Text Used to Create “The Last Supper” Splice Series
Matthew 26:17-36 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Matthew 26:17)
Mark 14:12-32 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Mark 14:12)
Luke 22:7-40 (Greek Text Analysis starting with Luke 22:7)
John 13:1-18:1 (Greek Text Analysis starting with John 13:1)
2 Thessalonians 3:5
May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.
THE SPLICE
As the disciples and Jesus were walking towards the Mount of Olives, Jesus said, “ I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 1Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He 2prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 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. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for 3apart from Me you can do nothing. 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. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, 4 ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 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. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
- Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away: We are saved by the gift of grace and not by good deeds. The good works or deeds (fruit) that we do are the things we do in service to God, because we were created to do good things for Him (see Ephesians 2:8-9). To see a list of these good things, a.k.a. The Fruit of the Spirit, see Galatians 5:22-23. Conversely, the bad things, the things “of the flesh” that are not of God are listed in Galatians 5:19-21. It is important to understand that these lists are not exhaustive but representative. To really understand, though, read the entirety of Galatians 5. ↩︎
- prunes: The Greek word used here (from John 15:2) is kathairó and it means “to cleanse, purify, prune”. The “cleansing, purifying, pruning” is done by purging or removing that which is unclean or undesired and therefore, making that object pure. As a person grows in their faith in Christ and learns more about Him, they find that certain things are no longer welcome in their life. Using myself as an example, things that I thought were woven into the very person that I am, things I never thought I’d change my mind about became total trash to me, and I no longer practice those things, think that way or believe those sinful lies anymore. It’s proof to you and glory to God that He is working in your life. ↩︎
- apart from Me you can do nothing: You cannot conjure your new thoughts and ways in Christ on your own. It just doesn’t work. You will, in your heart/mind, really think one way and put on an act for everyone else (maybe even for yourself), playing a hypocrite, and therefore becoming the “white-washed tomb” as described in Matthew 24:27-28. God isn’t fooled by our hypocrisy. ↩︎
- Ask whatever you wish: within His will. See footnote 2 in The Last Supper Part Three. ↩︎