20.2 John – Nourishment

I love the visual that Jesus provides of the vine and the branches.  When we are in the right path in life we are so securely connected to the Lord that we are part of the same living organism.  The nourishment that we need for eternal life comes up out of the eternal roots of the plant (from the Father), through the vine (Jesus) and into us, the branches.  The Holy Spirit is the connecting fluid flowing throughout, bringing the nourishment deep into us.

Not only that, but the illustration puts it in the right order.  We connect to Jesus, not the other way around.  Jesus isn’t something that we add to our life to make us feel whole.  We are chosen by the master gardener to be grafted on to Jesus, taking something that was weak and frail (us) and making it a part of something eternal and holy.

But the same illustration shows our propensity to sin as well.  Just like a branch, we wander, seeking out the next shiny thing to get our attention.  We don’t completely let go of Jesus, and He for sure does not let go of us, but we stretch ourselves out reaching for the lusts of temptation.  We sometimes not only reach out, but be bind ourselves around those other things.  They are always things of this earth, nothing but rocks or wooden (including things like shiny rocks such as gold and jewels and coins and paper money).  We get ourselves so wrapped around these things that, in a  storm, we pull against the direction of our vine and we can be hurt and damaged.

When this occurs, the master gardener helps prune us back, again giving us the strength and nourishment that we cannot receive in chasing after wandering ways.

My Answers:

3.
We are not on our own or disconnected, we are tied to Christ, we are connected to Him and receive life through the connection in him

4.
Earlier he had washed their feet and explained they were already clean because they had received His word, and walked with Him.   Psalm 51, Create in me a pure heart, o God, and renew a right spirit in me, — If any one is thirsty let him come to me and drink John 7:37

5.
This is about where we draw strength, not whether we are or are not saved.  We often, through sin, pull away from Christ and attempt to find power in ourselves.