their gaze up. They praise God, for his power and love, and faithfulness. They praise God for the life he gives. Jesus, and Jesus' words, are a source of power. There is life that flows from him, through us (John 7:38), to the world. We have to abide in Jesus, to stay connected. Like a garden hose, to the faucet. And let me suggest, that God wants to be glorified today, as much he wanted to be glorified in the first century. Our Father is still glorified through Jesus, through the risks we are willing to take for him. If we pray big, and act big, God will receive far more glory than He has been. Let's reread verse 8: (8) By this my Father is glorified:19 that much fruit you bear, and that you become my disciples. Jesus is talking to people who are his disciples. Right? He's in the upper room with his disciples. Judas has left. Everyone else, is a committed follower of Jesus. I thought. Right? What does Jesus mean? We tend to think of discipleship in black and white terms. You either are, or you're not, Jesus' disciple. And if you are Jesus' disciple, then you're good. You've done what you need to do. I think verse 8 shows that (at least in John) this isn't quite right. If you are here, in this room, you've probably done many of the cluster of discipleship verbs Jesus commands from you. You have come to Jesus, and follow him, and abide in him, and confess him. But maybe, there is a higher level of commitment that Jesus wants from you. Jesus is still inviting you to a full, mature discipleship. When you look at your life-- look at it honestly, without the rose-colored glasses-- you will maybe see that there are areas of your life where you haven't died to Jesus. Jesus isn't everything to you. Abiding in Jesus, and his words, isn't what you live for. If this is you, Jesus is still calling you. Become his disciples. Verse 9-10: (9) Just as the Father loved me, also you, I loved. Abide in my love.20 (10) If my commands you keep, you will abide in my love, just as I, my Father's commands, I have kept, and I abide in his love.21 Obedience to Jesus, and abiding in Jesus, go hand in hand. So part of what it means, to have Jesus' words abide in you (verse 7), is that you live with a constant awareness of what Jesus want from you. And what does Jesus command, above all else, in the gospel of John? What's the one most important thing we have to do? Verse 11-12: (11) These things I have said to you, in order that my joy, in you, it would be,22 and your joy would be brought to completion/perfection. (12) This is my command: that you love one another, just as I loved you. The most basic command Jesus gives, is that you love the people in this room. You love them sacrificially. You love them as a servant. You love them, the way Jesus loves you. And if we, as a church, do this, what will be the end result? Jesus has already told us that we will bear much fruit. Now he adds to that. If we really live this way, we will be filled with joy. Perfect joy. Living this way is good for you. It's good for this church. Verse 13-17: (13) Greater love than this, no one has, that someone, his life,23 he lays down for his friends. (14) You, my friends, you are, if you do what I command you. (15) No longer I call you slaves, because the slave doesn't know what his master/lord is doing. Now, you24 I have called friends, because all the things that I heard from my Father, I made known to you. (16) You didn't choose/pick me,25 but I chose/picked you, and I appointed/assigned you, that you would go, and that fruit, you would bear, and that your fruit would abide, (in order)26 that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He would give to you. Jesus is our "Lord." And what that word means, "Lord," is obvious from verse 15. A "Lord" is a "Master." A slave owner. Jesus is our Master. But when we think about what that looks like, and how Jesus views that relationship, what do we see? Jesus is not your typical boss: (1) He calls you his friend, not his slave. (2) He shows you the big picture, of God's plan. You know what God is doing. You know your role in that. (3) Jesus loves you to the uttermost (John 13:1). He supervises you, as someone who willingly went to the cross for you. I say all of this, but Jesus is your Master. And your Master has a job for you. Right? He picked you. He gave you an assignment: (1) that you would go. (2) that you'd bear fruit. (3) that your fruit would abide. (4) that you'd have everything you ask for in Jesus' name (=on Jesus' behalf, as his friends). Jesus then concludes this little section, in verse 17, by repeating himself: (17) These things I command you: that you love one another. If Jesus says something enough times, eventually we will hear him, right? Love one another. This is how you abide in Jesus. This is the precondition for getting what you ask for in prayer. This is what's needed, for you to be filled with joy, and fruitful. And loving each other, is a major part of what the fruit is. When we love each other, we are bearing fruit. ------------------------------------------- I started this morning by asking three questions (put these in the outline): (1) What does it mean to abide in Jesus? (2) Why would people not abide in Jesus-- either stop abiding, or refuse to abide? (3) Why should we abide in Jesus? Can we answer these questions, at this point? (1) What does it mean to abide in Jesus? Normally in churches (at least in my experience), "abiding in Jesus" is explained in terms of doing the spiritual disciplines. You abide in Jesus by reading your Bibles more, praying more, fasting more, maybe by worshipping. "Abiding in Jesus" means "working on your personal relationship with Jesus." If someone were to ask you, "Are you abiding in Jesus," that's your cue to scuff your heels, hang your head, and say, "I know I need to read my Bible more." