Sunday School Lesson
January 17
Lesson 7 (KJV)
Called in Authority
Devotional Reading: Psalm 103:1–14
Background Scripture: Mark 2:1–12
Mark 2:1–12
1. And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
4. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7. Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8. And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9. Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11. I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Lesson Aims
After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:
1. Summarize the account of the paralyzed man who was made whole in body and spirit.
2. Compare and contrast the differing perspectives of those present.
3. Write a prayer of thanksgiving for the assurance of Jesus’ forgiveness.
HOW TO SAY IT
| Capernaum | Kuh-per-nay-um. |
| Corinthians | Ko-rin-thee-unz (th as in thin). |
| Galatians | Guh-lay-shunz. |
| Galilee | Gal-uh-lee. |
| Isaiah | Eye-zay-uh. |
| Leviticus | Leh-vit-ih-kus. |
| Messiah | Meh-sigh-uh. |
| Nazareth | Naz-uh-reth. |
Introduction
A. No Room in the “Farm”
In October 2018, the owners of a popular Denver restaurant announced it would be closing at the end of the year. White Fence Farm had served family-style fried chicken dinners for 45 years. The gift shop, the “barn” with live music, a children’s slide, and the petting zoo (in addition to the good food) had made White Fence Farm more than a restaurant. It was a place to create wonderful memories.
My siblings and I have a tradition of taking each other out to eat for our birthdays. As soon as I heard the news, I announced that I wanted to go to White Fence Farm since my birthday was approaching. Although the restaurant had stopped taking reservations, we were told that since we were coming on a Thursday, we should be OK as long as we got there at 5:30. Well, when we arrived, we discovered a two-and-a-half-hour wait!
So we decided to go elsewhere.
The following Thursday my brother-in-law called and asked if I was game to try again. This time we got there just before the restaurant opened at 4:30. I groaned—the line leading to the door was about 50 yards long!
When we got inside, we were told the wait might be two hours. Not wanting to leave with an empty stomach again, I persuaded the others to stay. Thanks to the hostess’s cautious estimate and two sweet ladies who were happy to include us in their party, it wasn’t long before I was savoring all the chicken, sides, and fritters I could eat!
Today’s lesson considers an occasion when a crowd of people wanted to get into a house where Jesus was. The venue was so popular that one couldn’t even get near the door. For those who faithfully persisted, the reward was much better than a fried chicken dinner.
B. Lesson Context
The Gospel of Mark is a book of action. After an introduction of only three verses, the record begins with “John did baptize … and preach” (Mark 1:4). Jesus continued to be on the move (1:9, 12, 14). While the other three Gospels often slow down the action, Mark moves right along with his condensed style.
Mark 2:1–12, today’s text, is parallel to quite similar accounts in Matthew 9:1–8 and Luke 5:17–26. Although the chronological order of events varies in the three synoptic Gospels (see Lesson Context for lesson 5), all three locate this scene in Capernaum during Jesus’ initial ministry in Galilee.
According to the passage just prior, a man with leprosy had come to Jesus and pled with Him to be made “clean” (Mark 1:40–45; also Luke 5:12–15). Jesus healed the man but told him not to tell others about it. Jesus may not have wanted to ignite the popular but erroneous hope that a miracle-working Messiah had come to deliver the Jews from Roman oppression. But the man “began to publish it much … insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, … and they came to him from every quarter” (Mark 1:45). That shock wave continued into today’s passage.
I. A Packed House
(Mark 2:1–2)
A. Coming to Capernaum (v. 1)
1. And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
Although Jesus grew up in the small town of Nazareth in Galilee (Matthew 2:21–23), He had made Capernaum His base of operations when He began His public ministry in that region (4:12–16). Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had frequent interactions there (Matthew 4:12–13; 9:1–9; Luke 7:1–5; etc.).
As news spread of Jesus’ presence in Capernaum, He was likely at the house of Simon and his brother Andrew (Mark 1:21, 29). Simon’s mother-in-law had been healed there and showed herself happy to offer Jesus hospitality (1:30–31). Many female disciples supported Jesus in His ministry through funds and hospitality (example: Matthew 27:55–56); Simon’s mother-in-law was probably one of these women. Although there is no indication that she left Capernaum, her daughter—Simon Peter’s wife—did (see 1 Corinthians 9:5).
