Moments to Ponder
Pondering is a lost practice today.
The idea that we might actually take a few moments to think deeply about anything seems indulgent in our busy, full schedules. Yet, our souls crave rest and space to breathe, process our lives, choices, and walk with Jesus. I invite you to join me fora few moments to take in Scripture and take away a few thoughts to ponder throughout your day.
Moments to Ponder
Episode 141: Rooted in the Vine: Jesus's Call to Remain (John 15)
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The vineyard stands as one of the Bible's most powerful metaphors, and Jesus masterfully reclaims this symbol in John 15. Walking us through this rich text, we discover how the vine and branches illustrate our spiritual dependence on Christ.
Remember when Jesus declares "I am the true grapevine"? This statement would have been revolutionary to his Jewish audience. The vine had long symbolized Israel—it was on their currency and adorned their temple gates. But Jesus redirects this powerful imagery to himself, establishing a new understanding of spiritual connection.
The pruning process catches our attention. Though painful, this pruning creates space for light and new growth. When we submit to God's pruning, we find ourselves healthier and bearing more fruit.
What does it mean to "remain" or "abide" in Christ? The Greek word "meno" conveys dwelling, continuing, being held continually. This isn't casual connection but profound communion—a life union. Our ability to produce spiritual fruit—love, joy, peace, patience—flows directly from this connection. Without it, Jesus says plainly, "you can do nothing."
Perhaps most beautifully, Jesus elevates his followers from servants to friends. Yet this relationship comes with a warning: just as the world rejected him, it will reject those who faithfully follow him. Are we prepared to stand firm even when it costs us popularity or comfort?
Listen now to discover how remaining connected to the True Vine transforms your daily life and produces fruit that not only changes you but influences everyone around you. Subscribe to continue exploring how ancient wisdom illuminates our modern spiritual journey.
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Hey friends, welcome to Moments to Ponder. This is a podcast designed to help you spend a few moments in God's Word, gain fresh perspectives and find meaningful takeaways to ponder throughout your week. I'm Betsy Marvin and this is Episode 141. I'm Betsy Marvin and this is episode 141. Have you ever visited a vineyard? Well, if you haven't visited one, maybe you've at least seen a picture of one. They're beautiful, aren't they? The rows and rows of green.
Speaker 1:Now I live in Michigan and in the northern part of our state we have an area that is perfect for growing grapes, apples and cherries. There are acres of vines and fruit trees. Along the shores of Lake Michigan, it is a favorite vacation spot for my family, and it has quite a few golf courses to enjoy as well. I think that we have visited that area at least once in every season, and each one has been beautiful. When you think of ancient Israel, what do you see in your mind's eye? Do you see rocks and desert and scrub, brush and cities of stone? There were plenty of those, but there were also fields of grain and olive groves and acres of vine. Just picture lush fields and vineyards, and you have an image of part of Israel. Picture lush fields and vineyards and you have an image of part of Israel.
Speaker 1:In the Old Testament we read in Isaiah 5, verse 7, that the vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. Israel is the vineyard and Judah the vine. Yet he goes on to say that the grapes have become wild in this vineyard and they aren't producing the right fruit. In Isaiah 11, he wrote A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse. From his roots, a branch will bear fruit. The spirit of the Lord will rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the spirit of counsel and of might, the spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord, and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. So from the stump of the vine, from that root, a branch will grow. So the stump of Jesse would have been the line of David, and from that root a branch meaning Jesus will come. So in this prophecy from Isaiah, the Israelites knew that they were looking for someone from the line of David who would come and save them. In this. The vine then becomes a symbol of the Messiah to come, so a symbol of Israel and a symbol of Jesus.
Speaker 1:In fact, the grapevine was the symbol of Israel. It was even on their money and, much like the eagle is a symbol for the United States or the lion is for England, it was important that the grapevine was used on large buildings when the second temple was built. Then one gate was decorated with a huge golden grapevine. Historian Flavius Josephus tells us that it spread out, with its branches hanging down from a great height, and that its clusters of grapes were as tall as a man. This golden vine was, he added, a marvel to all, on account of both its size and its fine workmanship both its size and its fine workmanship. So this was on the temple that the people would pass on a gate, and during Passover the gates to the temple were left open. So it could be that as Jesus and the disciples walked toward the Kidron Valley to go to the Garden of Gethsemane, they passed this gate and they saw the golden grapes, and this sparked a conversation. Jesus was so good at using what was around him to help teach his followers.
