1. Jesus prays for the Disciples

Today I give is the last part of the series which commenced Easter, reflections on the Resurrection. And today is also the day of the Ascension of Jesus, according to the church calendar. The Ascension holds that Jesus ascended to heaven in the presence of his Eleven Apostles following his resurrection, and that in heaven he sits at the right hand of God the Father.* (³¤­…)

1. Preaching under threat

Last Sunday we read the first half of John 15, in which Jesus said ;-I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He 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.(John 15:1-2)
“The true vine” suggests the existence of feigned ones. In John’s time the church was receiving oppressions from Jewish authorities who condemned Jesus’ followers as heretics. In such circumstances many believers dropped out from the faith and left the church. But John says if they abandon the faith in Jesus, the Son of God, and convert again to Judaism they loose the real life. So John sends the message to encourage destabilized believers by means of Jesus’ words ;- Remain in me, and I will 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.(John 15:4)
Today we continue the lecture on the same theme by reading form the verse 9 chapter 15. The portion begins with Jesus teaching ;- “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.(John 15:9-10) (³¤­…)

1. Jesus is alive now

Today is the fifth Lord’s day after Easter. We celebrate Easter not only for the Resurrection but also for perpetual presence of living Jesus beside us. It is the very time when we must remind us that we owe our life to him.

Jesus said;- Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.(John 15:13)
But in reality, it is too difficult for us, ordinary humans, to be ready to die for others. Almost all of us are ego-cnetered creatures. As a result, personal interests might generate conflicts and disputes among us. Nonetheless John points out the possibility that, by remaining in Jesus, our nature can be changed. Today we read the Gospel according to John, chapter 15 to reflect on the theme referring to the meaning of everlasting attendance of Jesus in our present life. (³¤­…)

1. What a good shepherd is

Today, the 4th Lord’s day after Easter, we read the Gospel according to John chapter 10, which includes the parable of sheep and pastor. The story shows the relationship between Jesus and we, his followers. The former is represented by pastor and the latter by sheep. Please focus on the expression ” lay down ohe’s life” which is repeated several times in the passage. In the era of Jesus, pastors in Palestine moved around in fields and mountains to graze sheep. During that they were constantly exposed to dangers, more exactly attacks of wolves or robbers. Therefore pastors must remain vigilant and be ready to fight against such enemies to protect powerless sheep. Jesus alludes to his determination towards the upcoming death for saving us by talking about two types of shepherd. (³¤­…)