Jesus the True Vine — Faves of Dave - Bible Study

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 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. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 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. 5 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. 6 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. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

In over 100 plus episodes of this podcast, I do not believe there is one that I have struggled over more than this one. One of the reasons for this is that this teaching of Jesus is one that people frequently debate and argue over its meaning. I think the primary point of contention is whether this text addresses the question of “eternal security.” In other words, “Is Jesus teaching here that a person who has truly trusted in him and is ‘saved,’ able to lose their salvation?”

Allow me to say from the beginning, that my position on that question is that I believe in eternal security; if a person has truly believed in the Good News of Jesus Christ, they cannot do anything to “undo” that. In short, my view is that God accomplished that work in bringing me to that faith in the first place. Therefore, I don’t believe He left it in my hands to mess it up. The cost of bringing this great salvation to humanity was the Son of God coming into the world and laying down his life on the cross to suffice the just penalty for our sin. So, it is difficult for me to believe that God’s work through that amazing sacrificial love would be left so vulnerable as for me and everyone else to undo the effect of that work. My objective in this blog and podcast is not to defend that argument or use this text to defend my view. My objective is simply to ask and attempt to answer, “What is Jesus’ point in saying these words to his disciples?”

In calling himself the “True Vine,” Jesus claims to be fulfilling what Israel was supposed to do. They were supposed to be a vine planted by God to bear fruit; that is an extension and conduit of God’s holiness and blessing to other nations. As they trusted and obeyed God, the idea is that they would draw others to worship their God. This promise from God to Abram is first indicated in God’s charge to Abram (Abraham) to leave his home and go to the place that God would show him and that God would bless him and through him, all the “families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:1-3)

Unfortunately, Israel had a history of abandoning the Lord. Various Old Testament passages speak of Israel as a vine is not producing as it should or that God’s “shepherds” (leaders) have brought ruin to the “vine.” (Isaiah 5:1-7, Jeremiah 2:21; 12:10-11, and others) In Ezekiel 15:1-5, the question of whether the wood of the vine has any value if it’s not producing its fruit, and the answer is “no.” It’s altogether useless.

It seems to me that Jesus is speaking with the knowledge that his disciples will understand his purpose in claiming to be the “True Vine.” They know what the Scriptures reveal about Israel’s failure in its role as God’s “vine.” They know that corrupt prophets and leaders have brought ruin to God’s vineyard.

By Jesus claiming to be the “True Vine,” he says that God will achieve the results He intends through him. If nothing else, we should understand Jesus to be saying, God will produce fruit, and it will be through His True Vine, Jesus.

Jesus says that his Father is the vinedresser. The vinedresser is the one who tends the vine and does everything possible to make sure everything is optimal for bringing fruit. When we lived in Arizona, we had some citrus trees in our backyard. We learned to cut off certain branches because they would not bear fruit and would only serve to draw vital nutrients away from the branches that would bear fruit. Jesus’ point about the branches that don’t bear fruit is that they are useless and need to be removed. Jesus’ disciples must have understood this not only from the literal sense of how someone might care for their vineyard but also how Israel’s times of disobedience led God to remove them from their land in discipline. In the context of Jesus’ ministry, of which these disciples have been a part, these fruitless branches are people like those who came to hear Jesus teach and see a miracle but then refuse to believe him when he said something they didn’t like. Perhaps Judas Iscariot would be such a fruitless branch.

But, that is not all the Father does as the vinedresser. The Father also prunes the branches in the vine that do bear fruit for them to bear more fruit. In a short time after Jesus teaches his disciples this lesson, Peter will deny three times that he knows Jesus, and the rest of his disciples will scatter. Indeed, that is not evidence of fruit-bearing. Will they be cut off? Interestingly, before that even happens, Jesus tells them they are “clean.” Jesus is revealing that they are branches which the Father has been tending for bearing fruit. Like a vinedresser is patient and observant, expecting the future harvest, so is God with us.

The next critical point of this teaching is Jesus’ emphasis for his disciples to “Abide in me, and I in you.” (v. 4 and following) Not only is Jesus saying that God will bring fruit through the True Vine Jesus, but he is also saying that God plans to bring much fruit (v. 5). This result can ONLY happen when Jesus’ followers abide in him and he in us. What does that mean? It means that our minds, values, desires, words, and actions are consistently brought to Christ. It’s reading the Scriptures and learning about and from Jesus. It is asking him, in his name, to help form our values, thoughts, and actions to ones that are consistent with his and will bring forth the fruit that God desires.

We are unable to accomplish this apart from an ongoing “connection” or abiding with Christ. If we start living as Israel did at those times of rebellion and disobedience to God, we are useless to His purposes and will not be useful. We will not bear fruit and suffer the consequences of being a useless branch that is only good for firewood.

Finally, abiding in Christ, which will lead the Father to bring much fruit through us, will bring glory to the Father and result in us having joy.

Let us desire that joy and abide in Christ that we may bear much fruit.