Episode 6: John 15:1-17: Glorious Fruit
As Jesus continues talking with his disciples, he's preparing them for life without him, but life with His Spirit. What does it look like to be a disciple? Join us as we dig deep into the first half of John 15.
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How does this passage bring assurance for you?
How does it challenge you in the Christian life at the moment?
What will it look like for you to remain in Jesus, and his words, in your current season of life?
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This episode is sponsored by 10ofthose.com.
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The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service. Before quoting in print, please check the corresponding audio for accuracy.
Sarah: You're listening to the Two Sisters in a Cup of Tea podcast, the Bible Study podcast for everyday life. We're here for a 20 minute burst of Bible chat over a cup of tea and an English style biscuit as we make our way through a Bible book over the course of the season and drive it to our hearts. And this season, we're revisiting John's Gospel as we get stuck into chapters 12 through 17 together. Whether you've been listening for a while or have just found us, we are so pleased you're here.
Felicity: This season, we're really grateful to be partnering with 10ofthose.com. Did you know that 10ofThose does more than just sell books online? They believe wholeheartedly that books that point to Jesus can change lives. 10ofThose is all about helping people find the right resources for their needs, whether it's hand-picked books on their website, publishing gospel-centered resources, or providing books for churches and events. Maybe they could serve your women's retreat, your youth weekend away or even the main church gathering on a Sunday. They love to provide a bookstore for any event, big or small. If you want to find out how 10ofThose can help serve your church, reach out to them at events@10ofthose.com. They'd love to help resource you and your church leaders so that you can browse and shop books that will point your community to Jesus.
Sarah: Welcome to Two Sisters and a Cup of Tea. My name is Sarah, I'm over here in the UK. I'm with my sister Felicity who's in the States and we're thrilled to be jumping back into John's Gospel into chapter 15 today, 15 verses 1 through 17. Felicity, before we get there, tell us about any biscuits you might have hanging around at the moment.
Felicity: hanging around. We are recording this in January and I feel like therefore there is definitely, there's a January food hang on isn't there from kind of Christmas treats and all the things and we do have quite a full biscuit-ish cupboard. I'm saying biscuit-ish because my favourite at the moment is something called the heavenly hunk. It's a Costco item. It's a gluten-free. It doesn't really qualify as a biscuit, but it goes very nicely with a cup of tea. It's a kind of chocolate chip hunk of Oatie goodness. I mean, when I say goodness, it tastes good. It's definitely not good for you, but it's small enough. It's kind of like, you those on YouTube listening, you can see it's not this big. And it's just the right size to go with a good cup of Yorkshire tea and about, you know, 10:30 in the morning or in fact 3pm which is the time when I feel like I need a heavenly hunk in my day.
Sarah: A timely, yeah. I love that. Little disappointed it's not fruity though considering the nature of our conversation today around fruit. As people will remember, as regular listeners will remember, about a year ago we were discussing the passage that we're getting into today as part of our fruit of the spirit season. Felicity, what's it been like for you reading this in context as part of the the wider narrative as opposed to just kind of zooming in as we did this time last year.
Felicity: Mmm, we've been talking about that a little bit as we've gone through this section in John this seems to be a kind of Chunk of chapters in John's gospel where there's lots of familiar passages aren't there and so we are reading them in context in ways that maybe we haven't before and this one I I think that I've I've taught on this I've heard sermons on this I've this is a very familiar passage and I think what's hit me this time as I've been reading in contact, especially off the back of the interactions between Jesus and the disciples in the last chapter with all those questions and the pastoral compassionate response he has. It's really helped me hear this passage differently, I think. I think that I've maybe got my emphasis a bit wrong before. I've read it more as a warning and I feel like this time round I'm hearing it in a much more kind of assuring kind of way. That's been one of the shifts, I think, in my understanding. How about you?
Sarah: Hmm, that's really, it's so interesting, isn't it? And I think, I think all that we said last year stands, like I would stand by what we've said, we've said, not saying scrap that, but also such richness is added as you read this in context. So we've just had these questions from the disciples, we've just had that kind of flurry of anxiety really of like, Lord, what's happening? Like you're about to go and we don't really understand what's going on. And he's then coming to, the thing he says next is basically he chooses to then explain all that's happened, all that he said, in the nature of a metaphor that they can really understand. And I just really appreciate, again, kind of reading this in context helps us to see that actually what he's doing here is trying to serve them with a picture that will really help them to understand what the Christian life is gonna look like once he's gone. And that's just really helpful, isn't it? And I'm really looking forward to getting into this. So shall I read it for us? So we're in John chapter 15, starting at verse one.
Jesus says, I am the true vine and my father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I've spoken to you. Remain in me as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine.You are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain in my love, just as I have kept my father's commands and remain in his love. I've told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this, love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead I have called you friends. For everything that I've learned from my father I have made known to you. You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that whatever you ask in my name the father will give you. This is my command. Love each other.