B. Capacity Crowd (v. 2)
2. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
Partially as a consequence of a healed man’s spreading the news about Jesus (see Lesson Context), there was no room in or even near the house where Jesus was. The house was probably a rectangular, one-story building surrounded by a large, walled courtyard.
The site where archaeologists believe Peter’s house had been is about 28 feet long. Evidently the door was left open so that others could at least cram close to it and hear what was being said. Those who could do so listened to Jesus’ preach the word—that is, the good news regarding the impending kingdom of God and the necessity of repentance and faith (see Mark 1:14–15).
Standing Room Only?
Many years ago, a young congregation was looking for ways to raise community awareness of their small church. One of the elders, a strong-willed man, was convinced that a certain tent-revival preacher could achieve this. So that man was called to do an evangelistic crusade.
The evangelist was known for the somewhat circus-like atmosphere that pervaded the services held inside his “big tent.” The meeting got off to a small start, with about 90 percent of the seats empty. Undeterred, the revivalist went on local media the following day to report “capacity crowds.”
Even though the meeting continued for two weeks, there were never any “standing room only” crowds. It took the church several years to recover from the embarrassment.
There was no need for false reports to get a crowd around Jesus. What happened when Jesus came to town was more spectacular than anyone imagined. But do we still tend to look to gimmicks to bring people to Christ?
—C. R. B.
II. A Paralyzed Man
(Mark 2:3–5)
A. Extraordinary Entrance (vv. 3–4)
3. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
Meanwhile, four men carrying a fifth man approached the packed house. The only thing we know for sure about this man who was sick of the palsy is that he was unable to walk. He may not even have had use of his arms.
His condition could have been from birth (compare Acts 3:2; 14:8) or as the result of an accident, a stroke, etc. The determination of the man’s friends to bring him to Jesus suggests that he was in dire straits, and those four believed Jesus could help.
| What Do You Think? What could you do to help your church start or expand a ministry of driving people to medical appointments when they are unable to do so themselves? Digging Deeper What role should 1 Timothy 5:3–16 play in limiting or focusing such a ministry, if any? |
4. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
The action of breaking a hole in the roof isn’t as destructive as it seems. Houses in Israel in Jesus’ day generally had a flat roof that was accessible by a ladder or stairway. The wooden crossbeams were overlaid with reeds, branches, and baked mud or clay. This thatched material had to be repacked with a stone roller every fall before the winter rains. It wouldn’t have been difficult for the four men to dig through the thatch, and their deconstruction could be repaired with relative ease.
Even so, imagine the drama of the scene: people in the house below are being sprinkled with debris; they are startled and confused. Then light begins to filter in as the hole becomes bigger. Then the light is blotted out by something being lowered through the hole. Not just something—a man on a bed! Where there was no room before, certainly the crowd jostles and divides to make room for this newcomer. Likely a few step forward to help with the lowering once they realize what is happening.
| What Do You Think? If you were attending a modern-day ministry event that was as crowded as the one in the text, under what conditions would you give up your seat or ticket to someone else? Why? Digging Deeper Were those gathered around Jesus selfish for not making way for the disabled man and his friends in the first place? Why, or why not? |
B. Surprising Statement (v. 5)
5a. When Jesus saw their faith.
The reason given for what Jesus said in response is their faith. The plural their is important since it includes the faith of the friends rather than just that of the afflicted man. Seeing the great lengths these men went to, Jesus realized that they believed He had the power to heal their friend (compare: Matthew 9:2; Luke 5:20).
| What Do You Think? How can you do better at developing the kind of faith that others can see? Digging Deeper How do you balance Matthew 5:14–16 with 6:1–4 in this regard? |
5b. He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
What Jesus had to say in reaction to this extraordinary entrance surprises us! Wouldn’t we have expected Jesus to say something like, “Son, be healed”?
Instead, what Jesus said got at the heart of most people’s assumptions about illness. The Old Testament frequently assumes a direct connection between sin and sickness. God’s forgiveness is often required for physical healing, and healing is often the evidence of forgiveness (examples: Exodus 15:26; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 41:3–4; Isaiah 19:22). This belief persisted into Jesus’ own day; it’s what led the disciples to ask regarding a blind man, “Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2).
Back to our text at hand, the sequence of events suggests that Jesus treated the paralysis as being the result of a spiritual malady. Every issue of humanity’s physical frailty can be traced in a general sense to the sin of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:16–17; 3:1–19). But that doesn’t mean every specific illness is traceable to a specific sin of a person (see John 9:3). Regardless of why the man was paralyzed (a discussion Jesus did not engage in with this crowd), Jesus recognized that the man’s greater need was to be forgiven for his sins.
