Send us Fan Mail People say that God takes non-believers and throw them into hell, like dead-branches being thrown into the fire. This is such a common reading of John 15 where Jesus says "I am the true vine" that it is hard to see it any other way. John 15 is part of Jesus's Goodbye Speech to his disciples before he was arrested and crucified. Along with John 14, it is a big block for many Christians being harsh. Sometimes Jesus is harsh, but not in the way you usually hear. Instead Jesus is about the radical love of God and how God keeps trying to bring people toward him. In this episode I talk about reading these chapters about inviting people to wholeness in Jesus instead of cutting them out. If you are discouraged about being a Christian or if you have had enough with being pushed out by being doomed to hell, it has more to do with the bad and controlling reading of scripture than the scripture itself. It is better to just to hear a new message instead of throwing it all away. John 14:5 Thomas asked, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you have really known me, you will also know the Father. From now on you know him and have seen him.” 6 λέγει αὐτῷ [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς· ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή· οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ δι᾿ ἐμοῦ. If not vs. except John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. A branch can’t produce fruit by itself, but must remain in the vine. Likewise, you can’t produce fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit. Without me, you can’t do anything. 6 If you don’t remain in me, you will be like a branch that is thrown out and dries up. Those branches are gathered up, thrown into a fire, and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 2 πᾶν κλῆμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μὴ φέρον καρπὸν αἴρει αὐτό, καὶ πᾶν τὸ καρπὸν φέρον καθαίρει αὐτὸ ἵνα καρπὸν πλείονα φέρῃ. αἴρω 1) to raise up, elevate, lift up 1a) to raise from the ground, take up: stones 1b) to raise upwards, elevate, lift up: the hand 1c) to draw up: a fish 2) to take upon one's self and carry what has been raised up, to bear 3) to bear away what has been raised, carry off 3a) to move from its place 3b) to take off or away what is attached to anything 3c) to remove 3d) to carry off, carry away with one 3e) to appropriate what is taken 3f) to take away from another what is his or what is committed to him, to take by force 3g) to take and apply to any use 3h) to take from among the living, either by a natural death, or by violence 3i) cause to cease
