36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” 37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?” They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” 39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon. (John 1:36-39, New International Version)
1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He 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. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also 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 15:1 – 4, New International Version)
Theme: Discipleship
Context:
Thank you very much for sharing your images yesterday. Interestingly, some of the images you shared are similar to images Rowan Williams uses in his book, Being Disciples: Essentials of the Christian Life. We turn to Williams today to dig deeper into the importance of using Bible study to understand our identity as disciples of Jesus.
Based on John 1, John 15 and other New Testament passages, Williams asserts that staying with/abiding in Jesus is a defining identity trait of Jesus’ disciples. Williams believes that references to the disciples staying with Jesus (e.g., John 1:39) are highly significant and instructive. Below are a few quotes from Williams that emphasize how important he thinks staying/abiding is:
- “The Gospel teaches us that the bottom line in thinking about discipleship has something to do with this staying.”
- “In other words, what makes you a disciple is not turning up from time to time. Discipleship may literally mean ‘being a student’, in the strict Greek sense of the word, but it doesn’t mean turning up once a week for a course (or even a sermon). It’s not an intermittent state; it’s a relationship that continues.”
- “The disciple is not there to jot down ideas and then go away and think about them. The disciple is where he or she is in order to be changed; so that the way in which he or she sees and experiences the whole world changes.”
- “Disciples watch; they remain alert, attentive, watching symbolic acts as well as listening for instructive words, watching the actions that give the clue to how reality is being reorganized around Jesus.”
- “Being with the Master is recognizing that who you are is finally going to be determined by your relationship with him.”
These are deep biblical insights. Isn’t it wonderful to see how much we can learn about our identity as disciples when we dig deeply into God’s word?
Bible Study Passages:
Today’s Scripture passages demonstrate the importance of staying/abiding for disciples of Jesus. Please reflect on the passages and consider the questions below.
Questions:
- Which of the quotes from Rowan Williams resonates most deeply with you?
- Why does it resonate?
Sharing your thoughts could be a big help to someone else. Please leave a comment on the blog.