John 15:
"I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." (v.5) What does it mean to abide? It means to remain, continue, stay and doing those takes work on my part. It's not enough to read my Bible every now and then or go to church when I feel like it or have no other plans. And it's certainly not a Sunday morning ritual - where I go do the Jesus thing on Sunday and don't think about Him or His kingdom any more until next Sunday.
Of course some will say, I do all sorts of things that bring all sorts of good results but I probably don't do much "abiding". They would say my life is so busy I just don't have time for Jesus during the week. But Jesus said the time will come when many will say to Him, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name? And then [Jesus] will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.'" (Matthew 7:22-23)
My understanding of abiding in Christ is living life 24/7 in relationship with Jesus. Considering Him before I respond to a personal hurt or affront; considering Him before I spend my money; considering Him before I commit myself in a relationship; considering Him in what I watch or read; considering Him in how I use my time; considering Him in how I love people around me. Abiding means considering Jesus in all aspects of my life. Not in a legalistic sense but in a You are Lord of my life commitment. Then and only then will I bear much fruit that is acceptable to Jesus.
Mark 15:
"But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed." (v.5) Jesus has been brought before Pilate and all the Jews are telling this story and that to convince Pilate to execute Jesus. All Jesus has said has been agreement with Pilate that He is King of the Jews and so Jesus just stands there and Pilate is amazed. He had probably been used to people begging and pleading and saying whatever they needed to say in order to get a stay of execution. So when Jesus stood quietly, Pilate found it most unusual.
I can just imagine the quiet dignity of this man who allowed His enemies to spew their venom without any rebuttal or anger or malice. No twisting and struggling to try to break the bonds that held Him. No trying to run away. No begging for His life. And so Pilate capitulated to the demands of the Jews and Jesus was led away to be crucified.
Pilate was amazed at Jesus' silence, I am amazed that those in the middle of this conflict - Pilate, the Jewish elders, the soldiers - all thought they were in control of Jesus' fate that day. Little did they know that Jesus, the one who stood quietly before His accusers, was really the one in control. (John 10:17-18) By the way He lived and the way He died, "Truly, this man was the Son of God." (v.39)
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