III. Cynical Bystanders
(Mark 2:6–9)
A. Silent Skepticism (vv. 6–7)
6a. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there.
The scribes were educated both in God’s written law and its oral interpretation. By proportion, Mark mentions them the most frequently of the four Gospels. But only one time is one of them depicted in other than a negative light (see Mark 12:28–34). Sitting was often a posture of teaching, which suggests that these scribes were anticipating more of a debate with Jesus than being taught by Jesus (also Luke 5:17).
6b–7. And reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Mark does not describe the reaction of the paralyzed man, his friends, or the larger crowd to Jesus’ surprising statement, but only the unspoken skepticism of the scribes. Priests could offer sacrifices for forgiveness on behalf of those who took the proper steps of repentance (example: Leviticus 5:5–6). The scribes were well aware that the Old Testament taught that no one can forgive sins but God only (Exodus 34:6–9; Psalm 130:2–4; Isaiah 43:25).
But Jesus spoke as though He had the same power to forgive sins as God. If the scholars even considered whether Jesus could be God, they would have rejected the idea out of hand. There was no precedent for God becoming man.
The scribes were therefore left to conclude that Jesus was speaking blasphemies. They viewed Jesus’ presumption to forgive sins as an arrogant offense to the authority and majesty of God. The Law of Moses pronounced the penalty for blasphemy to be death by stoning (Leviticus 24:10–16; Numbers 15:30–31). That will indeed be attempted later (John 10:31–33), but not on this occasion.
| What Do You Think? What are some ways to guard against jealousy when someone else’s ministry results in attention and honor that you do not share? Digging Deeper In addition to Philippians 1:15–18, what passages help you most to answer this? |
A Reformed Cynic
Every Bible professor has to deal with the occasional student who “knows it all.” One such student—let’s call him Jim—started the semester with a perpetual smirk on his face. His body language let his classmates know that whatever I said was already old stuff to him. If Jim disagreed with me, he would look around with that smirk.
I don’t know what eventually shattered his sense of pride, but Jim changed during that semester. By the end of the school year, he had accepted a ministry position in a community where many citizens were cynical about the Christian faith. Jim seemed to know what drove their cynicism. He was able to counter that attitude, and the church began to grow.
The cynics in Jesus’ audience were know-it-alls. Unlike Jim, they persisted in refusing to learn, even when the Messiah was their teacher. Who are you more like: the skeptics in the text, who never learned, or Jim, who grew in humility?
—C. R. B.
B. Perceptive Judgment (vv. 8–9)
8a. And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves.
We can be confident that Jesus’ judgment here went beyond merely reading the body language of the skeptics. Scripture clearly affirms God’s ability to know people’s hearts (Jeremiah 17:10; Acts 1:24; 15:8; etc.).
8b–9. He said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
Jesus met the scribes’ unspoken disapproval with questions of His own. The use of counterquestions was common in rabbinic debate and employed frequently by Jesus (example: Mark 11:27–33). Here Jesus’ counterquestion challenged the skeptics’ belief that Jesus had offered the man something that wasn’t in His power to give. And it paved the way for Jesus’ upcoming declaration of physical healing.
It is easier to declare forgiveness than to tell a paralyzed man to walk, since the former can’t be objectively verified and the latter has physical proof. But the declaration of forgiveness is more essential—and difficult. Most likely, Jesus was emphasizing that both declarations are impossible for human beings and easy for God.
IV. An Amazing Miracle
(Mark 2:10–12)
A. Absolute Authority (vv. 10–12a)
10–11. But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
In this climactic pronouncement, Jesus refers to himself as the Son of man. This rather mysterious title seems to have its origin in Daniel 7:13–14, which states that God would bestow on this heavenly figure dominion and glory in the end times. “Son of man” was a favorite self-designation Jesus used. The phrase occurs some 80 times in the Gospels—and only on one occasion on the lips of anyone other than Jesus (see John 12:34).
The ambiguity of the title spared it from preconceived ideas in Jesus’ day. Therefore, He was able to infuse it with His own definition. In the Gospels, this messianic title is connected with the nature of Jesus’ person and work—who He is and what He does. In addition to having authority to forgive sins, the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), who came to give His life as a ransom (10:45) and rise from the dead (8:31; 10:33–34). He is the one who will one day come “in the clouds with great power and glory” (13:26; see also 14:62).
