This post by christinecoltman was originally published at GRACE PLACE
John 15 – Is God good?
So, for those of you that don’t know, I was born in CA – in Napa Valley – America’s wine country! It’s the ideal region for harvesting wine grapes; good dirt, good weather. So, when I was trying to decide what to wear tonight, it occurred to me that to be authentic to CA, I should wear shorts, a tank top and my saltwater sandals – but this is England and it’s freezing outside – so jeans and a hoodie it is!
But as a child, that was my go-to outfit. My brother and I could play for hours under the CA sun, running aimlessly in the vineyards, racing up and down the rows of cabernet, weaving in and out of the perfectly shaped vines, endless hiding places, one adventure after another.
And as an adult, the vineyard now intrigues me! It’s art – and a precise science. If the season is called too early or too late – the grapes are ruined. If there’s an invasion of pests – ruined. If there’s a frost and the vines aren’t protected – ruined. And if the leaves and the blossom aren’t pruned just right – you guessed it – ruined! The fruit is precious – and priceless! And it’s entirely the credit of the vine dresser (the gardener), who gives all of himself, in every season, to create the very best conditions he can for the harvest.
So, let’s launch in – and we’re looking at vines and branches and fruit, and we’re in John 15 so have a read of verses 1-17.
John 15 is a powerhouse of memory verses! But – what’s the key? If we had to strip it down to one verse – where is the pinnacle? As you think about that – I want to start with another question: is God good?
If you just answered ‘yes’ – then also answer me these questions also:
You say he’s good – but what is God actually like?
How do we know that?
Because verse 2 says some branches get CUT OFF – and that seems harsh!
But then verse 6 says some branches get THROWN IN THE FIRE – and that feels dark!
Who are these branches? Could it be me?
And – how can that be if God is love? – v9
Is his love conditional on me? On my obedience?
But then what if I slip up, what if I stumble, what if I fall?……….
Or when I fall…
And what’s the fruit all about?
For those counting, we’re at 15 questions so far! And were just 5 min into this time together. You probably came here tonight expecting to receive a study and it’s turned into a pop quiz…! But the more and more time I’ve spend with John, the less I feel I know and the more questions I have! The hair-down, no make-up, ‘oh – it’s just John’ sort of familiarity I used to feel has morphed into a whole new dimension! John just keeps surprising me over and over again, but then so has Jesus – so has the Father – and the Spirit.
Remain in my love (v4, 5, 7, 9, 10)
The number of references to ‘remain/abide’ can’t be ignored; if we were to weight individual words in the chapter to determine the main point, we’d probably assume that abiding is the key takeaway. But, John 15 cannot be understood without the context of the chapters that sit ether side – 14 and 16.
There is mirror effect and we read:
He who keeps my commandments is the one who loves me
The one who loves me keeps my commandments
So which is it? Do we keep God’s commandments as a response of our love for him (as chapter 14 says)?
Or, do we abide in his love and therefore keep his commandments as a responsibility (as chapter 15 seems to suggest)?
Both – both are true. To understand this, we have to zoom out to see how the emphasis of chapters 14, 15 and 16 is on the Helper – the spirit who makes a way, that both the father and the son can dwell in us. The spirit’s work is to make their presence known within us. He, as the most expert communicator, creates an experience in us of the love that flows between the Father and the Son, living in us. And in response, we love God and only desire to keep his commandments, knowing that he first loved us!
Verse 16 is clear: you did not choose me, I chose you – so keep my commandments. We keep his commandments to know the joy his love brings.
Sadly, the Catholic tradition has taken these verses to mean that love is obedience. But they’re not the only ones.
We’ve all heard verses used to put the emphases on my ‘doing’ – the assumption is that faith is about making choices to love someone as an act of the will. Rather than being motivated by a love response, love becomes a product of disciplined choices.
I really enjoy dabbling in anthropology and I’m going to go all ‘geek’ here – but this way of thinking goes back to Aristotle’s influence on the church. Aristotle was the ancient Greek philosopher and scientist who was renowned for his pioneering work in biology and logic. His theories spread wide and were later deeply embedded into Christianity.
Aristotle taught that you become good by doing good things; practice, practice, practice and you too can be good…But he didn’t believe in God of the Bible. Yet today our theology is rife with interpretations of scripture that we’ve understood for centuries through a lens that misses the point, because Aristotle’s version of God is based on my sweat, my performance and my staying power. It demands our obedience, holds us hostage to our failings and steals our joy.
Just think about that in terms of relationships in your life: Is that the kind of husband you’d want? One that says – Hollie, I’d love you more if you just obey me- keep practicing- try harder- perhaps you’ll be worthy of my love one day.
