John 15:1-11
Josephus tells us that the high eastern gate leading into the Holy Place of the temple was adorned with a magnificent, lavish vine of pure gold, whose branches trailed down over the arch of the doorway, its clusters formed of precious stones (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 15, ch. 11 §3). This vine was the national emblem of Israel. Can you imagine how it must have gleamed in the moonlight? On the way from the upper room to the garden of Gethsemane, which lay at the foot of the Mount of Olives, Jesus and his disciples passed through the Kidron Valley. It may be that, as they began their climb, the grand splendor of this vine suddenly rose into view above the walls of Jerusalem, reflecting the moon against a backdrop of stars. Perhaps it was precisely this majestic sight that prompted Jesus to say:
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 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. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 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. 5 “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. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:1-11)
THE TRUE VINE
Before we begin to examine the relationship between the vine and the branches, I would like for a moment to dwell on the opening words of Jesus: “I am the true vine.” In this Gospel Jesus uses the expression “I am” in a series of metaphors that convey his character, his relationships, and his mission: “I am the bread of life” (6:35,51); “I am the light of the world” (8:12); “I am the gate for the sheep” (10:7); “I am the good shepherd” (10:11); “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25); “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6). The expression “I am” carries us back in history to Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush. There, when Moses asked God to reveal himself, God presented himself with the words, “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). In other words, when Jesus presents himself with the words “I am,” he is telling us that he is God. This is in harmony with the opening sentence of this Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
“I am the true vine” is the last of the “I am” metaphors in this Gospel. Like the others (bread, light, gate, shepherd, and so on), this metaphor too is comforting and encouraging. The vine is a natural symbol of a well-ordered, well-established life. When Jesus says that he is the “true vine,” he implies that there is also a false vine. Who is the false vine? Most often in the Old Testament the metaphor of the vine is used of God’s people Israel. God planted this vine, but instead of sweet grapes it produced wild ones — that is, instead of being true, it turned out to be false. For example, in Isaiah 5:1-7 God brings a case against his people, who are represented as his “vineyard”:
1 I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. 2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. (Isaiah 5:1-2)
The vineyard is Israel, the people of God. Why does God plant it on a fruitful hillside and expend every necessary effort, carrying out all the needed cultivation around it? Because from it he expects “good grapes,” he expects fruit. But what is the problem with this vineyard? Despite all his efforts, instead of sweet grapes it produces “bad fruit,” it produces sour berries.
3 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? (Isaiah 5:3-4)
7 The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. (Isaiah 5:7)
In Hebrew this is a play on words: instead of mishpat (justice) — mispach (bloodshed); instead of tsedaqah (righteousness) — tse’aqah (cries of distress). “Bloodshed” and “cries of distress” — this is the fruit of that vine. Despite all of God’s efforts, instead of displaying God’s character, Israel sank into sin. That is why the sentence against it is as follows (vv. 5-6):
5 Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. 6 I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” (Isaiah 5:5-6)
This vineyard is left unfenced, desolate, uncultivated, unpruned, untilled, withered, and trampled.
Jesus, however, is not a false or counterfeit vine. If you want to gather sweet grapes, you must plant the right variety. Jesus is the right variety. He is the true vine. He will not betray God’s expectations of him.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (John 15:1)
That Jesus is the vine and the Father is the gardener suggests, on the one hand, that in some respect the Father is greater than — or superior to — Jesus. But on the other hand, the vine-gardener relationship speaks of a mutual dependence. The vine depends on the gardener for its cultivation, care, and watering. The gardener, in turn, depends on the vine for the produce it will bring forth. Each gives life to the other and receives life from the other. Although this may seem excessive, we cannot overstate the mutual bond and dependence between the Father and the Son. In John 10:30 Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
WHERE DOES OUR STRENGTH COME FROM?
And so we have the perfect variety of vine — Jesus Christ — and the perfect vinedresser — God the Father. Then we ought to have perfect fruit as well. But here is where the problem appears — in us, imperfect human beings. There are three participants in this brief parable. God the Father is the gardener (v. 1), Christ is the vine (vv. 1,5), and Christ’s disciples are the branches (v. 5). They are of two kinds — those who abide on the vine and those who do not. The one kind bears fruit, the other does not. Those who abide and bear fruit are “cleansed” so that they may bear more fruit. Those who bear no fruit are cut off, wither, and will be burned.
The key word in this passage is “abiding.” In one form or another it is mentioned nine times. To “abide” means “to remain where you are.” Abiding determines our character and our future. If we abide, we will bear fruit and gladden the Gardener. If we do not abide, we will be cut off, thrown out, and burned.