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Verses with abiding in John (some of these are irrelevant, like 1:32-- that's part of doing word studies) John 1:32, 38, 39; 2:12; 3:36; 4:40; 5:38; 6:27, 56; 7:9; 8:31, 35; 9:41; 10:40; 11:6, 54; 12:24, 34, 46; 14:10, 17, 25; 15:4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 16; 19:31; 21:22, 23. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But when we read the gospel of John, we see that it uses "abiding" language in two different ways-- in terms of place, and in terms of people: (1) Place (Jouette Bassler, in a journal article, is really good on this, as is Jerome Neyrey) Throughout the Gospel of John, Jesus is never said to "abide" in Judea or Jerusalem. Those are places marked by their hostility to him (John 11:54). Instead, he "abides" outside of Judea-- in places like Capernaum (John 2:12), in Samaria (John 4:40), in Galilee (John 7:9), and in the place where John baptized (John 10:40). Once you see this, the gospel of John makes a lot more sense. When you see Jesus move toward Jerusalem, you see him moving toward danger, and death. When he returns to Galilee, or anywhere else, he is safe. (2) People Just like Jesus never abided in Judea, he also never "abides" with Judeans. Those are people marked by their hostility to him (John 1:11), and their rejection of him. Instead, Jesus abides "with" his disciples (John 1:39), with his mother and his brothers (and disciples; John 2:12), and with the Samaritans (John 4:40). Now, let's read John 14:18-27 (NRSV, lightly modified): 18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them." 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?" 23 Jesus answered him, "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. 25 "I have said these things to you while I am still [ABIDING-- the verb is here] with you. 26 But the Advocate,[i] the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Jesus told his disciples, verse 25, that the day would soon come, when he would no longer abide "with" them. Instead, he and his Father would make a room with people, by living inside of them. So now Jesus abides "with" us, from inside of us. And he does that, through the Holy Spirit. What, then, is our responsibility? Jesus and the Father have come, and made a place inside of us, and abide "in" us. What does it look like, for us to reciprocate-- to abide "in" Jesus, as he abides in us? How do we make sure we continue abiding in Jesus? I think we abide in Jesus, the same way Jesus' first disciples abided "with" him: (1) Love Jesus (14:23). (2) "Keep" Jesus' words (14:23). (3) Specifically, keep Jesus' word to love the people in this room. We tend to think about "abiding in Jesus" in individualistic ways. I abide in Jesus, by maintaining my personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus lives in me, and I in him, and I need to value that, and work on that. And when I frame it that way, why do I need any of you? Why do I need to be part of our Father's local vine? Lots of people say that they love Jesus-- that Jesus lives inside of them. That they have a relationship with Jesus, which they value above everything else. And many of those same people have a really negative attitude toward the church. Does this work? Is this okay? Let's pause here, and change directions, and think about the second question: (2) Why would people not abide in or with Jesus-- either stop abiding, or refuse to abide? In the gospel of John, there are three main reasons people don't abide "with" Jesus. (1) They are wicked. Some people-- like Judas, and the Pharisees, and Nicodemus (at least up to this point-- love the darkness (John 3:19; 13:30). People who refuse to obey (=keep) Jesus words, can't abide with Jesus. Eventually, like Judas, they will leave us, and leave Jesus. (2) They make too much of Moses, and can't accept Jesus' claims about himself (John 6:60-66). The clearest example anywhere in John of people falling away, is after Jesus has taught everyone that he is superior to Moses, and offers a bread that will make people live forever. That's too much for a lot of people. (3) They are scared. In the gospel of John, lots of people "believe in" Jesus, but most of them try to do so secretly to avoid persecution: John 9:18-23 (NRSV): 18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man's parents. 19 "Is this your son?" they asked. "Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?" 20 "We know he is our son," the parents answered, "and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don't know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself." 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." John 12:42-43 (NRSV): 42 Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved human praise more than praise from God. John 16:1-4 (NRSV): 16 "All this I have told you so that you will not fall away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me. 