Jesus was able and willing to show the scribes—and everyone else—that He had power on earth to forgive sins. Although there is a technical distinction between power (“the ability to do something”) and authority (“the right to do something”; see Luke 4:36; 9:1; etc.), Mark doesn’t make a sharp distinction. Jesus has both! And that is the crux of this story. His ability to heal physically was tangible proof of ability to heal spiritually by forgiving sins.
After Jesus addressed the scribes in particular (and perhaps the crowd in general), He shifted focus to the paralyzed man. If the man could obey Jesus’ command to arise, it would be evidence that Jesus was capable of miraculous healing. The man’s obedience would also imply that Jesus’ earlier pronouncement of forgiveness was as effective as His pronouncement of healing.
12a. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all.
To put it simply, the man believed and obeyed. As there could be no evidence of the man’s forgiveness without the healing, there could be no evidence of his faith without his obedience. The bed was likely rolled and carried.
B. Glorifying God (v. 12b)
12b. Insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Mark speaks of people’s being amazed several times in his Gospel to describe reaction to what Jesus said with authority and/or did as miraculous. The evidence Jesus offered affirmed that His declaration of forgiveness was legitimate. This event was startling evidence that the kingdom of God was indeed at hand (Mark 1:15).
We might think Mark’s statement that all … glorified God is overstated. Surely the scribes weren’t included! But they too had to acknowledge the miracle, whether or not they believed that forgiveness had also been granted. For them to glorify God wouldn’t necessarily mean that they thanked God for sending Jesus. The scribes, along with everyone else, simply had never seen events after this fashion.
| What Do You Think? What can your church do to help people have a sense of awe in worship? What will be your part in this effort? Digging Deeper What is your reaction to this statement: “Worship will be only as meaningful as we have prepared ourselves to make it”? |
Conclusion
A. A Different Diagnosis
Today’s lesson reminds us of the spiritual components involved in genuine and integrated health and healing. Whether Jesus diagnosed this man’s paralysis as being a result of sin, the man certainly couldn’t be made whole without spiritual healing.
No significant and permanent healing can occur apart from reconciliation with God. As we have seen, God alone forgives sins. And God alone is the source of healing. Jesus still has the power and authority to provide healing by bringing release from the crippling burden of sin. As God in the flesh, Jesus Christ was the incarnation of the profound statement recorded in Exodus 15:26: “I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
This is not always seen in physical healing of maladies in this current life on earth; but it will absolutely be seen in the resurrection bodies that grow from the seed of our present bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42–54).
This story also reminds us of how much we need our fellow brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Although we probably won’t need them to carry us on a stretcher to church or a prayer meeting, we do need to “bear … one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2). And there are times when we need to heed and practice the instruction of James 5:16: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.”
As you reflect on Mark 2:1–12 and consider how it applies to your life, write a prayer that brings before the Lord your various needs. Lay out your physical, spiritual, emotional, relational, and material needs—and your questions about them. Call on the absolute authority of Jesus Christ to make you whole so that you can better glorify, honor, and serve Him.
Visual for Lesson 7. Use this visual as a backdrop for a mock debate: have half the class argue for forgiveness being easier and the other half for healing.
B. Prayer
Heavenly Father, we recognize that You have power and authority both to forgive sins and to heal sickness. We present to You every aspect of our lives; may we love You with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
C. Thought to Remember
Jesus still has absolute authority and power to both forgive and heal.
KID’S CORNER
How to Receive What You Wish
Sunday, January 17, 2021
John 15:1-9
John 15:1-9
(John 15:1) “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
The Old Testament pictured Israel as a vine. In Psalms 80:8-9, we read, “You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.” The LORD expected His vine to be a kingdom of priests and faithfully represent the true God before the nations of the world. In Exodus 19:5-7, the LORD told Israel through Moses, “‘Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.’ So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.” But Israel did not obey God’s commandments or do what the LORD required, for in Jeremiah 2:21, we read, “Yet I planted you as a choice vine, from the purest stock. How then did you turn degenerate and become a wild vine?” The people of Israel did not become a degenerate and wild vine because they had an incompetent vinegrower! The LORD did everything necessary for Israel to faithfully represent the true God before the nations. He gave them no reason to become a degenerate and wild vine. But their heart became false, as Hosea 10:1-2, reads, “Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars, and destroy their pillars.”