This leads us to ask the question: “What does it mean to abide in Christ?” We find the answer in the metaphor of the vine and the branches. They are one. The vine supplies life-giving sap to the branches. The branches bear fruit. To abide in Christ means to be one with him, and for this bond of ours to be unbroken, indestructible, and active. To abide in Christ means “to remain” in him. In verses 4-5 it says:
4 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. 5 “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 15:4-5)
Here Jesus makes it clear that our relationship with him — our abiding in him — is the key both to our fruitfulness and to our eternal destiny. The Christian finds strength and meaning in life through his relationship with Christ. The weak become strong when they are grafted into the Vine, and the strong become vulnerable when they are separated from it.
We are often tempted to look for help where there is none. We look to people — those richer, more influential, stronger than we are. But Jesus tells us that fruitfulness begins in an altogether different place — on the vine.
THE MEANS OF ABIDING
We abide in Christ by persevering in prayer. As long as we are in Christ’s presence, his power is at our disposal. But the moment we turn our back on him, our strength runs dry. Sadly, we often forget this foundational truth. Our prayer life gets swallowed up by our work. Our obligations are so many and so varied. Amusements are so appealing. Television programs are so interesting. We know we ought to pray, but our time for prayer is all too quickly lost in the whole commotion. We hope that a quick cry for help will be enough, but Jesus says, “Abide in me!” (v. 7).
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7)
To abide in Christ means for his words — his teaching — to abide in us. This is why we must read our Bibles and come to church. Here his Word is preached. We must listen to it, keep it, and not turn aside from it. In 1 John 2:24-28 the apostle John urges us to hold fast to the apostolic teaching we received at the beginning of our faith, and not to be carried away by false teachings.
24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life. 26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him. 28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. (1 John 2:24-28)
Besides prayer and receiving Christ’s teaching, one of the things that would practically help us to abide in Christ is participation in the Lord’s Supper. It keeps the memory of the Savior alive in our hearts. Through it we partake of him and of his Body. It sustains our fellowship. In John 6:56 Jesus said:
56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. (John 6:56)
Instruction in the words of Christ, prayer, and our participation in the Lord’s Supper ought to produce in us the life of Christ, and that life ought to be visible to the people around us. In 1 John 2:6 the apostle says:
6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6)
THOSE WHO DO NOT ABIDE
But what happens to those who do not abide? Powerless, lifeless, and useless, they can do nothing (v. 5). They are like rotting branches that must be cut off so they do not become a breeding ground of disease. In verse 2 Jesus said that every branch in him that bears no fruit is “cut off” by the Gardener.
Perhaps many of you own vineyards, or have pruned vines. The vinedresser knows how to tell the fruit-bearing shoots from those that only drain the vine’s energy without bearing any fruit. And so, when he cuts away the fruitless ones, he feels good about the “surgical operation” he is performing. The cutting off may seem cruel, but it is necessary for the vitality and fruitfulness of the branches. To leave the fruitless branches in place would only diminish the fruit of the vine.
The further fate of the branches that are cut off is seen in verse 6:
6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. (John 15:6)
That this is the final lot of the fruitless is also seen in many other passages of the New Testament. For example, in Matthew 3:10 we hear John the Baptist say:
10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3:10)
These prophetic words are confirmed literally by the Lord Jesus Christ in his “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 7:19):
19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 7:19)
The author of the letter to the Hebrews writes something similar (Hebrews 6:7-8):
7 Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. 8 But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned. (Hebrews 6:7-8)
In his Commentary on the New Testament, William MacDonald writes: “The branch of the vine has one great purpose — to bear fruit. It is absolutely useless for making furniture or building houses. It is no good for firewood. But it is very good for producing grapes.” The absence of fruit is direct testimony about a person, that he is not a true believer. Jesus leaves no room among his followers for fruitless disciples.
DO WE BEAR FRUIT — WHAT KIND AND HOW MUCH?
We must ask ourselves two questions. First, “Do we abide in Christ?” How strong is our bond with him? What condition is our prayer life in? Are we holding firmly to what we heard at the beginning, which led to our salvation? Do we daily receive the life of Jesus into ourselves? And second, “Do we bear fruit — what kind and how much?” For the goal of abiding is to bear fruit (v. 8).
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:8)
What kind of fruit is meant here? In the preceding verse Jesus speaks of a fruitful prayer life.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. (John 15:7)
God is glorified when our prayers are answered. We have great power, but it is activated only when we are connected to the source of energy. The bond of abiding determines the content of our requests to God. If we abide in Christ, we will know how to pray, we will pray with Christ’s power, and we will pray according to God’s will. Jesus says, “Ask whatever you wish,” but a person who abides in him will not ask for shallow or unnecessary things. The more we abide in Christ, the more we will focus on his purposes and interests, and the more our prayers will sound like his.
In the next verse there is talk of love, so some Bible scholars believe that the fruit is love (v. 9):
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. (John 15:9)
Can you imagine how much Jesus loves us? The love of the Son of God for us is the same as the love of the Father for the Son. We must never stop being aware of how great his love is for us, and we must delight in it in our daily lives.
After this, Jesus calls us to keep his commands. That is why other theologians believe the fruit spoken of here is obedience (v. 10).