Felicity: Yeah. Thank you, Sarah. Let's just, first of all, before we even get into what is being said here, if you just go through and look at the repeated words, we'd hear this word in again and again. And what we have here, even just on our overarching level, is this idea of being in Christ and Christ being in us. And we've heard that said in the previous chapter. And so what we have here is that term union in Christ, so just that idea that we are in Christ and he is in us and that is the means by which we keep on following Jesus, the way in which we have this life that he's been describing.
Sarah: Yeah and I love that even though he's just talked to them about going away and that he's no longer going to be there, actually life as a Christian going forward is still absolutely united to him. You cannot do anything without him. It is integral that you are bound, joined to the vine and this image of the true vine, so Old Testament Israel has been called a vine but always seen as a failure particularly heading back to Psalm 80, we see that. But here Jesus says, I am the true vine, so he is the one who's always been faithful and now disciples are described as the branches from this vine. And that is how we are able to bear fruit in the Christian life. That is how we are able to keep going. And it all hinges on remaining in Jesus, abiding in Jesus and abiding in his words we see in verse seven as well.
Felicity: Yes, and this idea of remaining in Jesus, in light of the gospel account that we've been reading, in light of what Jesus has been saying, it seems to be that in order to remain in Jesus, we keep looking to Jesus. We keep trusting that he is God's glory, that he is the authoritative word of God and so I've been mulling on what that looks like. It seems that I need to keep on looking to him. Like it sounds simple doesn't it but there's so much there's so much else to be looking at it seems in the world but actually to abide in him to remain in him to do what is being asked here is to keep trusting him to keep my gaze in his direction.
Sarah: Yeah. And I wonder where then that gives us helpful context to see the pruning, that actually it's a loving Heavenly Father who's pruning us so that we would keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. How often are things pruned in our lives so that we would depend on Jesus more? And just seeing that as a of a tender kind of provision for our growth rather than a hindrance. I think it's just a helpful, it's a helpful kind of way to see this, isn't it? That actually there's a care, there's a concern from the loving Father and from Jesus himself. I'd love this quote I found from Amy Carmichael where she says, rid me, good Lord, of every diverting thing. That kind of essence of prune me from everything that's diverting my attention from abiding in Jesus. And that's just, I think it's been a helpful way for me to see the pruning here going on. That it's not so much a warning as you were saying before, but a loving tender kind of contribution by the father.
Felicity: Yeah, and as he prunes, it's not that you're then chucked out, is it? The pruning is a means of staying in, and so there's a, God is with us as he's doing it. It's not from a distance he's throwing the branch in the fire and that's it, but this kind of pastoral, compassionate pruning, which is hard to see suffering in that way. Yeah, exactly, exactly. And that we would want to bear the fruit that is in line with the glory that Jesus is presenting. Jesus has said it a number of times, isn't he? Like, if you're gonna follow me, you need to follow my path. Lay down your life just as I lay down mine. We hear it again in the second half of this passage. That as we would seek to run that direction to do it his way that is countercultural that's counter what we're seeing around us so it makes sense that the Lord is going to have to do a work in us and through us in order for that to happen that's helped me see why would why would I need to be pruned well actually because this is not naturally the way that I seek to live.
Sarah: Yeah, particularly when it comes to love, which is what he goes on to talk about, isn't it? The way that he says, each other as I've loved you, and gives his own example again as how he lays down his life and what it looks like for us to lay down our lives for others. Actually, that is not natural in us, is it? That is not our kind of natural disposition. We need the Spirit to be at work in us. We need to be abiding in Christ's Word to see more and more that that is the path of blessing so that we would be inclined by his spirit to want to walk that way. And I think that's just really, really important to see again, isn't it? Apart from him, we can do nothing. Apart from him, we cannot love like this. He's shown us the example with the foot washing. He's shown us all that encompasses, but without his spirit, we are helpless in this, aren't we?
Felicity: Hmm. And I love, love what he says, taking us back to verse three, you're already clean because of the word I have spoken to you and the work that is done on the cross that is pictured in that foot washing, as we read, and it can feel a little challenging, kind of like, why, how am I to love like this? How am I to abide in Christ? How am I to be one who really does bear fruit? Well, because I am already clean, because of the word, because of what Jesus has done. Therefore I seek to do this out of a position of assurance, like this is where I stand, this is my identity, this cannot be taken away because Jesus' work on the cross cannot be changed. And I think as I've heard this passage wielded in the past as a bit of a kind of like, come on, sort yourself out, that's been a really helpful word to me of, no this is from a point of I'm in Christ, I am in Christ and the assurance of that is really helpful.
Sarah: And that he's for our joy. So in verse 11, I've told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. And I think this has been one of these things that has been surprising me the whole way through the narrative is the way of blessing is by following in Jesus' footsteps here. The way of joy is to love like this and that it's fullness. I am the way, truth, the life. Like life is found in walking this way. And I think just remembering that and kind of renewing our minds with that truth that we need to be reminded that the way the path of joy looks like loving like this, looks like giving ourselves toward others and towards the Lord in this way. And ultimately that will bear fruit and fruit that will last. what do you think that is, Felicity? There's a lot of discussion about what that fruit might look like.
