You as Plural and Not Individual

I’m often struck by the dangerous narcissism fostered by spiritual rhetoric that pays so much attention to individual self-improvement and so little to the practice of love within the context of community. - bell hooks

Staying connected to others is a hallmark for long term health and is an essential component of spiritual vitality as well. Jesus often taught about this. Sometimes we miss his teaching, however, because of translation issues. So, so often in the New Testament, the word ‘you’ is in PLURAL form. So often we’ve read it as the individual ‘you’ and made our faith a very private matter.

That’s not what Jesus intended.

So read over this passage a couple of times. Note that each time ‘you’ is used, in the Greek it’s the plural form. how does that change how you understand this famous passage? What feelings come up for you as you read it this way?

 Abide in me, as I also abide 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.