John 15:1-17 | Food for Thought
Notes
This is part of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse, in which he’s preparing his disciples for his imminent departure - to the cross, to the grave, and to his throne in heaven.
Questions
Jesus says that he’ll cut every branch, whether that’s to remove it entirely OR to prune it. What’s the difference between the two?
How does this set our expectations for discipleship? …our relationship with Jesus?
How does this change the way we might experience hardship, discipline, rebuke, sacrifice, etc.?
Jesus tells us to abide in him. Simply put, what does it mean to abide in Jesus?
How would someone know if you were or weren’t abiding in Jesus? How does that show up in your life?
Last week Jesus said that if we loved him, we’d obey him. This week, Jesus says that if we keep his commandments, we’ll abide in his love. How do we experience the love of the Lord when we entrust our words and actions to him instead of ourselves? On the flip side, how do we NOT experience the love of the Lord when we don’t keep his commandments?
Have you experienced this in some way personally?
It seems as if Jesus really does want us to bear fruit that lasts! What kind of fruit is Jesus talking about here?
How is this encouraging to you prayer life, reading, intimacy with the the Lord, hopeful engagement with the world, etc.?
What if you lived as if you believed Jesus wanted to bear fruit in your life and do things that glorifed the Father through you?
Jesus reiterates the new commandment he gave to his disciples earlier: love one another as Jesus has loved them. He now takes this a step further by describing the greatest act of that love: laying down your life for your friends. First, what’s the significance in the disciples’ change from “servant status” to friends? Why is that important?
Second, Jesus says that his friends are those who do what he commands. Why would he define friends this way? We certainly wouldn’t! (…or at least hope not!)