I Am the Vine

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;

apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

Jesus knew that His time with the disciples was about to end. He knew that “This very night you

will all fall away on account of me.” (Matthew 26:31) He was reminding them that He would always be with them no matter how things looked. He wanted them to remain in Him, the true vine. He wanted to assure them that if they remained in Him they would bear much fruit.

The disciples would have been very familiar with grape vines and that to have the best vineyard,

it had to be tended by a gardener. The gardener would come in often and prune and train the

branches to ensure the most fruit.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. John 15:1

In a vineyard new branches tend to grow downward and get buried in the mud. The gardener would lift the new branches up and secure them to the trellis. As the branches grew they produced leaves. Even though the grapevine might look full and abundant, you could not eat the leaves. They needed to be trimmed to allow the sun to reach the area where the fruit should form.

Gardeners have to prune their vineyard more intensely as the vine branches age. The branches

growth increases each year but it gets heavy and is weakened. If the branches got too heavy they

would break off the vine and die. So they had to be pruned so that they could stay attached to the

vine.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of

righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

The disciples had been with Jesus for a while, and Jesus had taught them and told them about what was to happen to Him. Jesus taught that His kingdom was different from the world. We are saved by grace and not by works. If we abide in Him and stay in a daily relationship with Him, He will nourish us and help us do what He has created us to do. We don’t have to do it on our own.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

There are many counterfeit vines that want us to attach ourselves to them, but they will never provide the joy and peace that we seek. Only the true vine, Jesus, will provide what we truly need. By staying connected to the vine, we have access to God’s wisdom and might. This is so much better than man’s wisdom or might. The hope that we have in abiding in Christ is not just a feel-good outlook but an amazing assurance in the person and work of Jesus.

Remain in me, as I also remain 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. John 15:4

The hope we have in Jesus translates into a life of dependence on Him. To abide in Greek means to stay, dwell, or be present. We abide in Him through regular daily prayer, meditation on His word, and obeying His commands. We have the confidence to face life’s challenges and uncertainties because of His presence and promise of fruitfulness.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:17-19