Contents
Introduction
This Sunday is a continuation of the Gospel of the last Sunday. If Jesus is the good shepherd and the true vine, then, Christians have no option than to remain in him. In this Sunday Gospel reading, Jesus explains to believers that the effect of remaining in him, the true vine, is to keep his commandment, which, invariably, is the commandment of God. By definition, a commandment is an order or injunction given by authority. As a good shepherd, Jesus lays down his life for the sheep because he sincerely cares for them and loves them too; knows the sheep one after the other. That is, he knows them individually and can always identify them anywhere, everywhere; he carefully and continuously leads the sheep; calls the sheep to order; protects them from danger and if injured, dresses the wound; and he lives for the sheep. As the true vine, Jesus wants us to remain in him so that we can true witnesses. As Jesus said, he is the vine and we are the branches, and whoever remains in him, with him in that person, bears abundant fruit. And cut off from him.….
Remain in my love
“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love” (John 15:9). Jesus’ love is real, selfless, assuring and salvific because it derives from the Father. Hence, the disciples are exhorted to remain in that very love. The commandment, which the disciples must keep, is to love one another as Jesus has loved them, because the Father loves him. And the only condition to remain in that love is to keep to the commandment of love, not just any kind of love, but the love of God. One of the major obstacles facing Bible translators is the choice of words. Since the Bible is written in ancient languages (Hebrew and Greek), and given the diversity between the two languages and the modern languages, it is not always easy to translate certain words adequately. This also is one of the reasons we have many translations of the Bible. One of such difficulties is.……
Conclusion
The effect of the disciples keeping Jesus’ commandment by loving him and by loving themselves, is that he sent them on mission to contaminate the world with this exceptional love. As a disciple, each Christian is also sent on the same mission to bear fruit of true love that will last forever. We can carry out this task because God’s joy is overflowing in us (John 15:11). Jesus loved us to the extent of giving his life. This is the mark of a good shepherd and an absolute proof of love for one’s friends. Definitely, no one pretends that you give your life. But there are other ways of doing that: you can give your life and bear fruit by listening, helping (within the limits of your resources), encouraging, and advising others. Since we did not choose ourselves, we are bound to keep to the terms and conditions of he who has chosen and sent us. Your vocation is your place of mission. As a Christian, you have been chosen to proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel. Are you aware of this? Are you faithful to your mission as a Christian?
FOR DETAILS, GET YOUR OWN COPIES OF THE BOOK “THE WORD OF LIFE: SUNDAY REFLECTIONS” (vols. I and II)!! The reflection for the SIXTH Sunday of Pascha (B) is found in vol. II pages 210–216. Happy reading!
For details on how to get it, contact the author on this link: https://m.me/uchennabiblia?fbclid=IwAR2yeg4a6sDGBp9QGkIvKj6FSADumMokN6lshdE0zuo-JHs6qOmlhA7jyHo or email me at: postmaster@uchennabiblia.com or simply send an SMS on 08116100926, and I will get back to you.