Now let’s take this back to John – because sandwiched in the middle of chapters 14 and 16 is this incredible metaphor. In chapter 15, Jesus uses a picture of a grapevine to cement his teachings. He says, ‘guys, look, it’s from the inside out – that’s the direction of growth. It starts from the roots, goes up through the vine, out into the branches and then there is fruit – not the reverse! The fruit doesn’t start, it doesn’t pour sap into the branches, that’s siphoned into the vine and drains down into the roots!’
That’s why this analogy is so brilliant – it shows the nature of god’s love that’s talked about in chapter 14 and later in chapter 17 (where it really gets gushy!). The one-direction nature, the product of the vine pouring nutrients into the branches, that is where we have a profound heart change. And that heart change produces behavioural change. And the behavioural change is the fruit of the work of God within us, as we abide in him.
In John 13.34, Jesus is talking to his disciples and he says to them ‘guys, I’ve got a new commandment for you. It’s the old command that you’ve always had, but it’s a new commandment because I’m adding this the new bit on for you, “love each other as I have loved you.”’
When Jesus was asked ‘what’s the greatest commandment?’ he said ‘Love – love God, love others.’ Here he’s saying, ‘Now, love as I have loved you – washing feet, going to the cross – because if you love each other like that, the way I have loved you, then the world will know that you are my disciples. That’s the new commandment.’
But we turn love into a condition. We say (with our posture, our sideways looks and sometimes even our words!), ‘if you obey, that means you love’. Yet in John 15 – Jesus says, ‘I do what my father tells me – because I love him!’
Does he have to prove it? No! Because when he’s loving God, when I’m loving God, as his child – then guess what – I’m going to be doing what God is all about. This what godliness is – it’s the natural overflow of being one with Christ. This is the fruit of the spirit – and the reason for connecting John 15, where the branches abide in the vine.
If a branch abides in a vine, what does it do? It produces fruit. If a branch could think – would it have to think about producing fruit? No, because it’s about abiding – and when a branch abides, it produces fruit as a response to abiding in the vine. This is the point: those who abide in love, will love! And even more, we will keep his work and do so joyfully because his work isn’t a burden – actually, his burden is light!
It’s the husband that says to the wife, ‘I love you all the time, no matter what, and I always will. And when you love me back, that’s my greatest joy!’
So, if abiding is the response (not some we conjure up or try hard to achieve), how do we get there?
Let’s talk about pruning
Most of us find it easy enough to thank God for the good in life – but what about in the suffering? What about thanking him for the people, circumstance and pain in life that we cannot abide in?
It’s in those moments that Proverbs 3.5 addresses our response of faith: ‘Help me not to trust in my own understating – but acknowledge you in everything.’ It’s not about being wise in our own ways.
When I reflect on times in my life when I’ve experienced the deepest joy, these are sweet times when my gaze has shifted away from me – and instead – I find myself gazing deeply into the loving eyes of Christ.
But don’t misunderstand me. This isn’t a batty, emotional, blind-love. Sometimes when I’m gazing at Jesus, my eyes are full of tears and I’m searching for comfort – and I ask him hard questions:
- Why are you letting this happen…
- Why have you brought this person in to my life that I can’t abide…
- Where is the goodness in this Lord…
- Can you see me – I’m so broken…
But almost in the same breath, and usually with a lot of tears running down my cheeks, I acknowledge that I know he allows the pain, and it’s even for my good, because he’s pruning me back so that my life will bear fruit for him!
You know, an un-pruned vine will stop producing fruit. The vine needs just the right proportion of leaves and fruit to flourish. If it has too many leaves, the sunlight won’t reach the fruit and the grapes won’t ripen. If there aren’t enough leaves, the grapes will be scorch by the sun and rot before they are done growing.
So, what’s the fruit of John 15? This isn’t a trick question; all the answers are in the verses! But for some reason, I’ve bought into an unconscious lie about this for years. I think it goes back to incomplete Sunday school lessons and poor application by well-meaning preachers who’ve described the fruit in terms of leading someone to Christ, grand achievements in the church, ministry successes, lost sheep that we help guide back into the fold, completing your 100th Bible read through, leading, preaching, evangelising…
Those can all be brilliant things- but look at verse 11 and then ask yourself: when was the last time my joy overflowed? Can you even remember? When we can thank and praise God for the good – and the bad – that is how our joy is complete – that is when it overflows!
But keep with me because this is where it might start to hurt…
It’s not a mistake that verse 12 comes after verse 11: ‘Love each other in the same way I have loved you’.
