Jesus often used trees, gardens, vines, branches, and fruit to teach lessons of truth. A Christian life is like a tree—not just a tree with leaves, but a tree that bears good fruit. As in the natural, fruit is the product of plant growth, so it is only by spiritual growth that man bears fruit unto the Lord. Without growth, one becomes fruitless, resulting in eternal punishment. However, as one walks in the commandments of God, he is able to bear the fruit expected of him.
QUESTIONS
- On various occasions, Christ used the fig tree as a symbol of the Jewish nation. This parable illustrated the patience of God with Jerusalem, whose day of doom was approaching because of their failure to show forth the fruit of righteousness. However, there is also a warning in it for individuals. Explain how you feel this parable applies to us.
- What did the dresser of the vineyard do to try to improve the fig tree’s production?
- Why did the owner of the vineyard have the right to expect fruit?
- Looking at our text in John 15, how are we to bring forth fruit? Explain.
- What does God do to the fruit-bearing branches? How much fruit must we bear?
- God cares for every branch. Each has the same nurturing and opportunity to bear good fruit. Each receives the “sunshine and rain” of God’s love. What happens to the branch that does not bear fruit?
- What fruit does God expect to see in a life? Give a specific example of how each one is a spiritual benefit.
- If one discovers he is not bearing as much fruit as he should, what do you think he should do to improve?
THEME THOUGHTS
Jesus, the greatest of all teachers, often chose to instruct His followers by means of parables—making a comparison between earthly things with which people are familiar, and spiritual things with which they are not so familiar. The Scriptures teach that there is a striking analogy between the natural and the spiritual. Therefore, Christ’s parables were not riddles; they were intended to reveal truth to those who love Him. He told His disciples that it was given unto them to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. But to those who loved darkness rather than light, the meanings of the parables were hidden. Matthew 13:10-15The parables recorded in the Gospel of Luke are remarkable for their simplicity. Jesus sought to put the truth in a form that would bring it within the grasp of man’s finite mind. And we read that “the common people heard him gladly.”In this quarter we will focus on eleven of the parables given by Jesus as recorded by Luke, a writer who emphasized Christ’s sympathetic attitude toward the poor, the lowly, and the outcast. The objective for each lesson indicates the point the parable makes relative to our lives today. The Christmas lesson features the account of Christ’s birth as given by Luke. The final lesson of this quarter will be an overview or summary of the material covered during the preceding weeks. May God bless you as we study these lessons together.