When Jesus said to His disciples, "I AM the Vine," He also spoke of "branches" and "fruit bearing." We know that Jesus is the Vine, and we are the branches as believers. But what is this "fruit?" How are we supposed to "bear fruit" in a way that is pleasing in Jesus' sight? If this is an important part of our life with the Lord, then we should probably know what this is all about!

When Jesus said, "I AM the Vine," He explained to His followers that they would be "pruned" and "taken away" as "branches" of that Vine. But maybe a better interpretation is that they would be "cleansed" and "lifted up." How does that change our understanding of what Jesus was teaching? What does it mean for us as believers today?

What was Jesus doing when He proclaimed, "I AM the Vine?" What relevance did the "Vine" have to Him? What did it symbolize? During this passage, Jesus said that "branches" of the Vine must be "pruned" or "taken away." If those "branches" refer to believers, how does this apply to our relationship with the Lord?"

As the Last Supper was coming to an end, Jesus' disciples were confused and upset. He tried encouraging them by telling them that they knew where He was going and they knew the way. But Peter and Thomas disagreed. Peter said that they did not know where Jesus is going, and Thomas said they did not know the way. Jesus' response was, "I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life." Did that make them feel any better?

The disciples were confused. As they shared the Last Supper with Jesus, He said to them, "One of you is going to betray Me." And then He told them, "Now the Son of Man will be glorified." Those two statements did not go together. And when Peter declared, "I will lay down my life for you," when speaking to Jesus, Peter didn't even know that he had a major problem. It was the same problem that had tripped up Moses.

They had walked with Jesus for three years, learning at His feet, watching His miracles, and devoting their lives to Him. They arrive at the Last Supper expecting it to be like the other Passover meals they have shared with Jesus. Then He says, "One of you is going to betray Me." What? How would you have reacted if you had been one of them? At the end of the meal, they go outside where, John tells us, "It was dark." An interesting comment, don't you think?

As Jesus sat at the Last Supper with His disciples, He knew them well, and He knew which one would betray Him. How did He know? Surprisingly, He knew them because He had watched them, and He had seen something different in Judas. Also in this episode, we will look at a prophecy about Jesus and Judas in the Old Testament, from Psalm 41.

When Jesus confided to His disciples, "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life," He had just done something rather extraordinary. He had washed their feet before sitting down to the Last Supper. This was a fitting context for the astonishing statement. He was challenging them, and us, to do what He did, with a promise for us if we do.