Oh dear… but some people in church, well, they are – tough. And in some instances, that’s putting it gently…
I’m sure we can all recall broken relationships, believers who’ve parted ways, friction that have lead to fractions, and times when love did not win.
I recently had a run-in with a sister from church, and I was beside myself for a couple days. Her response caught me off-guard; it was arrogant, assertive, sharp! I started asking the Lord, ‘why have you allowed this? How is this ok? Why do you let her carry on?’ Have you ever felt like that?
So how do we move from the place where we’re unable to abide someone – to a place where we genuinely love them? Because verse 16 is pretty clear, ‘Love each other in the same way that I have loved you…’ It’s not merely about tolerating or co-existing. So what do we ‘do’ – ?
Well, this is where I start: I cannot abide this person. But, I love Jesus dearly. And I know that my resentment is going to put distance between the Lord and I. But I want nothing more than to live in his joy so that my life will be a fruit-growing-machine that bears witness to him!
And what is it to bear fruit? It’s to do his work! It’s not law keeping – it’s not about obedience. In 6.26 Jesus tells his disciples, ‘– this is the only work God wants from you: believe in the one who he has sent.’
The ONLY work God want’s from me? Not chore number 4 on the list of 4,000! I can do that! Surely, by this time next week, I’m gonna look like a walking version of Corsham greengrocers!
The only work we do is to believe – and out of that, we bear fruit, fruit that abides!
But look at the starting point for all of this, John 15.16, ‘You didn’t choose me – I chose you – I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit…’ The emphasis is on his initiating. Yet, despite that I was saved by God alone, how magnetic is my inclination to turn love into rule keeping and use my Bible like a textbook?
The fruit that abides, the fruit that Jesus is talking about in John 15, is fruit that reveals him: it’s love, joy, peace, patience, kindness… It’s the same as we see in Jesus and it’s the bi-product of a healthy branch!
Fruit is a big theme throughout the whole Bible. Chase it all the way from cover to cover on your next read through! But tonight, let’s just momentarily reflect on the fruit in Genesis 3, the fruit of the tree of life.
This fruit is the life-giving spirit that the first man and woman rejected – in place of another spirit. It’s eternal life! So when we see this fruit in each other, what we’re really seeing is Jesus! Not works! Not accolades, trophies, medals or accomplishments. Those that the father is drawing to himself are attracted to this fruit and they take the fruit, they eat it, and they are saved because that fruit is actually that they want the Father – and they are saved!
John 12.44 says, ‘Jesus cried out and said – if you believe in me, you are believing not only me, but in God who sent me – and when you see me, you are seeing my Father who sent me!’ So, now what about the person we can’t abide? Jesus says, ‘My spirit dwells in you and he’s going to remind you of who my Father is and what he’s like.’
The work of God is to believe in him, who the Father has sent. I want to do the work of God, but I can’t do it on my own. It’s not just that I think I can’t, but I really can’t. Jesus tells me that apart from him, I can do nothing. That’s why all the way through chapters 14-16 he tells us about the Helper; the spirit that proceeds from his Father, the spirit of truth.
The helper reminds me of God’s love. The helper reminds me that when I see Jesus, I see the Father. The helper reminds me that when I believe in Jesus, I’m believing in the Father. And when I’m reminded of these things, my heart is warmed to God and I can’t help but want to love others – even those who I cannot abide – those who have caused me (or those close to me) immeasurable hurt.
Let me make a bold statement: You’ve always seen the world as a dangerous place where your well-being is constantly in jeopardy and being threatened. No wonder you can’t give freely, love those who hate you and shake off the shackles of anxiety and fear. It’s because you don’t see him who is constantly beside you and will never leave you.
But you are not alone – this is me too, and probably the sister in the seat next to you.
Faith that overcomes the world is faith that cries out:
I believe in all that Jesus is saying and I remain in all that Jesus is saying. Regardless of the tribulation and uncertainty that surrounds me, the people I’m struggling with and the uncertainty of my circumstances.
But I do know this: I trust in the promiser. I trust in his promises. And I live with all of you as we connect to Christ and together on this journey.
That’s faith.
But don’t lose heart – the Spirit is here – in the middle of this war. He whispers the promise of John 15.13 softly into our ears, ‘There is no greater love, than to lay down one’s life for a friend…’ and verse 14, ‘you are my friend’!
At the cross, the serpents lie is reversed! Rejected! A selfish god wouldn’t give up anything, much less everything.
Only a GOOD GOD goes to that length, to rescue my dirty, broken, selfish, evil heart.
