Here we are, 25 weeks into our conversation on John’s gospel. It is still moving us towards John’s objective:

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)

As we have walked through this gospel, we have repeatedly been opening the door to process, struggle, focus, refocus, question, and build resolve. These are not passive things that you can just sit back and enjoy; they are pleading to be engaged in.

Do you remember in fourth grade when you started to learn more complicated division and multiplication? Do you remember in 7th grade when you began to use letters rather than numbers as you were introduced to algebra? Did you take advanced algebra, trigonometry, calculus or statistics? The teachers all said the same thing: “Show your work!”

Remember when you got into high school and you realized that the answers for the odd questions were in the back of the book? And sometimes the teacher would do something so thoughtless as to assign some odd-numbered questions. But then it hit you--show your work!!!

Think about the complicated things in life--things that are not yes or no, black or white, but that are convoluted. Things that brilliant people have come up with different answers for. 

Think about the complicated things in life, like relationships, the future, hopes and dreams, or dealing with the past--or maybe our feelings about the past or the future.

Think about the complicated things in life--things that stress you out or fill you with anxiety; things that confuse or frustrate or hurt you, or things you just don’t understand.

If these things were just about the answers in the back of the book, life would be so easy. Who do you love? Wait, is this an odd or even question. I will look in the back of the book. What should I do? Wait, let me Google search it. What do I believe? Just tell me and I will believe it.

While the simple answers can feel good, life is pleading with us to show our work.

If you had to show your work for the things you believe and/or feel, what would you show?

We all have a belief system, which is defined as a set of principles or tenets which together form the basis of a religion, philosophy, or moral code.

Some of our belief systems are more complicated than others. Some are more worked out or refined than others. Some of our belief systems are more confusing than others. But we have them. Whether we like it or not, or even know it or not, we have a belief system.

John is intentionally walking us through Jesus’ life with the intent of helping us build our belief system in relationship with Jesus. This could be a moment to ask you to show your work of belief--specifically to show your work in your relationship/belief in Jesus. I think there is value in that question, but if we are going to go to the deepest levels of belief we need to deconstruct one level deeper than that. And it is the question that I can’t remember my math teachers asking me:

What are the costs and/or dangers of not doing the work of belief, but instead finding the answers “in the back of the book?”

Today we turn the page to John 15, and in just the first 17 verses, Jesus jumps right into drawing a picture of relationship with God (vine, branches, gardener, fruit); then John builds a theme through repetition by using the words “remain” or “abide” 11 times in 7 verses (this should be a flashing light); and finally Jesus does the ultimate DTR (define the relationship) and tells the disciples they are no longer servants, but friends.

These concepts, these words, are loaded with relationship perspective. There is a lot to take in here, and while there is value in taking these three things in individually, there is also amazing value in taking these in all in at once.

Before we jump into the text, I want us to do some work (“Show your work”). Let’s do some research. 

What do you find when you Google search: “What makes a relationship work?”

Everyone’s Google search is a little different, but did you see things like this? 9 rules, 8 ways, 5 skills, 5 essentials, 20 things… With a little time and with a little effort any one of us could probably memorize these things. But knowing these rules, ways, skills, essentials, or things would still not guarantee that all your relationships work.

What stands between knowing how to make relationships work and making relationships work?

So walking into the text today, remember the process of showing your work, and remember the distance between knowing how to do relationship well and doing relationship well.

Jesus looks at His disciples and 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. (John 15:1-2)

Pruning is intentional. It can look extreme or even painful--actually, it is a little painful. But it is about setting one up for success in the long run. It is done in love; it is not punishment. Pruning is an essential process. It can be overdone or underdone and cause injury. It is ongoing, not just done once and done forever. And it doesn’t produce anything, but it sets up the potential for production.

The disciples would have heard these words and would have known the hyperlink in Isaiah:

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” (Isaiah 5:1-6)

This was a picture drawn of God’s people. God set up his people for success, but it didn’t work. Now Jesus is sharing again: Things didn’t work out in the past, but a new day is here.

Hearing Jesus’ words would have told them that they were God’s people, that everything was being done to set them up for success. But Jesus doesn’t stop there.

What about the fruit? It still comes down to “our” production...

Then Jesus goes into the “remain” explosion. John is bringing this theme to the surface.

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 will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:4-11)

God is working to set us up for success. Then what? Remain in Me.

The disciples would have known the Psalms by heart. And they would have heard this theme of remaining/abiding and would have thought of David’s words in Psalm 27. This is a recurring theme in so many of David’s Psalms, but I bring this one to the surface:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. Hear my voice when I call, Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior. Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. Teach me your way, Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, spouting malicious accusations. I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord. (Psalm 27:1-14)

King David wrote this from a season of trouble. Yet it is a song of confidence and triumph: David was not in darkness or ultimate peril because the LORD was his light and salvation.

David took on the responsibility of abiding with God. He was repeatedly passionate about it. He loved it, longed for it, needed it. In the ups and downs of life, David needed to abide with God or to remain with Him.

As we hear Jesus emphasize over and over again to remain in Him and His remaining in us, we need to hear the passion and heart of David.

And then this leads to Jesus’ last words in this section. With the picture of the vine, branches, fruit and pruning (a picture through the lens of Isaiah as being renewed commitment to being set up for success), and then with the over-the-top stating of the theme of remaining / abiding (feeling David's heart and passion from the Psalms)--this is the showing of the work from our earlier conversations--now Jesus says to His disciples and says to us:

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 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—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:12-17)

Here is a new repetitive word--friends.

Remembering the foundations of this section--relationship through pruning (setting up for success), and abiding or remaining in proximity and connection with Christ--and hearing Jesus say emphatically that He doesn’t call us servants, but friends:

• What does it mean to be a friend of God?
• What does friendship yield?
• What does friendship cost?

Now it’s time for a final conversation to bring these pieces together.

Remember John’s objective:

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)

Remember our conversations today: We talked about showing our work of belief. We talked about what makes relationships work. We talked about the challenges of living out what makes relationships work.

And we looked at John’s words: the picture of relationship using a vine, branches, fruit, and pruning; the theme of remaining or abiding with Jesus; and the call that we are friends with Jesus.

Bringing our conversations and the text from John 15 together:

• What are some keys to healthy friendship with Jesus?
• How can you tell friendship with Jesus is healthy?
• What is the work that needs to go into it?

Take It Deeper Questions

• Read John 15:1-17.
• What plant best describes you: towering oak, producing apple tree, sweet cherry tree, weeping willow, tumbleweed, crab apple or other? Explain.
• What does the picture of pruning illustrate well in our relationship with God?
• What is your favorite part of living out the pruning illustration?
• What is your least favorite part of living out the pruning illustration?
• What is the significance of the repeated use of the word “remain”?
• What is the reward and what is the challenge of being a friend of Jesus?
• What are some keys to having a long-term healthy friendship with Jesus?

Bible Reading Plan

• Leviticus 18
• Leviticus 19
• Leviticus 20
• John 4
• John 5
• John 6