Abiding in Jesus

Good morning to everyone. We had an exciting day yesterday, where Elijah, our 9 year old son had his first communion. Hosanna did a great job with its teaching on what communion (the Lord's Supper) means. Two things stuck with me from yesterday's teaching – first, they brought out the connection between Jesus' instruction of the wine and the bread given at communion, with the Jewish celebration of the Passover. They gave each table (there were about 70 children taking their first communion) yesterday the items to celebrate the Passover, including the unleavened bread, and some juice. But the one item that made Elijah's stomach turn was when they took parsley and had the kids dip it in salt water as an example of the "bitter herbs" which they use at Passover to remember the bitterness of the Jews 400 years of slavery in Egypt. He did not like that taste! The other thing that was interesting to me at the first communion church service was that our worship leader dressed up like Jesus and he gave a short homily on the Lord's Supper. I liked that because we are told of Jesus' presence in the bread and the wine, and this really helped me to grasp this.

Onto today's topic – Abiding in Jesus and allowing Him to abide in us. Abiding in Jesus is one of Jesus' Commands to us, and is a pre-condition to believer's "bearing fruit". Here is Jesus' main teaching to us on abiding in our Lord:

¹ "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. (John 15:1-10, ESV).

Verse 4, above is the command to abide in Jesus, and to have Jesus abide in you. Abiding in Jesus allows us to bear much fruit (v. 5). We will be thrown away like a useless branch if we do not abide in Jesus (v. 6). Jesus' love for us is as much as the Father loves Jesus, and we are to abide in this love of Jesus (v. 9). And Jesus uses the analogy of a vine and its branches symbolizing what it means to "abide" in Jesus. The Greek word used here is meinate which means - "to stay, abide, remain" (Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages).

Here are a few more ways Jesus draws out of what it means to abide in Jesus:

• Abide in My Word (John 8:31, John 15:7, above, 1 John 2:24);
  
• Abide in the Will of God to abide forever (1 John 2:17);
  
• He who keeps God's Commandments abides in God, and He in them (1 John 3:24a);
  
• By the Holy Spirit's living in us, we know that we are abiding in God (1 John 3:24b).
  

So what is my conclusion? Abiding in Jesus is important! Jesus commands it, and when we become His followers it is our pleasure to abide, or stay in Him. And do not miss the importance of love here. Verse 9 speaks of God's great love for His Son. And this same love is what Jesus has for us. The same love that God has for Jesus, is the love that Jesus has for us? It is a mind-blowing thought. But this is one of the ways (along with remaining in His Word, and unfortunately for us, obedience) that we can abide in Jesus, remembering His love for us. So my challenge for us during the start of Lenten season (Ash Wednesday comes up this week) is to think how much God loved Jesus, and what this means to us in remembering the amount of love Jesus has for you. So go out there and abide in Jesus, you followers of Christ!