Some are clean – Some are burnt
But what about the fire? Jesus says that he is the vine and believers are the branches. Whoever is in him, and he and them, will bear fruit – the fruit of belief in the good Father!! So, is a lack of ‘fruit’ (a lack of belief), is that down to a lack of devotion?
Well, it can’t be because he also says that we can’t abide in him, or do anything, apart from him helping us to do it. So, who are the branches that are cut off and burned in the fire, by the Father?
I wrestled with this. And maybe you too? And stepping back I asked myself, is it possible for a person to believe in Jesus but, at the same time, refuse to abide in him?
Well – were it not for my wise husband, I would have avoided this part of the text entirely tonight. But Jonathan helped me see this question as part of a much bigger issue, one that we cannot understand without looking at Judas.
So let’s venture back to John 6 briefly where over and over Jesus says things like: those who believe won’t be hungry or thirsty, those the Father has given me I will never reject, it’s the will of the Father that I won’t lose even one, if you eat what I offer you will live forever…’
His heartbeat is strong! He keeps offering himself over and over, not wanting to lose even one!
But 60 verses in and his disciples are still confused. It’s as if they are saying, ‘Look Jesus, we can’t quite make sense of what you’re saying?’
Then 6.63, “The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. The words I’ve spoken are spirit and life. But some of you do not believe in me (for Jesus knew from the beginning who did not believe and knew who would betray him).’
And later, in 13.10, “A person who has bathed all over, doesn’t need to wash, except for their feet, to be clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.’ For Jesus knew who would betray him – that’s what he meant when he said, ‘not all of you are clean.’”
So as we climb back into chapter 15, here we get the polarity of the branches who are clean and the ones that are thrown into the fire:
verse 3 – You have been pruned and cleaned by the message I have given you – abide in me, and I in you.
verse 6 – Anyone who doesn’t abide in me is thrown away, like a useless branch, and withers. Such branches are gathered up into a pile and thrown into the fire and burned.
The one who bears fruit is clean; as Jesus is saying this, he’s talking to his disciples. They weren’t leaders or even extraordinary citizens, loved by all, and spoken highly of! They were ordinary fishermen, a loathed tax collector, a political revolutionary… But they were clean. Except for one.
Judas was a disciple. He was one of the 12! Jesus said over and over he didn’t want to lose one – not one. Yet here’s a disciple, one of his inner crowd, who could not be further from knowing Jesus and his Father.
Cutting off a branch and pruning it are two separate things: Branches that bear fruit are pruned to bear more. They rely entirely on the vine for all their nutrients so that they keep bring forth fruit. That’s us when we’re leaning into and believing the Lord entirely, then flourishing because of the connection we have with him.
But there are other branches that get totally cut off. Runners; these are branches that shoot up, drain the vine of nutrients, steal light, and will never produce fruit. In a vineyard, if these are left they will utterly destroy a crop. It’s ironic because they usually look fantastic! They have bright coloured leaves, strong stems, they stand up feet above the entire vine. But they must be cut off.
Fruitless branches, ‘runners’, are Judas-branches. Maybe they look devout, obedient, dutiful. They are people who associate with Jesus and His people, and they look like they’re connected to Christ, but their connection is insincere – and the Father removes them. Because, like a good gardener, he’s looking after the vine, the branches and the fruit.
As chapter 15 goes on, Jesus says, ‘he who hates me, hates the one who sent me…’ Judas’ crime was that he hated – not just the vine – but also the vine dresser, the Father. He could not abide in Jesus and bear fruit that displayed the Father, because he hated him. And because of this, he was cut off, cast out and burned.
Complete joy
To funnel the entirety of John 15 into one point – think about this: why does Jesus want us to bear much fruit? Actually, hold that thought – because let’s not leave thinking about fruit, let’s leaving here thinking about the vine and the vinedresser!
Why does Jesus want us to believe him? Because then — and only then — our joy is complete.
It’s interesting that Jesus calls the Spirit ‘helper’. What an endearing name. It makes him relational and relatable. He’s not some mystical, empowering force or enigmatic gas!
The Spirit is my helper! My friend! But he’s not obsessed with me knowing him – he just keeps pointing me to Jesus! He reminds me of my first love and in response – my heart is warmed – I want to love the Lord even more!
For the everyday moments, for my everyday growth – the Helper reminds me that the Father loves me JUST as much today as when I was saved. Because, as old believers, the temptation is to think that when we stumble, that his love for us is diminished…
But he loves me JUST AS MUCH today as when I was saved! And back then – he took me as I was: a total wreck! And today – he still takes me as I am. He does it all, I do it all, as he lives in me – and my joy overflows!
Indeed he is good!