When Jesus came into the world, the nation of Israel was no better than it had been. Jesus summed up the situation in John 15:24, saying, “If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.” Not only did they hate Jesus and the Father, but the chief priests also plotted to kill Jesus and Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead (see John 12:9-11).
After three years of ministry with His disciples, Jesus told them, “I am the true vine.” Once again, Jesus used “I Am” in a way that claimed He is God; then, He added He is the TRUE vine (unlike the people of Israel who had become degenerate, immoral, and unfaithful). Jesus Christ is the True Vine. The true branches that bear fruit on the True Vine are the loving, true, and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. As we learn from the Apostle Paul, the true disciples of Jesus, the true Christian Church, compose the Body of Christ on the earth. To mix a metaphor, Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Body, is the True Vine with branches attached; that is, the Church. Those in the Church bear much fruit or refuse to bear fruit. Congregations and individuals can be pictured as branches on a vine. Think of a vine and a branch with many smaller branches growing from each branch, and each branch producing fruit or failing to produce fruit. To help His disciples better understand, Jesus pictured the Church using a vinegrower, a vine, and branches to illustrate the work of the Father and Jesus and the work expected of disciples. The invisible Church includes Jesus and every true disciple who bears fruit (the Church within the church that only the Father, Jesus, and the holy angels see). The visible church includes Jesus, true and faithful disciples who bear fruit, but also false and unfaithful disciples who bear no fruit (that God and people see). Sometimes Church means invisible Church, while church means visible church. Among Jesus’ twelve disciples, one was a false and unfaithful disciple. His disciples would remember Judas as Jesus taught about the vine and the branches. Next, Jesus will tell His disciples what the Father will do to care for the vine and the branches, and why and how He will do so. As you study these verses, consider the close relationship between the Vinegrower, the True Vine, and each branch that the Vinegrower attends to carefully and personally so the True Vine and every true branch will bear much fruit.
(John 15:2) “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
Jesus Christ saves sinners and enables them to serve God and others. We come to Jesus Christ to make Him our Savior and Lord, to be freed from sin and the devil’s power, to be led and empowered to do His will in blessing others, to be cleansed from sin, to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, to bear fruit, to be forgiven by God, to be pardoned and declared righteous by God on the Day of Judgment, to be raised from the dead, to enjoy eternal life with God, and numerous other reasons. The Father, the Vinegrower, will remove from the visible church those in the church who will not bear fruit, who will not look to God and seek to serve God and others, who will damage the Church by their presence. God will also remove from the lives of true Christians ideas, bad habits, hot tempters, and other sins that prevent them from doing more to serve Christ and others as God intends.
(John 15:3) “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Jesus was teaching the 11 disciples, for Judas had already been cut off by the Vinegrower (Judas had turned away from Christ and had turned to the devil—see John 13: 21-30). The apostles were “already clean” because they had heard Jesus’ teachings, His gospel message, “the word,” up to the level of their understanding when they totally committed themselves in faith to obeying Jesus and believing and doing all He said (though of course not perfectly; for example, Jesus had to later correct Peter for his denial of Him at His trial—see John 18:9-27 and John 21:15-23). Remember how Jesus only needed to wash Peter’s feet because He had already made Peter clean and he did not need to bath again (see John 13:10).
(John 15:4) “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
Believers make many daily choices. Will they love Jesus? Will they remain close to Jesus? Will they believe Jesus’ teachings in the Bible? Will they obey Jesus’ commandments? Will they seek His will to do His will? Will they share the truth of Jesus and His teachings—the Word in human flesh and the Word of God written? Will they seek to help people become disciples of Jesus? Will they bear the fruit that God expects them to bear? Will they use the gifts that Jesus gives them? Jesus calls disciples, and Jesus wants to make them true disciples by attaching them to himself. Disciples help new believers understand what Jesus expects of His true disciples. To receive from Jesus all that He has to give His disciples moment-by-moment, Jesus tells His disciples to remain completely attached and totally committed to Him. True disciples are absolutely and totally dependent on God for the breath of life and the Spirit to serve as He chooses. Day-by-day, Jesus gives every disciple the choice to remain in Him. When they do not, they do not bear fruit or serve as Jesus intends. If a disciple persists in disobedience, they put themselves in a position to be pruned or cut off by the Vinegrower. The pruning of the Vinegrower will be best for all concerned, but it can also be painful. Persistent, unrepentant disobedience by a disciple can result in removal from the True Vine.
