People frequently misunderstand Jesus. It was that way during his ministry and it is still the case today. Throughout the gospel of John we find stories in which almost everyone (experts, leaders, family, disciples) misunderstand what Jesus is doing and saying. Often it wasn’t until after Jesus’s death and resurrection that they finally understood.
The Bible uses a lot of metaphors, but few are as central—and as easy to miss—as Jesus’ claim that He is the true vine. For first-century Jews, the vine was represented their national identity and the religious institutions and systems that allowed them to be the people of God. So when Jesus says, “I am the true vine,” He isn’t being poetic—He’s completely reordering how people relate to God.
In this passage, Jesus reveals a quiet but seismic truth: fruitfulness doesn’t come through religion, effort, or affiliation. It comes through abiding. But what does that actually mean? What does it look like to live from a place of being deeply loved by God? And how do we experience that kind of connection?
People frequently misunderstand Jesus. It was that way during his ministry and it is still the case today. Throughout the gospel of John we find stories in which almost everyone (experts, leaders, family, disciples) misunderstand what Jesus is doing and saying. Often it wasn’t until after Jesus’s death and resurrection that they finally understood.
This month we want to help you understand who Jesus is and what he did by looking at 10 misunderstandings in John. Using the benefits of the full story, we will discover the power of Understanding Jesus. This week we will study Jesus’s first trip to the temple, an event filled with high tension and interesting insight.