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember that I warned you about them. John 19:38: 38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. One of the main reasons John was written, was to encourage Christians who were struggling with persecution. Is following Jesus worth it? Can you follow Jesus secretly, without openly confessing Jesus as Lord, without openly taking the step of baptism, without being part of the local church? Can you be Joseph, or Nicodemus, or the blind man's parents? And the answer that AJ gives, is "no." You have to value the glory God gives, more than the glory humans give. You have to openly confess Jesus (John 9:22; 12:42). So it might seem that you can be a secret disciple, and thread the needle, and get the benefits of abiding in Jesus, without suffering the consequences. But that doesn't work. So those are three reasons people don't abide with Jesus in the gospel of John: (1) they are wicked, (2) they make too much of Moses and not enough of Jesus, and (3) they are scared. What would our reasons be? Maybe that list, is our list. Maybe we secretly love the darkness, and have no intention of giving up our hidden sins. Maybe we struggle to believe that Jesus can really offer what he claims. Or maybe we are scared of persecution. When people know you are serious about Jesus, they treat you differently. You get excluded from some things. You get talked about behind your back. You get people watching you, looking for reasons to call you a hypocrite. Especially if you're in middle school, or high school, this can be rough. Being a Christian can feel like a lonely thing. Persecution doesn't have to include people chasing you with guns, for it to be painful. But if we step back, and remember that the key part of abiding with Jesus, is loving the people in this room, our reasons might be different. And if we do this, many of us are going to feel some serious sting in Jesus' words. If I asked you if you've been abiding with Jesus, you'd like to be able to hang your head, and scuff your heels, and say, "I need to pray more, and read my Bible more." That would be easier, than what Jesus is actually calling you to do here. The way you're supposed to answer that, is in terms of the people in this room. You'd say, "I lost my temper at [name], and treated him unfairly, but I confessed it to him, and repented of it, and we have been reconciled to each other." Or you'd say, "God has really put [name] on my heart to pray for him, and reach out to him, and I wasn't even sure why. But I did that, and he's at a crossroads in life right now. And I'm doing what I can to help him." Or you'd say, I'm making an effort on Sunday morning to reach out to people at the margins of the church-- people who haven't connected to us, who feel like outsiders. I'd rather hang out with my friends from small group or Sunday school, but I've been making new friends lately. Or maybe you'd say, "I find myself surrounded by all these new Christians, and the need is overwhelming. But I'm doing what I can-- I'm finding whatever margin I have in life-- to love them, and build them up." In all of these things, I can tell if I'm abiding in Christ, by whether or not I'm loving you in concrete, practical ways. Lots of people say they love Jesus, and they abide "in" him. But many of those same people-- and maybe this is you-- don't want to have anything to do with the local church. They view people like you and me as hypocrites. Maybe we badly hurt them at some point in the past, and they aren't willing to be hurt again. Or they think we are legalistic, or a waste of time. There's lots of reasons why people don't want anything to do with us. And they tell themselves, that's okay. If they have Jesus, they don't need you. Maybe these are your quiet thoughts-- you have Jesus, so you don't need us. Jesus says that the main thing you do, to stay connected to Jesus, and abide in him, is to love the people in this room. And if you can't do that, because our teaching really bothers you, or you think this church is going down a dangerous path, or this church isn't meeting your needs, or something-- then what do you do? The door is not locked. If you don't feel like you can commit to this local vine, then go down the street, and commit to the local vine down there. I say all of this as a kindness to you. I say this, because of how I think we are supposed to answer the third question: (3) Why should we abide in Jesus? Jesus says that we should abide in Jesus-- and with each other-- for three main reasons. The first is in verse 5: (5) I am the vine. You [are] the branches. The one abiding in me, and I in him27-- this one bears much fruit, because apart from me you aren't able to do anything. If you want to do great things, and accomplish much-- if you want to make harvest, worth your Heavenly Farmer's time-- abide in Jesus. The second is in verse 7: (7) If you abide in me, and my words in you abide, whatever you want/wish, ask for, and it will be done for you. If you abide in Jesus, and have his words abide in you, God will say "yes" to every prayer. The third is found in verse 11: Verse 11: (11) These things I have said to you, in order that my joy, in you, it would be, and your joy would be brought to completion/perfection. I want all three of these things-- for me, and for us, as a body. I want us to bear much fruit. I want God to say "yes" to every prayer we make. And I want us to have perfect joy. And because I want that, I will commit to loving the people in this room. Join me. Translation: (1) I am the true vine, and my Father, the Farmer, He is. (2) Every branch in me not bearing fruit, He removes/takes away, and every branch, fruit, bearing, He cleanses/prunes28 it, in order that more fruit, it would bear. (3) Already, you (plural), clean/pruned, you are, because of the word which I have spoken to you.29 (4) Abide in me,30 and I [will abide]31 in you. Just as the branch isn't able, fruit, to bear from itself unless it abides in the vine, in the same manner neither can you, unless in me you abide.32 (5) I am the vine. You [are] the branches. The one abiding