Prelude to the Last two Chapters of the little book the "Branch and the Vine" - Part 50

"As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you; continue ye in My love.  If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love.  These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.  This is My commandment, That ye love one another; as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, That a man lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:9-13.

We have been studying John 15 for quite some time, and continue because it is the heart of the concentrated bits of counsel that Jesus gave His disciples just before He entered Gethsemane  and gave His life as a ransom for many.  We've been talking about the Vine and the branch, and the need to abide.

This chapter we are going to examine John 15:9-13.  Let's get started with verses 7 and 8.

"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.  Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples".  John 15: 7&8.

It is important for us to remember that a disciple is someone who is not only taught by Jesus, but who also reflects His teaching in daily life.  As we bear fruit, God classifies us as His disciples.

As the Father Loved Me

Continuing in John 15:9, Jesus said:  "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in My love."

These verses have a tendency to slip away into sentimental nothingness for the simple reason that our concept of Biblical love is theoretical and not practical, to say nothing of the fact that what the world feels about love and what the Bible says about love, and we find it hard to separate the two.  But Jesus helped us when He added the words, "As the Father hath love Me."  What was Jesus saying?  What meaning should we attach to His words?  It's very difficult to express the depth of what He was saying by using human terminology, let alone to fully understand it.

We will continue these thoughts tomorrow, I promised to keep these studies short and I think I have fallen short on doing it but they are so good that it is hard to quit right in the middle of a good thought.  But come back tomorrow and let's see what true Biblical love is.  Grandma Joan