Felicity: Yeah, I think that you can't get away from love. Like I think that the fruit has to include loving like Jesus loves. Also because of the people that he's speaking to, as we've spoken about previously, these disciples are being given the word, which is then gonna be the means by which the gospel really goes out. So there must be an element of the fruit being that you would tell others about this vine, that you would tell others about Jesus. So I've kind of landed on those two. you could, I don't think it's not outside of the text to go down the fruit of the Spirit, because the vine, as you're in the vine, you're gonna reflect the vine. And as we were talking about in our fruit of the Spirit season, the fruit of the Spirit is just a reflection of Jesus. Like those are the character traits of Jesus so as you're in the vine no doubt you're going to be reflecting the vine in the way that you are so but I don't think he goes there so I would hesitate to kind of really major on all the fruit of the spirit, but yeah I don't know did you did you have a similar spot of landing?
Sarah: Yeah, I think so. think... yeah, yes. I think it's interesting, isn't it, the phrase, bear fruit, that will last. Like, actually, all the fruit of the spirit will last because it's fruit of the spirit. And it's our character, and that's, you know, going ahead now right into eternity. But there's something about, yeah, I do think there's something about the nature of, in love we will cannot help but tell others and share. That to share the gospel is love, is laying down your life, is costly in so many ways actually isn't it in this day and age to do that and yet we entrust the results to the Lord in that, like we pray, we pray on that we will bear fruit that lasts but we cannot control the people's responses to how they respond.
Felicity: Yeah, which we're gonna see in the next chunk, aren't we? So again, reading it in context, then I think that makes sense what you're saying there. So where has it been hitting you in your everyday? So these are profound things that we're talking about. How has it been shaping your everyday thoughts and words and actions?
Sarah: I won't think that this is a joyful path of obedience to follow if I'm not nourished by the word that tells me so. I need to continually be nourished as this passage is telling me. I need to continually remain in Jesus's words so that I keep remembering that this is the path to life, this is the path to joy, this is the path of blessing so that I will be inclined to serve others. I'd be more inclined to look out for others over myself. I can only do that if I'm being reminded of the truth. As we've been saying, naturally we don't naturally incline ourselves to that way of life, do we? So I think for me, that the link between being nourished in Jesus, remaining in Jesus, being nourished by His words, that's the thing that's going to fire my joy and ultimately propel me to love like Him.
Felicity: Yes, yes, that's so helpful and to pursue that and I think the joy thing has really struck me that Jesus does care about our joy and that he is giving us the means of joy by following him and that in itself is a really helpful motivation. think we talked, you brought up a Sinclair Ferguson quote a couple of episodes ago, this idea of what does it look like to lay down my life for my friends? What does it look like to serve another person for the sake of Jesus? I think this has prompted me to go down that route again. It'll actually examine my heart and motive as I go about my day. I'm gonna walk out from here and see my kids and my husband and what does that look like to love them like Jesus loves them and the people I'm gonna interact with today from the cashier to the friend to the whoever our mum on the phone, whoever it may be, that is, yeah, again, I think it's something that's been swirling around as we've been in these chapters all together. Sarah, you wanna pray for us in these things as we end?
Sarah: Love to. Thank you so much that you tell us what the Christian life is like here. We thank you so much that we have what we need because we are already clean and we are remaining in Jesus and we just pray Lord please would you continue to renew our minds with the truth and Lord that as we see that the way to joy the way to blessing is following in the path of Jesus we pray Lord please would you then incline our hearts to want to love like this, to want to serve others, to want to bear fruit. Thank you Lord for the reminder that we can do nothing apart from you. Help us please to keep remaining in you, being nourished by your words because they are the means to life. In your name we pray Jesus, amen.
Felicity: Thank you. Well, again, I mean, you could speak for hours on this. But instead, yeah, we give you 20 minutes as a starting point as ever. We've been so encouraged lately as we've been hearing how the podcast has been helping you to get the Bible open for yourself and with others. If our conversations have encouraged you at all, please, we would love it if you took a couple of minutes to rate and review it wherever you get your podcasts. And why not send the link to a friend or two whilst you're at it? We really appreciate spreading the word, recommending it to others. Really appreciate that. Thank you so much. And we will look forward to being back in your ears on Friday. We will see you then.
Sarah: Bye bye.
Felicity: This episode has been sponsored by 10ofthose.com.
Listener testimony: The Two Sisters podcast has been so helpful to the women in our church. Some women who meet 1 to 1 listen separately, then discuss the passage when they meet up for our weekly women's Bible study. We view several of the seasons as a focus for our discussions. We listen for homework, and then we use the passages given to do a deeper dive. We've just finished The Fruits of the spirit and we all found it so encouraging and challenging.
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