Jesus tells us we are chosen and appointed for a purpose. John 15: 16 You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. 17 This is my command: Love each other. [1]
Some claim they “found Jesus.” From this verse, I would explain that Jesus found them. God wants all to be saved, but He doesn’t force us to follow Him. Revelation 3: 20 Look! I (Jesus) stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.[2] Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts, but we must open the door and allow Him in.
Jesus had just taught about love, obedience, and joy. He explained to His disciples that they weren’t slaves but friends because He was willing to lay down His life for them. Now Jesus connects that teaching with the previous teaching of the vine and branches. His disciples were to bear fruit.
Appointed for a Purpose
While the disciples were friends, Jesus also appointed them, or set them aside for special service, so that they would bear fruit. “In Greek, the word “appointed” in verse 16 is the same verb Jesus uses when He speaks of “laying down His life.”[3] It is the word tithemi, which can mean to put down or to set, fix, and establish.[4] I think Jesus is showing us that only His death can empower this kind of assignment.
From earlier in the chapter, the branch can only bear fruit when it is attached to the vine. Jesus is connecting our work as disciples on this earth to His saving work on the cross. His blood paid the price for our sin, and His resurrection gives us new life in Him now and eternally.
The fruit that will last can be living this life in the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5: 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! [5] Another kind of everlasting fruit is souls. God was sending out the disciples and us to act as ambassadors to tell of Jesus and salvation through Him. This is the kind of fruit that brings glory to the Father.
Love and Prayer Enable Fruit
Jesus promised to give His disciples what they needed for the mission He was sending them on. Their prayer requests were not to be selfish but to be focused on producing fruit. They would need the love of Jesus to take His message to a world that despised them. They were a diverse group, and Jesus knew that a lack of unity and bitterness would not bear good fruit.
We, like the disciples, are chosen and appointed to bear fruit. We can only do this as we stay attached to Jesus and allow His love to flow through us. John 13: 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. [6]
To learn how you are chosen and appointed, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/becoming-like-jesus
[1,2,5,6] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.
[3] Fredrikson, R. L., & Ogilvie, L. J. (1985). John (Vol. 27, p. 231). Thomas Nelson Inc.
[4] G5087, Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.