Speaker 1:And as we begin chapter 15, notice what Jesus says, verse 1. I am the true grapevine and my father is the gardener. So right away here Jesus is changing the narrative. He's telling his disciples I am the true grapevine, not Israel, and so when you look to the vine, you need to be looking to me, and that God is taking care of the entire vine and the whole garden. Okay, verse two he, the father, cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't bear fruit and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so that they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you Remain in me and I will remain in you, for a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches, and he prunes the branches so that they will produce more fruit. The word prunes here is kathairo, which translates cleanse, as in God cleans the vine. He gets rid of anything it doesn't need.
Speaker 1:My husband recently pruned back some bushes in our backyard. He really went after them. They looked so bare and thin. Afterwards those blunt stumps of branches were raw and open. But we know the process. We have to cut back, clean out old, dead branches, because when we do, we create space for the light to get in and make room for new growth. He's actually helping the bushes by getting rid of what it doesn't need in order for it to direct its energy to what it does need to do so that it grows in the right direction. The new growth right now is full of buds. The bushes are going to be healthier and more full because of his careful pruning, and it's the same with us. When we're cleansed of what we don't need, pruned of what's hindering our growth, then we're able to grow and flourish in new ways. Unlike the bush, we need to submit to the pruning process. We actually need to be willing to recognize what needs to go, a goal that isn't actually aligned with God's plan, a relationship, a habit. And pruning can feel painful, it can leave us open and raw, but as light gets in, new growth does come, and over time we realize that we're healthier and living a fuller life because of the process.
Speaker 1:Jesus continues in verse 5.
Speaker 1:Yes, I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who remain in me and I in them will produce much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want and it will be granted. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
Speaker 1:Remain as the disciples stood there looking at the vines and the bunches of golden grapes, as tall as they were. Jesus tells them apart from me, you can do nothing. And just as the branches have to be attached to the vine to bear fruit, so do the disciples, so do we fruit, so do the disciples, so do we. Friends, the fruit that God desires in our lives is not something we can produce on our own. In fact, it's called the fruit of the Spirit, and as we abide in Him, the natural result will be the fruit that God desires for us Love, joy, peace and patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness and self-control. Okay, we'll come back to this. Jesus goes on to say that we can ask anything and it will be granted if we remain in him and his words remain in us. His words of love, forgiveness and obedience are deep within us and they guide us as we lean into his grace and truth. Jesus is really clear to his disciples here. They have a choice and we have the same choice to remain connected or not. And if we choose to remain connected to him, then naturally the things we ask for in prayer will reflect that connection and produce fruit that brings him glory.
Speaker 1:Jesus goes on in verse 9. I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love when you obey my commandments. You remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow. This is my commandment. Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than 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 slaves, because a master doesn't confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn't choose me, I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for using my name. This is my command Love each other.
Speaker 1:We see Jesus again connecting obedience to discipleship, our obedience, showing our love for him. It's not an earning, it's a byproduct. Because we love him, we desire to obey his commands, to love others as we love ourselves, to forgive as we've been forgiven. Jesus says that this brings him joy, which in turn will help our joy overflow. Now we don't often think of joy when we think of commandments and obedience, but in Jesus' kingdom, obedience leads to joy, and this is true because of the love that is underneath the obedience. And again, it's not an obedience out of force, it's a choice made out of love. And this joy, his joy, isn't one of pleasure, it's deeper than that. It's the wonder of being right with God, the joy of walking in his love and his care. It's that abiding presence of the Spirit that isn't dependent on circumstances or people. Jesus alludes to what is to come here, but the disciples seem to only hear the wonder that this rabbi sees them through friendship eyes, although in the writing to come the disciples will call themselves slaves to represent how sold out they are to Jesus, that they belong to him body and soul. But right now, in this moment, they are his friend and they are chosen, appointed and blessed Verse 18.
Speaker 1:If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer a part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? A slave is not greater than the master. Well, since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you, and if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them, but now they have no excuse for their sin.
