Day 303 or October the 30th. I am the true vine.
Today's thoughts come from John chapter 15 verse
1. I am the true vine and my father is the gardener.
First the big picture surrounding this verse.
The whole of our passage today takes place in
the upper room. Interestingly, the Greek that
is translated upper room is the same word that
we find in Matthew's Gospel to describe the place
where Jesus is born, the inn. It was a place
of hospitality, which many houses had in those
days. Unfortunately, when Mary and Joseph arrive
in Bethlehem, other relatives have already taken
it, as they don't have to travel as far as Nazareth.
So the next best room the stable was offered,
because there was no room in the inn or guest
chamber. I, for one, find it significant that
Jesus' earthly life begins in a stable room.
Then he teaches in an upper room, and finally
rests in a sealed stone room. John concludes
his upper room discourse with Jesus praying for
his disciples. Many describe this as the Lord's
Prayer, with the Our Father Prayer being called
the Disciple's Prayer. And now today's action
step. Jesus gives a long description of what
it is like to be at one with him. He describes
himself as the vine and his followers as the
branches. this must have made a real impact on
John as he tells us so much of its detail when
he comes to write his life -story of Jesus the
other gospels don't mention it at all it's a
contemporary picture that everyone would have
understood in a culture where grape -vines were
a common sight After his explanation of being
in him and he in us, Jesus concludes this particular
teaching by adding a new commandment to love
one another. The order is important. Unless we
are in Christ and he is in us, we have no chance
of loving others as Jesus loves us. The command
is not to like but to love. Who we like is up
to us, but we have no choice over whom we love.
Remember that when someone you meet is being
particularly unloveable.