10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. (John 15:10)
Of course, love and obedience to God are inseparably bound together. In 2 John 1:6 it says:
6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (2 John 1:6)
It is love that makes obedience to the commands of the One who loves us and whom we love an easy thing. Jesus left us an example of this. His abiding in the love of his heavenly Father helped him to keep the Father’s commands.
The passage ends on a note of joy (v. 11):
11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:11)
With these words Christ does not want to trouble us but to gladden us! If we abide in his love, then his joy will flow into us and our joy will be made complete. Love, joy… The apostle Paul calls these things “the fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22-23):
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Of course, if we have all these fruits — an effective prayer life, unconditional love, obedience to God, and heavenly joy — we will hardly be left without the fruit of saved souls (v. 16). In Proverbs 11:30 it says:
30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and the one who is wise saves lives. (Proverbs 11:30)
FRUIT — MORE FRUIT — MUCH FRUIT
The question, however, is not only whether we bear fruit, but also how much? The passage speaks of “fruit” (v. 2), “more fruit” (v. 2), and “much fruit” (vv. 5,8). God desires that those who bear fruit bear “more” fruit, and that those who bear “more” fruit bear “much” fruit (v. 8).
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:8)
At first glance this verse is a little puzzling. For Jesus is speaking to people who are already his disciples, yet he speaks to them as though they had not yet become his disciples. Why does Jesus speak to them this way? The answer perhaps lies in the fact that discipleship is an ongoing process. It will never be finished on this earth. As long as we live, we will keep on learning.
Bearing fruit glorifies God and is the proof that we belong to Christ. It matters. This is why the Father himself, who is the Gardener, cares for our fruitfulness. He cleanses us in two ways — by allowing trials into our lives, and through obedience to the words of Christ.
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 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. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (John 15:1-3)
In pruning, the vinedresser carries out two operations. First he cuts off the fruitless branches, and second, he “cleanses” the fruitful ones so they will bear more fruit. It is important to note that every branch, whether fruitful or fruitless, comes under the blade of the vinedresser’s shears. If a branch is unproductive, the vinedresser cuts it off; if he considers it productive, he still prunes it — in order to increase its fruitfulness. This ought to tell us something. Even as faithful disciples, we must be prepared to experience pain in our lives. This may be hard to accept, but it is so. Often, when God prunes us and takes away things that are dear to our flesh, we feel hurt, confused, and angry. Have you noticed how, when you prune a branch, it begins to weep? But this is for its own good. So it is with us. James says (James 1:2-4):
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
And the author of Hebrews adds (Hebrews 12:11):
11 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 Father’s discipline and the vinedresser’s pruning are painful, but beneficial. It is important to remember this, since in our lives we may experience pain, but this verse encourages us not to assume that this is necessarily a sign of God’s rejection or displeasure toward us. On the contrary, pain may be a sign to us that the Lord is still at work in us, shaping our lives, in order to help us — by the power of Christ — to give the very best that we are capable of.
Jesus reassures us and gives us still greater confidence in his plan for us with the words (v. 3):
3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (John 15:3)
During the Passover, while he was washing his disciples’ feet, Peter at first refused to let Jesus wash his feet, but when Jesus said that unless he washed him, Peter would have no part with him, Peter cried out, “Lord, not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Then Jesus balanced his desire with the words (John 13:10):
10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” (John 13:10)
When he said that not all were clean, Jesus had in mind Judas Iscariot, who was going to betray him (John 13:11). Now he once again declared his disciples clean. They were clean because they had heard, believed, and obeyed the teaching of Jesus, even though they had not yet fully understood it. Like the pruning of the fruitful branches, this too can tell us something. The teaching of Jesus possesses a cleansing power, and the more we apply it in our lives, the less cleansing with the vinedresser’s shears we will need.
LASTING FRUIT
A little further on in this same fifteenth chapter of the Gospel according to John, Jesus said (v. 16):
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. (John 15:16)
Here Jesus speaks of his sovereign choice. He has chosen the apostles — and, by extension, us — to be his disciples. This ought to humble us and gladden us. It should humble us, because our belonging to Christ is not owing to any valor or merit of ours (1 Corinthians 1:26-31), and it should gladden us, because no matter what we are, Christ has chosen us to be his. This choice, however, is not merely for salvation. In Christ we have a purpose, we have a calling, we have a commission, we have a mission. And it is “to go out into the world and bear fruit, and for our fruit to last.” The fruit we are to bring before God is not temporary; it is “fruit for eternal life” (John 4:36). These are the new branches that the Father grafts onto the vine through our service. Of course, this is not an individual mission. It is the mission of the whole church — a mission to which each one of us, according to our own abilities and gifts, makes a contribution (Romans 12:3-8). But in order to give the best of ourselves, we must abide on the vine. Only in this way will we be able to be fruitful and to fulfill Christ’s commission for abundant and lasting fruit.