Jesus Speaks to the Graduates

John 15:1-6

All across our country people young and not so young are graduating. High Schools and colleges are inviting the most notable and inspiring folks their budgets can afford to come and launch the next round of graduates.

This year at Notre Dame, Mary McAleese, the President of Ireland is the speaker for graduation. Harvard has invited Jim Lehred the veteran journalist. Their Ivy League rival University of Pennsylvania went another direction and invited actress Jodie Foster, herself a graduate of Yale. The U.S. Naval academy invited the president George W. Bush to address their graduates.

These speakers are brought in to challenge the graduating class. To inspire them to get off their parents payroll and on their own. The most popular topics on these occasions appear to be:

• You can do it if your put your mind to it.
• The possibilities are endless
• You can  change the world
• You are the answer for our questions.

For the most part, all of these speeches focus on the ability of the graduates to accomplish great things. The attempt is to build the graduate up . . . to spur them on. We want them to dream big and push hard. All of this lead me to wonder if Jesus would be a popular graduation speaker.? How would Jesus go over if he was invited to address the young energetic graduates of an Ivy league school

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." [1]

 Who invited him? Narrow gates, listen to him, bearing good fruit. I’m after money, maybe fame, but good fruit, who does he think he is.

What if Jesus was invited to speak at Clemson or USC he might start off like this;

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.[2]

If seen in proper light Jesus' remarks to his disciples in the conversation before His death could be viewed as a graduation talk. The disciples are facing an expansive future. The days of classroom study have finished. And as they face this future Jesus speaks to them. How would the graduates in Columbia feel being told;

Apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

Or how would they take it in Clemson to be told;

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit.

Jesus often spoke of fruit. Fruit identifies the type of tree or shrub. Fruit is what we produce. College graduates are always interested in producing something. We tell graduates the possibilities are endless. We want them to produce. Jesus, however, wants them to produce good fruit;

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

 

Jesus, I imagine might say something like this to the graduates of 2006.

You can do nothing of lasting significance without me. I mean nothing. You can set your mind on it, you can make your plans, but if you go at it alone, you will end up flat on your face. It can be done, but you will need me. You come from the dirt. In fact my father named you “ADAM” which means mud ball. So you will need my help and I will help, but you can’t do it on your own no matter what you have been told by your adoring parents or learned professors.

The problem for many folks, including you graduates is not so much that you are failing. Rather, the problem is you are achieving your goals, but they are the wrong goals.You have won the race but ran in the wrong direction. If you succeed at something which does not matter it’s the same as failure.

Of course you can do anything with Me. I might go as far as saying you can do things you never imagined with me. Seek first me and you will do incredible things. If my life taught me anything it is "With man this is impossible, but not with God all things are possible with God." The future is an endless possibility for the child of God! When God is moving through us we can:

• overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles
• see entire communities changed
• see the hardest heart softened
• see the most hopeless situation turned around.

 Success Is measured not by what we have, but by who we are becoming. It’s not a matter of getting what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." The person who is truly drawing life from the vine will be producing these qualities.

I’ll go further, you’re a bright group and I think you can handle it. People who are in me and I am in them. People who are producing my fruit will also be.

• open to instruction and correction rather than thinking they know it all
• soft not hard
• gentle with the hurting, not abrasive
• people who treat others with respect not as objects to be exploited
• patient not quick-tempered
• loving not manipulative

I’ll close with a story told to me in my youth. My nation, Israel was involved in a prolonged conflict with a nation called Philistine. The Philistines were giants. As the story is told things were not going well for us. Daily the Philistines taunted us. They had a warrior, named Goliath, and each day he challenged our troops to battle but they were scared. A little brother of some of the soldiers brought some food to the front to give to his brothers. While he was there he heard the taunting of Goliath and he got upset that no one accepted the battle challenge. So this young boy who was only following his dad’s advice and bringing food to his brother but he winds up accepting the challenge from Goliath. Of course you know the rest, he takes five stones, uses one to defeat Goliath. Here’s where I am suppose to say, you can defeat the giants in your life. The truth is the giants will kill you and not even work up a sweat. The only chance you’ve got is to listen to David’s story. First do what is necessary it may lead to something better. He was only obeying his dad and look where it lead him. Do the simple things, the necessary things, make good choices and they will lead you to a place of opportunity. Then when opportunity knocks you better depend on God. Don’t depend on your weapons or your smarts or even this degree, depend on God. Thos who abide in God produces fruit and make the most of the future those who don’t abide in God, they are burned up. I wish I could end on a better note.

You could have had Donald Trump or Oprah and I’m sure they would have made you feel better about yourself. But I’ve never been known as a motivational speaker I’m more of a truth-teller. Like it or not the future depends on what you build on.

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

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