Jesus was a Great Teacher and Storyteller (John 15:1-17)

Jesus was a Great Teacher and Storyteller

June 22, 2025

John 15:1-17

By: Kay Flowers

Jesus was a great teacher and storyteller. He went to great lengths to use familiar scenes, things, and events to relate the greatness of God to Jews of the first century. We see these things in his parables: a prodigal son, a traveler set upon by thieves. We see them in his similes: the Kingdom of God is like salt, leaven, a mustard seed. And we see them in his metaphors: sheep, shepherd, fishers of men. And vines. The vine is the central metaphor in today's scripture, but to understand it, we should take a brief look at vineyards (since few of us know how they work).

First, as we all know, there are many types of vines. Pumpkins and watermelons come to mind. Most vines have many of the same characteristics. However, in this context, we are most likely referring to grapes, the primary source of wine. The earliest evidence of winemaking, and by extension vineyards, dates back 6,000 years before Christ. Vineyards are carefully constructed with clean soil, and vines are often placed on terraces and attached to some kind of structure to keep the fruit off the ground. The vine sends out long tendrils or branches that produce grapes, relying on the stem of the vine to provide the necessary nutrients. Not all tendrils produce fruit, particularly in their first year. Therefore, the vinedresser must prune the vines back so that resources are not wasted on leaves only. This action also strengthens the branch for the years when it does bear fruit.

The word vine appears 185 times in the Old and New Testaments, but its meaning changes. The first mention is in Genesis, where it states that Noah was the first to plant a vineyard. Later in the Old Testament, the vine came to symbolize the nation of Israel.

In the psalm we heard earlier, the psalmist

Psalm 80:08: You brought a vine out of Q/Egypt. You drove out the nations and planted it. Oh God, Q/ hosts, look down from heaven and see, have regard for this vine.

In some cases, the reference was derogatory. The prophet Jeremiah says:

Jeremiah 2:21

Yet I planted you as a choice vine from the purest stock. How, then, did you turn degenerate and become a wild vine, Isaiah says. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his cherished garden; he expected justice but saw bloodshed; righteousness but heard a cry!

Jesus uses the vine as a metaphor in his Farewell Discourses, his last instruction and comfort to his disciples before his death. In John 15, he says, "I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser." The vine is no longer Israel but is Jesus.

He reminds his disciples that branches that bear no fruit are removed and thrown into a fire. Those that bear fruit are pruned so that they will bear more fruit. The branch must remain in the vine because the vine provides nourishment and energy to the branch to bear fruit. We know now that the base of the vine provides DNA, the instructions for creating fruit. Without the vine, the branch can do nothing. In such a way, we must abide in Jesus, who supports us in our lives, so that we may produce fruit. Without him, we can do nothing.

But what does it mean to abide in Jesus? The word abide is used in John 15:1-17 I l times! This is an essential concept in Jesus' message. One commentator suggested that just starting the morning with prayer can renew us and prepare us for a day of abiding in Jesus. Another commentator said touching base with a friend, or a token, can keep us mindful of Jesus and his love. In some ways, the chips given to

Alcoholics Anonymous members act as tokens to remind the individual of their commitment to sobriety. In the same way, some Christians wear crosses or carry verses in their wallets to remind them of their commitment to Christ. I still have a small pocket cross that was popular in the 1970s. It came with a short poem, the last line of which was

"I carry a cross in my pocket to remind no one but me that

Jesus Christ is Lord of my life if only I'll let him be."

Seeking Jesus in what we do daily invites him to abide with us and reminds us to abide in Him.

Abide is an interesting word. Jesus urges his disciples to abide in him as the branches abide in the vine. If one looks up the definition of this word, its current usage is to accept or tolerate something, with synonyms such as bear, endure, suffer, and stand. However, the biblical sense is vastly different, stemming from an archaic meaning: to dwell or remain. One commentary I read suggested that the verse "In my father's house are many mansions" is better translated as "In my father's house are many abiding places," which I prefer.

When I first read this passage, I was struck by the word "abide" (it is hard to miss when it is repeated I l times). The image that came to my mind was my bed. I have an adjustable bed, and one of its settings is called "zero gravity." If you move to this setting, you are in a cradle, with the head slightly raised and the feet raised. It is

a position of complete relaxation. I could abide in that position for quite a while. Relaxing in a hot tub also comes to mind.

As I read more, however, I realized that branches that abide in the vine are part of the vine as the vine is part of the branches. Together, they work on creating fruit. So, the image of dwelling, or remaining, such as the branches dwelling in the vine, or us dwelling in Jesus, is not the relaxation I imagined. Instead, it can be a kind of work.

Another word that might be used for this arrangement is synergy: the combined effort of two entities produces a whole greater than the sum of the parts. The problem with that definition is that it is too impersonal. Jesus asks us to abide in him as he abides in us, an indwelling, not just a joint effort.

The goal of this synergy is the creation of fruit. Jesus mentions fruit many times throughout his ministry. In Matthew, Jesus reminds his disciples that "by their fruits, ye shall know them."

"For there is no good tree that bears bad fruit, nor on the other hand, a bad tree that bears good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good, and the evil person out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

In other words, what a person produces reveals their true nature, just as the seeds in the fruit produce the plant they came from. Our fruit can be anything, such as our actions, attitudes, and behaviors. And, as the scripture mentions, what we say reflects the fruit we produce.

I've told the story before about a woman who was late and stopped at a light behind a car waiting for a pedestrian to cross the street. The light changed, but the car didn't move because the pedestrian was still in the crosswalk. Well, she was furious, honking her horn, yelling epithets out the window, and shooting the finger. When the car finally moved, she hurried down the road but was shortly pulled over by a policeman. She gave him her license and registration when asked, but then she asked him what was wrong. The policeman said, "Well, I was behind you at the light back there, and I couldn't help but notice all your bumper stickers. "Praise the Lord," "One way: Jesus," "In case of rapture, this car will be unmanned," "Follow me to Sunday School," etc. I thought I should check to be sure your car had not been stolen. Moral? You never know who is watching.

In Galatians, Paul describes the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

One who exhibits these qualities reflects the Spirit within him or her. Right in the middle of this list is kindness. Kindness encompasses most of Jesus' works, including healing, teaching, and feeding those who followed Him.

We have been talking about kindness recently as we seek to identify our Church values. The first of these is to be Actively Kind. If we show our kindness to those around us as well as to each other, we will be obeying Jesus' command to love one another. And if we obey his command, we will abide in his love. So, we should seek opportunities to show kindness to all.

As he ends this part of his discourse, Jesus assures us of three gifts and a promise. First, he says that if we abide in him and he in us, we will produce much fruit. This glorifies God the Father.

Second, if we keep his commandments, we will abide in his love, just as Jesus kept God's commands and abides in his love.

Another gift is joy. Jesus shared these things with the disciples the night before his death. Why? So that his joy might be in them and us, and our joy may be complete.

And the promise: if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

May God add his blessing to this review of his word.