Jesus Is The Vine And We Are The Branches

In John 15:1,2 Jesus gives us a powerful picture about life with Him. He says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” This is one of the famous “I am” statements in the gospel of John where Jesus is basically making a deity claim. The “I am” part would remind the Jewish reader of when Moses talked to God in the burning bush and asked God who he should say had sent him to free the Jewish people. God responded “I am” (Exodus 3:14). Here Jesus puts Himself in the God spot and points to Himself as the source of spiritual life as “the true vine.” The point is, without Jesus, because of our sinful rebellion and brokenness, we are spiritually dead. Only in Christ can we find life.

Notice that God the Father is the gardener and that he cuts off every branch that “bears no fruit.” An example would be the false apostle Judas, who betrayed Jesus to the Romans. It seemed like he was connected to Jesus but when it came down to it, he was not. While we do not know all his internal motives, maybe he was committed to a cause—such as where he envisioned Jesus as a political, military Messiah that would lead the Jews to overthrow Roman oppression. When it became clear that was not the mission of Jesus, he grabbed what money he could and got out. And yet Jesus is so compelling that Judas could not live with his betrayal. Afterward, he was overwhelmed with guilt and took his own life. If you have spent any time in the Christian faith or even watched the news you have seen fake preachers, priests and Christian leaders. Men and women who are power hungry or sexual predators who use the cloak of religion to cover their evil intent. On the day of judgment these individuals will hear from Jesus “I never knew you.” This is a dire warning to those who would use a “professed commitment” to Jesus to do evil.

While the true Christian does not get such a warning, they do get a sobering reminder that even though they have a real connection with Jesus they will occasionally be pruned. God the vinedresser will cut away the dead and unproductive parts of us. I suspect if we could talk to a branch while it gets pruned it would be upset, maybe even angry. I for one do not love the pruning of the Lord. Yet I find consistently I grow best in the seasons of difficulty in my life. The point of pruning is so the branch can bear more and better fruit. Through the trials of life, guided by God’s hand, we develop the fruit of the Holy Spirit—love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23). Remember, no vine eats its own fruit, the fruit is for others. In nature usually a seed is located within the fruit of a vine. Spiritually as I learn and practice patience that seed of patience can be planted in my children and others around me. In this way we bear much fruit.

Circling back to the importance of connection, a good Fairbanks example is the extension cord with the glowing plug. That glowing plug reveals that the cord is connected to the power source. As we stay connected to Christ, we can be a light in a dark world. We can bring forth the fruit of a transformed character and priorities blessing those around us. Stay connected to Christ.

Pastor Derek Dickinson