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Lesson From the Vinyeard
Plants grow better when they’ve been pruned.
God prunes unfruitful people from his vine.
What exactly does the word “unfruitful” mean here?
Outline of John 15
- Jesus Is the Vine, We Are the Branches
- Love and Hate, Multiple Perspectives
Come Now, Let’s Leave
Jesus reminds his disciples that returning to the Father is a good thing.
It didn’t seem like a good thing, though.
What good things do we mistakenly identify as bad?
Verses 25-27
Jesus says we now have the Holy Spirit and peace.
What more could we need?
Why do I sometimes feel like I have access to neither?
Verses 23-24
Jesus says:
If I love Jesus, I will obey. This is the original conditional statement.
If I do not love Jesus, I will not obey. The inverse is true.
This means that if I won’t obey Jesus, then I don’t love him.
And if I obey, then I love Jesus.
Obedience = Loving Jesus
Good Judas
The other Judas asks Jesus a question (v. 22), and I struggle to see how Jesus’ reply answers him (vv. 23-28).
What do you think, dear Readers?
Verses 8-21
Philip follows up with a comment that clearly indicates he and the other disciples have missed a major point:
Jesus = God the Father
Oops.
Where Are You Going?
Doubting Thomas presses Jesus for details.
“Where are you going?”
Jesus explains that it doesn’t matter, because he himself is the destination.
My Father’s House
In verses 1-4, Jesus gives us a brief glimpse into heaven.
It’s like a mansion “with many rooms.”
This is a picture of abundance and has a very different feel than Matthew 7:13-14.
Matthew 5:1 describes Jesus’ audience in Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. Crowds follow him to experience his teaching. Jesus emphasizes the difficulty of getting through the narrow gate because his audience is the crowd.
In John 14, Jesus’ audience is his 11 faithful disciples. Despite Peter’s denials in a few hours and everyone else’s desertion, Jesus anticipates their ultimate faithfulness and reassures them.
People on the road to heaven need reassurance. People on the road to hell need reality.
Jesus provides both.
Outline of John 14
Jesus: Everything will be OK.
Thomas: Are you sure?
Jesus: Yes.
Philip: But we need the Father.
Jesus: Same difference. And the Holy Spirit will help.
Judas: Why all the secrecy?
Jesus: We (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) have it covered.
