10th May 2009 (4th of Easter)
Acts 8:26-40
John 15:1-8
The Good News of Jesus Christ is not just good news for the world; it is good news for individuals. Each person is important to God who made them, and he goes to great lengths to bring them into his family.
The account of Philip and the Ethiopian is fascinating, almost as much because of what is left unsaid as because of what is said. We would love to know how the Ethiopian (from modern Sudan) came to be so involved with Judaism. We would love to know what exactly Philip said to him, and how the baptism took place. We would love to know what happened in the rest of the Ethiopian’s life, and how exactly Philip got from there to Azotus, the next major town north of Gaza. The passage concentrates on the fact that Philip is called away from a successful ministry to speak to one man in the middle of nowhere. As a result, that one man went on his way rejoicing. He may well have been instrumental founding the church which still exists in modern Ethiopia, as their tradition states.
Individuals are important to God; but Jesus makes clear in John 15 that the good news of Jesus must be accepted and acted upon to be of any use. He draws upon the picture of a vine, a picture familiar to any Old Testament reader as a picture of Israel. Israel was God’s name for Jacob, the ancestor of the tribes of God’s people who became known as Israel. When Jesus says he is the true vine, he is saying that he is the new Israel, and that his followers are the true people of God – provided that they are fruitful. The fruit of the vine is grapes; but Jesus does not spell out what fruit God is looking for in his people. In Isaiah 5 the fruit of the vineyard should have been justice and righteousness. In Galatians 5 the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace etc. Lots of fruit is the result and the goal of the gardener’s activity, and that general sense may be what Jesus intends us to think of.
Note that fruit is not for the benefit of the vine. The grapes are taken away and used elsewhere. The purpose of the nation of Israel was to be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:3). The purpose of the new Israel is the same (Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 2:9).
It is important that God achieves his goals in us – so important that he will use the pruning knife to maximise our yield, and will dispose of those parts of the vine that are fruitless. However, the way to become fruitful is simply to stay closely attached to Christ. Then growth and fruit will follow, naturally.
Questions:
1) What fruit does God want to see in your life, and why?
2) What evidence is there that individuals are important to God?