Expectations
We are living in very strange times where it seems that many reasonable things are upside down in people’s thinking, even in the churches.
The word expectation is evidence of such a phenomenon. It seems that there is an outright rejection of the idea that expectations should even exist.
For instance, I had apple trees in my yard, and each year, I expected to see apples appear on those trees. I planted them for apples, and they were nurtured to bring forth apples. One tree not only did not produce apples, it stayed the same height for 3 years. It was not a productive tree at all. That tree did not meet my expectations.
Expectation, as I am using it, is a belief that someone will or should achieve something. Jesus had this at work in relation to those who follow Him. Reconsidering expectations can lead to growth, a hopeful prospect. Jesus carried a certain expectation in His heart.
John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Jesus expects that those who abide in Him will bear fruit. Like I wanted apples from my trees, Jesus wants fruit from our connection with Him.
This does not refer to our initial planting or connection with Him but rather our ongoing connection with Him; thus, the word abide is used. The word abide means be present, endure, dwell, continue, remain. It conveys a sense of an ongoing, growing closeness, an ever-increasing reality of a relationship with Jesus. The initial introduction and acceptance part of the relationship is taken care of, as indicated in the next verse.
John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
In other words, He has already taken care of what is needed for you to be part of the vine. This is not an invitation to join the vine; it is an instruction on what it means to abide in the vine. This is a clear instruction of what it means to embrace the life Jesus is offering. The life He offers comes through the connectivity of a relationship with Him. It is not just about getting saved and then sitting around and waiting until you go to heaven. There is something to be experienced here and now through being connected to and with Him.
John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Just going through the motions of what one thinks a believer is supposed to look like on the surface does not produce the supernatural energy required to bear the fruit Jesus expects in the life of someone who abides in Him. Jesus knows what His life produces in the vines connected to Him.
This is not an invitation to go on a hunt for a list of what fruit looks like and then set out to try to replicate it in one’s own strength and willpower. This is a call to be in a relationship in such a way that fruit naturally occurs. Jesus is all about relationships from start until finish. A relationship that endures is at the core of His expectation. That type of relationship produces fruit. Expectations are not bad; they are not condemning, and they are not wrong. Expectations come with the territory of being in a relationship. Jesus knows just how fruitful it can be for someone to be in union and intimacy with Him. Jesus knows what that looks like and what kind of fruit it will produce.
