Jesus: The True Vine

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.  Abide in me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.  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.  If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers:  and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples. –John 15:1-8 (ESV).

Jesus’ statement that He is the true vine is the seventh of his “I Am…” declarations.  We need to be aware that the allegory of the vineyard and the vine was used in the Old Testament to refer to Israel.  In Psalm 80:8-19 (please read) is a song about the vine, an allegory for the nation. The song recalls how a vine was brought out of Egypt and planted in a new land, and at first it flourished well.  But the vine was ravished and became unproductive.  The Psalm ends with a prayer for restoration.  Likewise, in Isaiah 5 the vineyard of the Lord is the subject, and the apostasy of the “beloved,” the nation of Israel, is the errant keeper of the vineyard.  As a result, “ten acres of vineyard shall yield but one bath, and a homer of seed shall yield but an ephah” (Psalm 5:10).  With a knowledge of the vineyard songs in Psalms and Isaiah, the disciples would have easily understood the symbolism to which Jesus referred in this farewell discourse to them in the Upper Room.  “I am the true vine.”  He was the vine to which they were to attach themselves so that they could bear much fruit.  Apart from Him the disciples could do nothing.

Several important lessons are seen in the teaching of the Vine and the branches.  First and foremost is that true living comes when fruit is produced.  What fruit is produced by a fruit-bearing Christian?  Another saved soul is a paramount fruit.  We share the gospel to help others  come to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Growth and maturity of the Christian is another fruit—both personally and helping to mentor others.  Paul in Galatians 5:22-24 calls these the “fruit of the spirit”:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Stewardship is another fruit.  And always worship and adoration of God are fruits we want to bear.  Within each fruit are seeds that will bear more fruit so that we reproduce.  Another lesson is that of abiding in Christ.  A branch cannot bear fruit unless it abide in the vine, and since Christ is the true Vine, we must abide in Him by commitment, and taking our sustenance and guidance from the Word.  “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (v. 5) Jesus said.

As a child I remember walking under my Grandfather’s grape arbor when the grapes were ripe and reaching up to pick them.  The harvest was plentiful because the vines had been well-tended, pruned as needed, fertilized and allowed to grow and produce.  Think of the useful and fulfilled Christian life as the branch of a healthy vine well-anchored in the true Vine, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.  Just like with my Grandfather’s grape harvest, it takes time and patience to await the fruit.  The branches were full of grapes because they were firmly attached to and drew sustenance from the vine.  The more the Christian abides in Christ, the more fruit he will bear.  Pray that fruits worthy of attachment to the true Vine will be a part of every day of an abiding life.