"Friended" by Jesus - (2)

Part 2  (John 15:1-15)

“I  am the vine, you are the branches” 

 

Jesus compared himself to a vine, his disciples to branches, and his Father to a gardener.  He created a detailed comparison that instantly connected with his audience.  EVERYONE knew how vines grew, how they were pruned, and how they produced fruit.

With this comparison he was telling them HOW TO LIVE.  If you are connected, you will flourish.

Read the story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%2015&version=NIV

Listen to the story here: http://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/John.15

But in any use of figurative language there are some things that are alike, and others that are certainly NOT alike.  Most people will intuitively understand which parts are different.  In our example of the lemon (Part 1), if you are about to give your friend a piece of hard candy to taste and you say it is “like lemons,” they will understand you are NOT saying that a candy is a fruit.  However, in more complex comparisons like the one with the vine, it is sometimes necessary to be clear about which of the aspects of the comparison are NOT alike.

So, with the vine and branches comparison, the disciples are NOT mere mindless, soulless plants.  They are not connected to the vine apart from their own CHOICE of will.  This departure from the comparison becomes clear by the use of one verb:

“Remain…”

A branch cannot CHOOSE whether to attach or detach from the vine.  A person can.  Jesus is saying to them:  “You are a person with free will.  You will have to CHOOSE to stay connected to me.”  Then He makes the choice of staying connected eminently desirable by saying, “Remain in my love.”  Who would want to leave love?!

Even so, it is more than a little frightening to know that you can CHOOSE to depart from the true vine and therefore end up destroying yourself.  Is it hard to stay, or easy to go?  How will you know whether you are really connected?

What do you think?