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So, as we walk through the first 17 verses of John 15, we’ll consider that
Jesus is the true vine - and some of what that entails,
what Life in the vine requires (pruning, connection)
pruning
connection or remaining
the results of life in the vine (fruit, love, answered prayer)
So, let’s begin where Jesus and John begin as we reflect on the fact that...
Jesus is the True Vine (John 15:1)
After inviting his disciples to rise and depart, Jesus says:
A little later on, Jesus makes it a bit more personal - telling his disciples that he is the vine and the disciples are the branches.
But what does this mean that Jesus is the “true” vine?
The vine was a common metaphor in the “ancient world” (Carson).
Scholars, teachers and writers would use it to depict a variety of things.
The Mediterranean region is known to be a great place to grow grapes and vines.
It was often a symbol of prosperity and blessing.
But, as we read earlier, the vine and vineyard language was a common analogy or metaphor for the people of Israel.
Carson notes that often when Israel was referred to as a vine it was a vine that does not produce the expected fruit.
Israel had often failed to reproduce what God intended.
So here, Jesus calls himself the “true vine.”
Some commentators speculate that Jesus and the disciples had truly left the upper room and began to make their way toward the Mt. of Olives - but did so via that Temple - which would have been replete with vine symbols.
So, with this in mind, what John reveals in chapter 15 sounds to us like an effective metaphor, but may have been earth-shattering to Jesus’ disciples.
Jesus is the replacement for the geographically oriented Israel.
The promise, the fruit, the blessing is now no longer tied to a place but a person - Jesus Christ.
So Jesus communicates that he is the true vine.
He then begins to discuss what...
Life in the vine requires...
I’ve not spent much time around vineyards or orchards, but I have spent an insufficient amount of time in the plant beds around my house.
The plants we are intending to grow are often misshapen and are failing to blossom effectively.
I need to do a bit more pruning.
Which is the first thing that Jesus notes is required by the life in the vine...
...pruning (John 15:2-3)
Jesus says:
A few years ago I reached out to one of the local vineyards and learned a bit about vine care.
The “vinedresser” said that as branches grow and get longer, further away from the vine, they take up energy and life from the vine.
The grapes that are produced furthest away from the vine are not as tasty or healthy as the ones closest to the vine.
So the vinedresser has to trim the ends that bear weak fruit and cut the portions that bear no fruit so that the fruitful portions may be strengthened and bear better fruit.
God, like a vinedresser, works in similar ways.
He prunes his people in order to allow us to grow and produce the fruit that he desires.
He allows pain, disappointment, and struggles in our lives individually and in us corporately to trim back the edges that are fruitless so that we might become fruitful.
Bruce Milne notes:
In his pruning the Father also uses hard circumstances and trials.
None of these appear "pleasant at the time, but painful.
Later on, however, it produces a harvest" (Hebrews 12:11).
Have you and I taken time in our pain to ask what God might be communicating to us through that?
What way of thinking, habit, attitude, or sin is He trimming so that he can bear more fruit through us?
But Jesus makes something a bit more personal to his disciples...
Because He is the true vine, the words that he has spoken has produced belief and new life in His followers.
A fruitless performance-based religion has been trimmed off, new life in Christ is the fruit they are beginning to bear.
Jesus uses an interesting play on words here that is lost on us in English.
When Jesus says that the Father “prunes” the vine, he uses a variant on a Greek word meaning to prune or to clean (kathairei).
When he says that the disciples are “clean” he uses a variant of that same Greek word (katharoi).
When we think about the larger faith community, it seems like Jesus is pointing out that because the disciples believe that He is the Messiah that they are “clean” or “pruned” on account of their faith in him.
But for others who do not yet believe or refuse to believe, they sit as “uncleaned” and risk being cut off.
Judas Iscariot may be a part of that - especially since he had left the group to betray Jesus.
It could be that other unbelieving Jews were in that condition as well.
I wonder too, if that would include people who look like they are part of the vine, but really have no spiritual connection.
(poison or english ivy or the vine that is growing up in front of the house)
showing up, family involvement, universalism - all good people go to heaven
Are you an intended part of the vine or a weed that is only benefiting from the soil, but not bearing true spiritual fruit?
Or are you already clean because you’ve responded to Jesus’ call for salvation?
Do you believe that He is the Messiah, the one who can save you from your sin?
Or are you depending on your own righteous works?
But in addition to pruning, life in the vine requires...
...connection (John 15:4-5)
Jesus continues:
So Jesus seems to move from the broader religious community to the more individual application of this vine/branch metaphor.
If we are individually branches - then we must remain connected to the vine.
It almost goes without saying that for a branch to grow, it must be connected to or remain with the vine.
But how does this happen?
How did it happen for his disciples?
After all, Jesus would go to the cross the next day and then would ascend to heaven about a month later.
I think for the disciples, this involved continuing in what he had taught them.
Not turning back to a performance oriented religion.
It seems that some of John’s initial audience were struggling with that.
They were tempted to return to a sacrificial system.
So they were to continue in that, to press on, to remain in the Word that Jesus spoke to them.
They would be aided by the Holy Spirit - whom Jesus already said would:
John 14:26 (ESV)
...bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
But how does this apply to us?
I think we remain connected to the vine of Jesus by not returning to our old, fallen way of thinking - by not returning to our old way of solving life’s problems.
But remaining, abiding, connecting to Jesus involves spending time with him, spending time in His Word.
Here are a couple of other passages to help us think about this:
Let his word so saturate our lives that it oozes out when we speak with one another.
On Wednesday nights, we’ve been working our way through Psalm 119 which is a series of meditations on the word of God, on His teaching.
The Psalmist recognizes throughout this Psalm that the satisfaction in, knowledge of, and life according to Word of God is needed to withstand the sinfulness within and attacks from the unbelieving world.
How are you doing in reading, meditating, memorizing and applying the Word of God? Are you consistent in allowing the Word to penetrate your thinking and your acting?
Are you truly connected to Jesus?
As you think about it, please pray for me in this?
I am sometimes so task and habit oriented that I read/listen to check a box off.
Then as I take time to prepare sermons and other Bible studies, the Word can sometimes feel like a text book or source material, rather than the living Word of God.
Pray that I would daily, personally delight in the Word.
Pray that I would read and reflect on the Word slowly and personally.
As the writer of Hebrews states:
Let us remain or abide in Jesus by daily reading, considering, memorizing, and living His word.
Which brings us to the next point.
Life in the vine not only requires pruning and connection, but...
Life in the vine results in...
several things.
First of all, life in the vine results in...
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