Abide (Part 3 Of 4) Series

They had all gathered for a night of celebration. They were the closest of friends. The table was set. All in attendance reclined on the floor around the table to observe the Passover meal. They were there to remember God´s mighty works that had freed the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt centuries before. They were also there to remember the promise that a Messiah who would one day come to fulfill deliver His people. Throughout Jerusalem all the homes were having this same celebration, but in this upper room, where Jesus met with His disciples, tonight would be different.

At one point during the meal, Jesus took off his outer robe, tied a towel around his waist and washed the feet of the disciples. He then told them how one of the twelve would betray Him. Jesus continued explaining how He would only be with them a little while longer and where He was going, they could not come. This must have been shocking news for most since they had given up all to follow Christ.

We know, from previous scriptures that Jesus had already told them that he would be killed and raised back to life in three days, but somehow, they still did not have ears to hear (Mark 8:31). He told the disciples how the ruler of this world, Satan, was coming but that he would have no claim over Christ. Jesus told them that those who believed in Jesus would do even greater things than He had done. He commanded them to love on another as he had loved them, by this all people would know that they are His disciples. He assured them that He would not leave them as orphans, but that He would return for them. Until then the Father would send a Helper, the Spirit of truth to be with them.

As the disciples sat there, listening, it must have all come upon them like a gathering storm. Betrayal. Jesus´s departure. Satan coming. And in them midst of this they would need to love, believe, and do even greater things that Christ had done.

We don´t know for sure what was happening in their hearts and minds in that moment, but we do see Jesus´ words. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. . . Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

It was at this point, at the end of the Last Supper, that we find these words in John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Our society rails against this type of thinking. “You can do it if you put your mind to it! If you believe in yourself! If you apply yourself and pursue your dreams! Where there´s a will there is a way!”

But Jesus says, “I am the vine, and you are the branches. . . apart from Me you can do nothing.” This is not a new idea. We see it throughout scripture. His grace is sufficient. When we are weak, He is strong. As the psalmist says, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Jesus is not trying to give them poor self-esteem and focus on how lowly they are. That was not the situation. Jesus has just shared with His disciples the weight of the burden they are about to be required to bear and He is reassuring them that the impossible is possible if. . . they will abide in Him. This same assurance is offered to all who are in Christ.

The example of the vine would have been very familiar to the disciples. The vine or the “trunk” of the grapevine sprouts branches. These branches then produce fruit. If a branch is cutoff from the vine, of course it can do nothing. That was common sense. Jesus is taking this commonsense idea and applying it to the disciples´ relationship with Him. He is declaring that this necessity of a branch abiding in the vine is similar to a spiritual reality. If the disciples are to live and bear fruit, then they must abide in Him.

Jesus continued with these words, “If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

Branches of the vine were useless once separated from the vine. They would die, no longer bear fruit, and because of their weakness they could not be used to build or to even make a fire to cook. There was nothing that a vine could do on its own.