This is the second post in a series on small groups that takes us into a place to see God at work, and God calling us to be in small groups. One of the most important things we do is to reach up to God. If we aren't reaching up, then our life, and our faith becomes much harder.
There is an image that I love that shows this, its also because I love watching as little kids begin the process of learning how to walk.
For the most part, kids don't know what to do when they're learning how to walk. They've just begun to figure out that their feet are good for more than just giving them toes to suck on. They can actually use them to stand up on. Parents then reach down for them, grab hold of their hands, and then pick them up so that they're almost dangling in mid-air.
What I love is what happens next. The kids have no idea what their feet are really supposed to do. So they start to stumble around a little bit while they figure out what their feet are supposed to do. When they do that, they don't have to worry about falling, because their parents have a hold of them. Parents are taking the weight off of their kids, holding on to them, and letting them stumble around without worrying about falling.
This is the image that I think is so important. This is exactly what God is doing with us all the time. God is reaching down for us, and at some point we figure out that we can reach back up. This is the lesson that Jesus is teaching his disciples as we look at our scripture reading from John 15:1-8.
There is something more we need to look at in this passage though. So very often this passage has been used to judge, condemn, and exclude others. The basic thought is, because this is the passage where Jesus says I am the vine and you are the branches, that if you aren't producing fruit and being a good branch, then you are going to burn in hell. I've never been a fan of putting those kind of thoughts into Jesus mouth. To often I feel that when we do that, we're really doing this.
It feels like we're missing something, and that we're cutting ourselves off from something important. In this case, I think we can argue that we are missing something really important when we take this passage in that direction. To get there, we have to remember where we are in the story as John tells it in his Gospel.
Jesus is now with his disciples at the Last Supper, and they are a good ways through the meal. Judas has left, by his own choice. That's important to remember for later. Judas has left the building, under his own power, by his own choice, to do his own thing. Now Jesus is teaching his disciples, the men he knows best, and who have traveled with him for so long, the final lessons he can teach before we reach the climax of the story.
A good summary of what Jesus says comes in verse 3-4.
Jesus is telling them about how the relationship they have works. God is the vineyard keeper, he is the vine, and they are the branches. Even though vines don't have branches. This is one of the things that is both unique and important about John's Gospel. He uses languages in ways that convey a lot of meaning, but we don't always catch it in the translation. For that to work, we have to remember a couple of key points about John's Gospel.
Because of the way that John writes, we have to remember that there is always a lot of meaning behind his choices in words. To get at what is going on, then we have to remember who is the audience for what is taking place. They could be the disciples, or the crowd, or a person being healed, or another person or group. We have to take what is being said from their point of view.
It is possible for us to apply what Jesus says to broadly. When we do that, then we end up in a situation where we use this passage to judge others and miss the full impact of what Jesus is saying. In this case, John uses the Greek word klema for branch. That's a good translation, but in the New Testament that word is used only four times; all of which can be found in John 15:1-8. The rough meaning of it is to be broken off but still attached to...or branch of.
As Jesus is talking, he is telling the disciples that they are broken off of him, but are still attached to him. They are to remain in him, and he remains in them. They are still attached to one another. As the passage goes on, they are reminded that God, as vineyard keeper, has been working on them. They have been made ready to produce fruit. The dead branches, like Judas, have been removed, and they have been trimmed/pruned back and are made ready to produce good fruit.
These are words of encouragement for believers, for folks who know God and are about to hit the most difficult times in their lives. Jesus is reminding them that they are made ready. God is already at work, and has been at work. In other words, God has already been reaching down to them, getting them ready for what is to come, and it's time for them to reach up to God because they will need his strength.
The other piece to remember is how God is doing these things. He's doing it by bringing them together.
I love this image, because it describes what God is doing. God brings us together into groups. The disciples, as believers, and us as believers, are brought together as branches on the same vine. By ourselves, we can't produce a lot of fruit, and it gets harder to do. But, being together, makes it easier and we can produce more fruit than on our own. So long as we remember who we are following.
We reach up to God together, as a community of believers, and we see that God has already been reaching down to us. Now it is our turn to respond.
As we reach up to God, it's time for us to come together in small groups where we can do that best. Our challenge is to do that. In the next few weeks we'll be starting some small groups. This is the time when you can become a leader, even if you're unsure about how well you may do with that. You don't have to be the expert, just be willing to try. We also need group members, and that may be the best place for you too.
Over the next couple of weeks, I invite you to join in prayer and listen for God's voice as you look to where God is leading you.
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