in me, and I in him33-- this one bears much fruit, because apart from me you aren't able to do anything. (6) If anyone doesn't abide in me, he is thrown outside like a branch, and it dries up,34 and they gather them, and into the fire they throw [them], and they are burned. (7) If you abide in me, and my words in you abide, whatever you want/wish, ask for, and it will be done for you. (8) By this my Father is glorified:35 that much fruit you bear, and that you become my disciples. (9) Just as the Father loved me, also you, I loved. Abide in my love.36 (10) If my commands you keep, you will abide in my love, just as I, my Father's commands, I have kept, and I abide in his love.37 (11) These things I have said to you, in order that my joy, in you, it would be,38 and your joy would be brought to completion/perfection. (12) This is my command: that you love one another, just as I loved you. (13) Greater love than this, no one has, that someone, his life,39 he lays down for his friends. (14) You, my friends, you are, if you do what I command you. (15) No longer I call you slaves, because the slave doesn't know what his master/lord is doing. Now, you40 I have called friends, because all the things that I heard from my Father, I made known to you. (16) You didn't choose/pick me,41 but I chose/picked you, and I appointed/assigned you, that you would go, and that fruit, you would bear, and that your fruit would abide, (in order) that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He would give to you. (17) These things I command you: that you love one another. 1 It's debated what the verb actually refers to-- only found here in Isaiah 5:2. HALOT, DCH suggest either "to surround with a wall" based on one Arabic equivalent (so also LXX), or to dig/break up the soil based on another close Arabic equivalent. Loosening the soil probably makes more sense (so DBL). Building a wall makes better sense of verse 5 maybe-- where did the hedge come from otherwise? 2 Abraham?, if we're reading into it, was a fine starting point. 3 BHRG: a noteworthy addition. 4 a reservoir made by hewing out from rock a storage place/sink for the juice from the grapes to be collected. Lots of work. 5 DBL: קָוָה (piel) hope for, wait for, look for, i.e., look forward with confidence to that which is good and beneficial, often with a focus of anticipation in a future event (Ge 49:18; Job 3:9; 6:19; 7:2; 17:13; 30:26; Ps 25:5, 21; 27:14; 37:34; 39:8[EB 7]; 40:2[EB 1]; 52:11[EB 9]; 69:21[EB 20]; 130:5; Pr 20:22; Isa 5:2, 4, 7; 8:17; 25:9; 26:8; 33:2; 51:5; 59:9, 11; 60:9; 64:2[EB 3]; Jer 8:15; 13:16; 14:19, 22; La 2:16; Hos 12:7[EB 6]; Mic 5:6[EB 7]+)5 6 like Heidi checking the garden every day. 7 or, "exercise authority." 8 there's a play on words coming here. The word can mean either. 9 they are already attached to Jesus. 10 they need to stay attached. 11 It's "and," not "as." 12 The verb is implied, maybe, but not actually in the Greek. Or it's like a little aside, just reminding you that Jesus does abide in you. Tricky. 13 So right now, you do abide. Keep doing this. A warning about what happens if you stop. 14 left dislocation, to avoid overloading the clause. "This one" then grabs as a whole. 15 In contrast to John 7:38? 16 I think it's Brendan Byrne who points out, that branches aren't burned here because of guilt, but because of worthlessness. Most commentators say it's a mistake to go off, and talk about hell here. FWIW. 17 Forward pointing device ("by this") draws attention to what follows. 18 Here, Jesus answers Peter. 19 Forward pointing device ("by this") draws attention to what follows. 20 These promises Jesus makes, and his ongoing commitment, demonstrate his love (13:1). 21 The relationship Jesus has with his Father, is the relationship we are to have with Jesus. 22 Jesus' joy is something he can share with us-- the ones who abide in him. Interesting. 23 the word we think of as meaning "soul." But it just means life here. 24 Focused, or just marking the topic? 25 Louw-Nida: ἐκλέγομαιb; ἐκλογήa, ῆς f: to make a special choice based upon significant preference, often implying a strongly favorable attitude toward what is chosen-'to choose, choice.'" Nathaniel maybe says, "We have found the Messiah." But Jesus actually found them. 26 is this a fourth thing, or is it an explanation of why Jesus appointed? 27 left dislocation, to avoid overloading the clause. "This one" then grabs as a whole. 28 there's a play on words coming here. The word can mean either. 29 they are already attached to Jesus. 30 they need to stay attached. 31 The verb is implied, but not actually in the Greek. 32 So right now, you do abide. Keep doing this. A warning about what happens if you stop. 33 left dislocation, to avoid overloading the clause. "This one" then grabs as a whole. 34 In contrast to John 7:38? 35 Forward pointing device ("by this") draws attention to what follows. 36 These promises Jesus makes, and his ongoing commitment, demonstrate his love (13:1). 37 The relationship Jesus has with his Father, is the relationship we are to have with Jesus. 38 Jesus' joy is something he can share with us-- the ones who abide in him. Interesting. 39 the word we think of as meaning "soul." But it just means life here. 40 Focused, or just marking the topic? 41 Louw-Nida: ἐκλέγομαιb; ἐκλογήa, ῆς f: to make a special choice based upon significant preference, often implying a strongly favorable attitude toward what is chosen-'to choose, choice.'" This is where I finally stop pushing back against it?? "We have found the Messiah." But Jesus actually found them. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 1