You didn’t choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:16 WEB

Here, Jesus is speaking directly to his hand picked disciples. In previous verses, Jesus reveals his purpose to lay down his life for his friends. Before doing so, the Lord commands his followers to love one another as he loved them. In addition, Jesus refers to his faithful followers as friends because of the level of intimate knowledge he shared with them from our heavenly Father. With the words “go and bear fruit,” Christ reveals to his disciples the role chosen for them as founders of the New Testament church.   

But, who are the chosen and why does Jesus choose them? Teaching the parable of the wedding feast, Jesus says in Matthew 22:14, “For many are called, but few chosen. WEB” The parable describes a king who instructed his servants to announce a wedding feast. But, the original invited guests proved unworthy or refused to come. And so, the king sent his servants to invite others to the feast. When many came, the king found one man in attendance that did not have on the proper wedding garments. The king commanded his servants to cast that man into outer darkness.

Remain in Christ

The wedding garment represents covering our sinful past with the righteousness of Christ. Although salvation comes by the grace of God through faith in Christ, those chosen for eternal life respond to the call to salvation by turning away from sin and living in submission to God. True believers prove themselves acceptable as they “go and bear fruit” by following the will of God. As Jesus says in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. WEB”

The call to salvation goes out to everyone. The chosen are those who answer the call and proceed to “go and bear fruit” for the kingdom of heaven. This requires putting on the righteousness of Christ by repenting from sin and living in submission to God’s will. But, what does it mean to ask the heavenly Father in the name of Jesus? Christ makes this clear in John 15:7 when he says, “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you. WEB” Asking in the name of Jesus means asking God for something in the authority of Christ while living in submission to him.  

Yesterday’s Devotional: On the Sabbath Day