Speaker 1:Anyone who hates me also hates my father. If I hadn't done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my father. This fulfills what is written in their scriptures. They hated me without cause, but I will send you the advocate, the spirit of truth. He will come to you from the father and will testify all about me, and you must also testify about me, because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
Speaker 1:Jesus quotes Psalm 35 and 69, as he says this they hated me without cause. They truly had no reason to hate him, but they did. He tells his disciples the world will hate you, and for the disciples this must have been confusing and ominous I mean learning of persecution to come and not understanding all that was going on. But they do know that they will follow Jesus anywhere, that they will follow Jesus anywhere. Now, from history, we know that the disciples will stand true to Jesus as they each, with the exception of John, die by persecution, and this raises some questions for you and I. Would you allow yourself to be persecuted for his sake?
Speaker 1:For almost everyone who is listening to this podcast, we have the freedom of faith, so we need to put this into the context that might fit our world a little more. Will you stand for Jesus and what he teaches when others don't? Will you face being disliked or even hated because of the choices you make to remain obedient? Are you in the world, but not of the world? Christianity is not a cultural seesaw. It is a faith based on the truth that doesn't change. And Jesus is clear. Because we know him and his words, we are accountable.
Speaker 1:Later, peter will reiterate these words of Jesus in 1 Peter 4. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are greatly blessed because the spirit of glory and power, who is spirit of God, rests upon you. Let none of you merit suffering as a murderer or thief or criminal or as one who meddles in the affairs of others. But if you suffer for being a Christian, don't consider it a disgrace but a privilege. Glorify God because you carry the anointed one's name Honestly.
Speaker 1:At the heart of all of this is humility. Jesus is calling us to humbly follow, with everything we have, the humility of knowing who is really in charge and to choose to be in a relationship with him because he wants to be in one with us. It's a relationship of loyalty and love with the one who loves us more than we can even imagine. The test of that love and loyalty is simple, but it's difficult and sometimes dangerous. Love one another, as I have loved you. It's a daily walk of becoming more like Jesus and in that process we will go through pruning. I know I have many times and I can tell you that pruning is not fun. But I also know from watching my husband that he is never so close to a plant than when he is pruning it, and it's the same with our heavenly gardener when he is pruning he is closer than ever, guiding and helping us flourish and grow.
Speaker 1:So let's go back to verse 26. Jesus said I will send you the advocate, the spirit of truth, and he will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. The advocate, the helper, the comforter, the strengthener, the spirit of truth, he is the one who makes this all possible, because he is within us. Our lives are spiritually and practically connected with Jesus, as the spirit indwells us in a real and active way, and this, it creates a mutual bond. We abide as he abides, remain in me and I will remain in you. Verse 27 says this you must also testify about me because you have been with me. Every piece of fruit well, you have been with me. Every piece of fruit, well, I think almost every piece of fruit has seeds in it, and those seeds are meant to reproduce more fruit. And it's that way, with us, our fruit, which shows us to be his disciples, can become the seeds for others that the Holy Spirit can use in their lives. Our joy, love, peace, kindness, they're all seeds from his fruit that we can help plant in others, and it all hinges on remaining in him. So how do we do it?
Speaker 1:What does it look like in real life to remain in Jesus? In the Passion Translation, verse 7 reads this way so you must remain in life union with me, for I remain in life union with you. I think life union is such a good way to explain this. In Greek, the word for remain is meno. This In Greek, the word for remain is meno, and it means to abide, to be present, to be held continually. It means to endure and last and to be as one.
Speaker 1:So what does it look like in real life to remain in Jesus?
Speaker 1:It is to be united in everlasting connection, a life union that is strengthened over time and seen through the fruit in our lives. It is staying connected in a variety of of ways to the one who loves us Dear one. Are you remaining in Jesus? Maybe another way to say that what helps you realize you've distanced yourself from him? I mean, maybe your attitude isn't what it should be, or there's a person that you're struggling with, or maybe you're losing patience with a situation, or maybe you just feel a little bit low on love right now and sit in God's presence, ask him to help you re-center yourself in him, to remind you of your belovedness and fill you with his presence.
Speaker 1:That's what it is to remain Communicate, stay connected through his word, through prayer, through being in community with others. Dear one, you are continually held by the one who is present in you. Because of Jesus, the Spirit in you unites you with the Father in an everlasting life. Union that bears fruit in our lives as we follow him in love. May the fruit of your life bear seeds that help sprout the faith of others. May you remember that you are chosen and appointed, loved and known, and may you abide in him. Amen.