WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.620
Day 303 or October the 30th. I am the true vine.

00:00:07.080 --> 00:00:10.480
Today's thoughts come from John chapter 15 verse

00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:15.679
1. I am the true vine and my father is the gardener.

00:00:16.899 --> 00:00:19.539
First the big picture surrounding this verse.

00:00:19.899 --> 00:00:22.960
The whole of our passage today takes place in

00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:26.070
the upper room. Interestingly, the Greek that

00:00:26.070 --> 00:00:28.730
is translated upper room is the same word that

00:00:28.730 --> 00:00:31.890
we find in Matthew's Gospel to describe the place

00:00:31.890 --> 00:00:35.609
where Jesus is born, the inn. It was a place

00:00:35.609 --> 00:00:38.770
of hospitality, which many houses had in those

00:00:38.770 --> 00:00:42.469
days. Unfortunately, when Mary and Joseph arrive

00:00:42.469 --> 00:00:45.770
in Bethlehem, other relatives have already taken

00:00:45.770 --> 00:00:49.009
it, as they don't have to travel as far as Nazareth.

00:00:49.450 --> 00:00:53.179
So the next best room the stable was offered,

00:00:53.340 --> 00:00:56.060
because there was no room in the inn or guest

00:00:56.060 --> 00:01:00.039
chamber. I, for one, find it significant that

00:01:00.039 --> 00:01:03.240
Jesus' earthly life begins in a stable room.

00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:07.480
Then he teaches in an upper room, and finally

00:01:07.480 --> 00:01:12.019
rests in a sealed stone room. John concludes

00:01:12.019 --> 00:01:15.560
his upper room discourse with Jesus praying for

00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:19.780
his disciples. Many describe this as the Lord's

00:01:19.780 --> 00:01:23.260
Prayer, with the Our Father Prayer being called

00:01:23.260 --> 00:01:27.939
the Disciple's Prayer. And now today's action

00:01:27.939 --> 00:01:31.879
step. Jesus gives a long description of what

00:01:31.879 --> 00:01:35.420
it is like to be at one with him. He describes

00:01:35.420 --> 00:01:38.120
himself as the vine and his followers as the

00:01:38.120 --> 00:01:41.670
branches. this must have made a real impact on

00:01:41.670 --> 00:01:45.069
John as he tells us so much of its detail when

00:01:45.069 --> 00:01:48.969
he comes to write his life -story of Jesus the

00:01:48.969 --> 00:01:52.129
other gospels don't mention it at all it's a

00:01:52.129 --> 00:01:54.590
contemporary picture that everyone would have

00:01:54.590 --> 00:01:57.969
understood in a culture where grape -vines were

00:01:57.969 --> 00:02:01.840
a common sight After his explanation of being

00:02:01.840 --> 00:02:06.840
in him and he in us, Jesus concludes this particular

00:02:06.840 --> 00:02:09.939
teaching by adding a new commandment to love

00:02:09.939 --> 00:02:13.319
one another. The order is important. Unless we

00:02:13.319 --> 00:02:16.740
are in Christ and he is in us, we have no chance

00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:20.539
of loving others as Jesus loves us. The command

00:02:20.539 --> 00:02:24.939
is not to like but to love. Who we like is up

00:02:24.939 --> 00:02:28.379
to us, but we have no choice over whom we love.

00:02:29.050 --> 00:02:31.469
Remember that when someone you meet is being

00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:33.750
particularly unloveable.