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 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  [John 15: 5-7]

“I am the true vine...”

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  [John 15: 5-7] 



 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." [John 15:1-2] 





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“ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit...” 

AThe Lord Jesus now presented Himself as the true vine, the perfect fulfillment of all the other types and shadows. God the Father is the vinedresser.  Our role is to stay connected to and dependent upon Jesus. We are helpless without him, even though at times we may think we can oversee our own lives capably by ourselves.

The branch that does not bear fruit is the one who gets away from the Lord and becomes interested in the things of this world. He fails to manifest the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.

The truth is, we get a bit scraggly when we attempt to live apart from God. Most of us dislike the process of God’s trimming back areas of dead growth in our attitudes and actions. We initially cringe at giving up something that seemed just fine with us. But as we press in closer to God, we find a fresh vibrancy springing from within. And our outward lives start to “produce much fruit”.

The branch that bears fruit is the Christian who is growing more like the Lord Jesus. Even such vines need to be pruned or cleansed. Just as a real vine must be cleansed from insects, mildew, and fungus, so a Christian must be cleansed from worldly things that cling to him.
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    "  ... 'Cause the Fruit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,

Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness,

Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control.  "  

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 “My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”  And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.”  [Genesis 39:9-10] 

“One day he (Joseph) went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside.  She (Potiphar's wife)  caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house." [Genesis:39 :11-12]   

All things work together for good to them that love God 

The story now returns to Egypt, where Joseph was appointed overseer in the house of Potiphar, captain of the guard in Pharaoh’s palace.The Lord was with him and he became a successful man.

Potiphar’s wife tried repeatedly to seduce Joseph, but he steadfastly refused. He would not betray his master’s confidence or sin against his God. One day she caught him by his garment. He squirmed out of it and fled, leaving her holding it. He lost his coat but saved his character and eventually gained a crown. She  used the coat as “evidence” that Joseph had attempted to rape her.

Believers are taught to flee fornication, idolatry, and youthful lusts. Better to flee than to fall. Without proper investigation, Joseph’s master ordered him to prison; but even there Joseph was blessed by the Lord and was given a position of responsibility.

The fact that Joseph was not executed may indicate that Potiphar did not entirely believe his wife; he couldn’t help knowing her true character. The truth of Romans 8:28 is wonderfully displayed in this chapter. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  God was working behind the scenes for Joseph.

 “Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. They came up to him and asked, "Is it right for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?"
Jesus answered, "Don't you know that in the beginning the Creator made a man and a woman? That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married. He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one. And no one should separate a couple that God has joined together." ”  [Matthew 19:3-6] 

 "The two will become one flesh..."

 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.... Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." [Genesis:2:23, Mark 10:9] 

What God has joined together, let man not separate 

The Pharisees soon found Jesus. They were moving in for the kill, like a pack of wolves. In an effort to trap Him, they asked Him if divorce was lawful.

Jesus referred them back to the Pentateuch. What did Moses command? They avoided His question by stating what Moses permitted. He permitted a man to divorce his wife, provided he gave her a written certificate of divorce. But that was not God’s ideal; it was permitted only because of the harness of the people’s hearts.

The divine plan joined a man and woman in marriage as long as they live. This goes back to God’s creation of the sexes. A man is to leave his parents and be so united in marriage that he and his wife are one flesh. Thus joined by God, they should not be separated by human decree.

When the disciples questioned the Lord further, He said pointedly that remarriage after divorce was adultery, whether the man or the woman got the divorce. But in Matt. 19:9, He made an exception. Where one partner has been guilty of immorality, the other is permitted to get a divorce and is presumably free to remarry. 

Then the Lord stated with absolute authority that the past leniency on divorce was henceforth discontinued. Hereafter there would be only one valid ground for divorce—unchastity.  If a person was divorced for any other reason and remarried, he was guilty of adultery.

“How can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.  A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.  But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.  For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  [Matthew 12:34-37]

"Good Tree... Bad Tree..."

 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” [Matthew 12:33] 



 

A Tree is Known by Its Fruit 

Even the Pharisees should have admitted that the Lord had done good by casting out demons. Yet they accused Him of being evil.  Here He exposes their inconsistency and says, in effect, “Make up your minds. If a tree is good, its fruit is good and vice versa.” Fruit reflects the quality of the tree that produced it. The fruit of His ministry had been good. He had healed the sick, the blind, the deaf, and the dumb, had cast out demons and raised the dead. Could a corrupt tree have produced such good fruit? Utterly impossible! Why then did they so stubbornly refuse to acknowledge Him?

The reason was that they were a brood of vipers. Their malice against the Son of Man, evidenced by their venomous words, was the outflow of their evil hearts. A heart filled with goodness will be evidenced by words of grace and righteousness. A wicked heart expresses itself in blasphemy, bitterness, and abuse.

Jesus solemnly warned them (and us) that people will give account for every idle word they utter. Because the words people have spoken are an accurate gauge of their lives, they will form a suitable basis for condemnation or acquittal.  How great will be the condemnation of the Pharisees for the vile and contemptuous words which they spoke against God’s Holy Son!

“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” In case of believers, the penalty for careless speech has been paid through the death of Christ; however, our careless speech, unconfessed and unforgiven, will result in loss of reward at Christ’s Judgment Seat.


"Where is he that is born King of the Jews?"

 “And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. ” [Matthew: 2:10-12]  

 
 

The Wise Men

When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men  from the east came to Jerusalem and said, "Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east  and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem.

Herod the Great was a descendant of Esau and, therefore, a traditional enemy of the Jews. He was a convert to Judaism, but his conversion was perhaps politically motivated. It was toward the close of his reign that wise men from the East came in search of the King of the Jews.
The city that should have received the news with joy was disturbed by anything that might upset its status quo or risk the displeasure of the hated Roman rulers.
It was the star in the East that somehow made them aware of the birth of a King, whom they came to worship. Possibly they were familiar with Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah’s arrival.
Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, "Where will the Messiah be born?"They told him, "He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote, 'Bethlehem in the land of Judea,  you are very important among the towns of Judea. From your town  will come a leader, who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.' "

Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. He told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too."

The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They were thrilled and excited to see the star.

When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh  and gave them to him. Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.