John 15:1-17
The Vine and the Branches
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Matthew 28:16-20
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Acts 1:23-26
Matthias Added to the Eleven Disciples
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
I AM is one of the names of God...Jesus starts with saying I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the Gardener...God is a Gardener after all, His first Garden that we know, is the one He planted in Eden...It was a Paradise of a Garden...Then Jesus later tells His Disciples that I AM the Vine, and you are the branches...To me His I AM statements are Holy, and Godly, and Divine...They tell us that He has this Holy Relationship with God, His Father...
Jesus has talked to new believers many times as He traveled from village to village...Now He is addressing His Disciples and those who have followed Him for some time...Faith can drift away from us, and Jesus knows this...So He tells us how to remain in belief of Him, because He knows soon He will be leaving...He talks about how to stay and remain in Him or how to be committed and stay believing in Him...If we remain in Him and He in us, then we will bear much fruit...But apart from Him we can do nothing...If we do not remain in Him, we are like a branch that is thrown away and withers...And withered branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned and are gone...But if we can remain in believing in Him and His words, we remain with Him...This is for His Father’s glory, that His original Disciples would bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be the original Disciples would be of utmost importance after His death, if His Word and Gospel was to be spread among all nations...
As God LOVES His Son, Jesus LOVES His Disciples...So they need to remain in HIS LOVE...If they could keep His commands, they would remain in His LOVE...And just as Jesus has kept His Father’s commands, He remains in His Father's LOVE...He told His Disciples these things so that His joy may be in them and that their joy would then become complete...Jesus' command was this: Love each other as He has LOVED them...There is no Greater LOVE than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends...Jesus said we are His friends if we follow His teachings and commandments...He would no longer call His Disciples servants, because a servant does not know His Master’s business...Instead, He will now call them friends, for everything that He learned from His Father, He has made known to them...They did not choose Him, but He chose them to be His Disciples...They were appointed so that they might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in Jesus' name the Father will give to them...This is His command: Love each other...
To remain in touch and keep the faith with Jesus, the Disciples must be disciplined and follow what He taught them...So Jesus LOVE would not remain in them unless they followed their Teacher's commandments...Even His original disciples would not remain and believe in Him, unless they would keep His commands...At this time Jesus gives them the command to love each other...Their joy would not be complete unless they followed His commands...To have and get joy in life, it requires some discipline...Joy and love and an abundant life, require us to be disciplined...Following Him takes some discipline...He tells them that they needed to do to remain close to Him and not fall away from Him...But He chose these Twelve to follow Him, even though one would betray Him...And these Eleven with the help of Mathias would bring the gospel to the world and to all nations...They would baptize the world with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit...Twelve men would get the Word of Jesus out to the world...It took only Twelve men get His Word out to the world...And these men will remain with Him to the very End of the Ages...