(John 15:5) “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Jesus Christ is the main and sole source of all our mental, physical, and spiritual powers and their right use for His service. True disciples will choose to remain connected to Jesus, ever seeking to know Him better as they prayerfully study the Bible to know and do His will in everything. Our ability to do more and more for Jesus depends on Him and His love, His gifts, His leading, and His timing—and the pruning of the Vinegrower.
(John 15:6) “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
Only God can see the human heart and work with perfect timing when He draws someone to true faith Jesus Christ. But a person who professes faith in Jesus Christ but shows no evidence that He believes in Jesus, who will not trust his life and what he says and does to Jesus so Jesus can bring life to him and through him to others, gives evidence that he may be in danger or already spiritually dead—as dead as a withered branch that is only good for burning (perhaps to do a little good, to give a little warmth or to cook a little meal). Only the Vinegrower knows a dead branch from one that has enough life to be pruned so it can bear fruit. Though a mystery to us, by the grace of God, the Vinegrower and Jesus can restore and reattach to Jesus those who have broken away from Him. The Holy Spirit can help them turn from their sins, return to Jesus, and resolve to love and serve Him as their Savior and Lord—that they might bear fruit to the glory of God.
As encouragement and a warning, give some thought to what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 11:17-24: “But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast over the branches. If you do boast, remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. You will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness toward you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree.”
(John 15:7) “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
Jesus gives some conditions that His disciples must fulfill before He will answer all their prayers. First, the true disciple must remain attached to Jesus as His loving and obedient servant to seek and to do only the will of God through Jesus Christ. Second, the true disciple must believe in, trust, and obey the teachings of Jesus (the Holy Spirit being their Helper) at least up to the level of their knowledge and understanding from the Bible’s teachings—for we pray and learn more daily—we are not yet perfect. If true disciples of Jesus fulfill the conditions revealed in this verse and similar verses, the Holy Spirit will so guide them that they will not ask for anything contrary to Jesus’ will and teachings. They will pray in humble submission, requesting that only the will of God be done. They will ask for blessings and gifts that will help them reveal the love and truth of God, that will help them love, praise, and glorify God more each day, that will help them serve Jesus and others better, that will help them bear fruit for Jesus.
(John 15:8) “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
Jesus wants true disciples to obey Him in everything so people will see that they are His disciples in speech and behavior. They should never do what Jesus, whose Spirit lives within them, would never do. For example, they should never “throw their pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6). If they do what Jesus would never do, they need to repent and return to Jesus for renewal and forgiveness. Their words and deeds should be consistent with what might lead others to love, glorify, and thank God—the Giver of every good and perfect gift. Jesus wants His disciples to become true disciples and bear much fruit in ways described in the Bible. The Father prunes true disciples so they will become better disciples, and they will never be cutoff and burned. False, harmful, and useless disciples who refuse to abide in Jesus risk becoming withered, cutoff, and destroyed.
(John 15:9) “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.”
From the beginning, divine love motivated the Father and everything Jesus taught and did for His disciples. The love of God motivated what He would do for them and the world by His sacrificial death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father—from where He answers the prayers of His true disciples. God the Father loved Jesus and the world enough to send His Son into the world to save the world, and Jesus expresses this same “Father-love” for all who follow Him as Lord and Savior. Today and every day, Jesus loves and blesses His disciples, and He commands all His disciples to remain in His love—within His circle of love as members of His Body, the Church. By remaining in Jesus’ love, disciples can love as Jesus loves and enjoy the fruits of His love while they bless others too. They can enjoy and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit as He works within them. They can show forth “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Imagine the love that the Father has for His only begotten Son. Jesus promised that He loves His disciples as the Father loves Him. With such encouragement, Jesus draws disciples to the Father and himself, and encourages them to live and remain in His infinite love.
How to Receive What You Wish
Sunday, January 17, 2021
John 15:1-9
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you (John 15:7—KJV). If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7—NASB). If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7—NRSV). Jesus taught His true disciples that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit make their home with and within them. In John 14:23, Jesus promised, “Those who love me will keep (obey) my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” In John 15:4, Jesus promised, “Abide (remain) in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” Jesus described the closest possible spiritual relationship between God and His true disciples. True disciples abide in Jesus rather than turn away, as Judas did, to follow a false god or their own selfish willfulness. True disciples of Jesus remain in and with Jesus by reading, receiving as true, and remembering the words of Jesus in the Bible as the Holy Spirit within them helps them. Jesus loves His disciples as the Father loves Him, so His disciples love Them, abide in Their love, obey Their words, bear much fruit, and glorify Them. Wherever they live, Jesus’ disciples seek to obey Jesus’ words and believe His promise in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” When Jesus’ disciples pray according to the word and will of God, God will do whatever they wish.
Thinking Further
How to Receive What You Wish
Sunday, January 17, 2021
John 15:1-9
Name ________________________________
1. What is the relationship between the Father and the Son and Jesus and His followers as Jesus described it in these verses?
2. What do the Father, Jesus, and His followers do?
3. What can branches do if they do not remain in the vine?
4. What happens to branches that do not remain in the vine?
5. What did Jesus say about the consequences of abiding or remaining in the vine and what did He mean?
Discussion and Thinking Further
1. What is the relationship between the Father and the Son and Jesus and His followers as Jesus described it in these verses? The Father is the Vinegrower. The Son is the True Vine (not a vine, but the True Vine). Jesus is the Son the Father sent into the world. Jesus’ followers are the branches.
2. What do the Father, Jesus, and His followers do? The Father removes and prunes the branches on the true vine. The Son gives nourishment and growth to the branches that remain on the vine. The branches that remain on the vine bear fruit. If a branch does not bear fruit; then the Father removes the branch from the vine. If a branch bears fruit; then the Father prunes it so it will bear more fruit.
3. What can branches do if they do not remain in the vine? Nothing.
4. What happens to branches that do not remain in the vine? Since they remain attached to the vine but do not remain in the vine so as to receive nourishment from the vine, they are removed from the vine, thrown away, wither, and are burned. Until they are removed from the vine, they hinder the living branches that remain attached to the vine from bearing as much fruit as the vinegrower wants grown.
5. What did Jesus say about the consequences of abiding or remaining in the vine and what did He mean? Jesus’ followers choose to abide or remain in Him, remain attached to Him, so they can receive spiritual nourishment from Him. They are to receive, believe, and act according to His words. They are to abide or remain in His love. Then, Jesus will answer their prayers. They will become Jesus’ disciples. Jesus’ disciples will bear fruit and the Father will be glorified.
Word Search
How to Receive What You Wish
Sunday, January 17, 2021
John 15:1-9
Name ________________________________
T D R O W B G E L Q T D T R W
R E W P R N P H I H E R G B A
U O J A X B S E A S A L V S M
E U N B D Q X B N P V I F R V
D C N J G C I A A J N G O A I
H F E L Z D E N W E E Q U E N
S A C Q E L H F V U T S R B E
V T U O C S P E Y G I A U A G
F H D W S W S Z K F Q K X S R
R E M O V E S W N W L O J L O
F R W C B M N A X F Z I W V W
X H V Y H U J U T I U R F H E
U F N E L O E M R Q M E K C R
Q H L A R S Z S L P F D B L Q
Y Z R W N E K O P S G P X E T
True
Vine
Father
Vinegrower
Removes
Branch
Bears
Fruit
Prunes
Cleansed
Word
Spoken
Abide
Unless
Apart
True and False Test
How to Receive What You Wish
Sunday, January 17, 2021
John 15:1-9
Name ________________________________
1. In Hosea 10:1, Hosea called Israel “a spreading vine.” Jesus said that He is “the true vine.” True or False
2. Jesus said that the Father is the vinegrower. True or False
3. Jesus will remove the branches in Him that bear no fruit. True or False
4. The Father will prune the branches in Jesus so they will bear more fruit. True or False
5. If they work hard, Christian branches can bear fruit by themselves.
True or False
6. Jesus told His disciples to abide in Him as He abided in them.
True or False
7. Everyone who says they follow Jesus are His disciples, so they just
naturally bear good fruit. True or False
8. Jesus warned that those who do not abide or remain in Him are thrown away like a branch. True or False
9. If disciples of Jesus abide in Jesus and His words abide in them, then their prayers will be answered. True or False
10. Believers in Jesus glorify the Father when they become Jesus’ disciples and bear much fruit. True or False
True and False Test Answers
- True
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- True
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we recognize that You have power and authority both to forgive sins and to heal sickness. We present to You every aspect of our lives; may we love You with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.