v. 1 I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. As the vine, Jesus was comparing himself to the source of life and nutrients for his people. He will refer to believers as “branches” who are in the vine. Just as a branch must be connected to the vine, so we must be rightly connected to Jesus if we are going to have true life. The Father is the gardener. It is his job to tend to the branches to ensure that they become fully productive and fruitful. Our Father will tend to our lives and seek to create the greatest environment for growth in our lives.
v. 2 He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit. There is some dispute over this verse. Some feel it speaks simply of judgment. A person who bears no fruit and yet calls himself a believer is not truly a part of the Vine. He is cut off from the Lord. Others feel that the phrase “cut off” should be translated “raised up or lifted.” There is some good support because the Greek word airo is never translated “cut off” in any other place. If it should be “raised up” instead, the idea may be of the special care that an actual gardener would give to his unproductive branches. Often they are unproductive because they are too close to the ground and become covered in dirt and soil. It stunts the growth. In this case, the gardener would lift up the branch, clean it, and tie it up higher off the ground so it will no longer sag. The branch is much too valuable to just cut off. Perhaps, this is what God does. He disciplines us when we are stuck in the dirt of sin and remain unproductive. This discipline is meant to bring us out of sin, and lift us back up into God’s purposes.
v. 2 while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. Gardeners prune, or cut back their vines so they will become even more fruitful. This is a natural part of the world of agriculture. Prune for greater growth. There are times the Heavenly Father prunes us. It is not correction for doing wrong, it is pruning and instruction to bring about even greater fruit in our lives. Pruning is a very good thing for us as believers. It humbles us, and keeps us looking to Him.
v. 4 Remain in me, and I will 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. V. 5 I am the Vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me, and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Jesus calls us to remain in him. Some translations use the word “abide” – Abide in me. This is the call to stay close, and rightly connected to Jesus. We can’t bear fruit on our own. We can only bear the fruit of the Spirit when we are receiving the life of Jesus on a continual basis. We must remain in Him. We remain in Him through prayer, worship, God’s Word, fellowship, giving, serving. We must abide, knowing that He is the source of life. If he doesn’t fill us, we are empty. Apart from him, we can do nothing. We can do a lot of things without Jesus, but we cannot do anything that has eternal value.
v. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Here is a radical thought for your day: Jesus loves you just as much as the Father loves him. The same love God the Father gives to the Son, Jesus gives to us. It is a free gift. Open your heart and receive it.
v. 9 Now remain in my love. V. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love… Again we see in this chapter that obedience is a sign of our live, but true obedience from a heart of faith is also a key to abiding in the love of Jesus. I do not believe this is about keeping the rules for the sake of keeping the rules. This is the obedience of a humble man and woman who loves and trusts his/her God.
v. 15 Instead I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you. Can you imagine having a friendship with the God that made you? Here Jesus calls his disciples his friends because he was revealing to them all the Father showed to him. He is calling us into an intimate relationship with Himself. Abraham was called a friend of God. We are supposed to be the friends of God. No other faith system speaks so intimately of their relationship to their deity. Muslims could never call Allah a friend. He is master and they are slaves and servants. We are servants of Jesus and slaves of Christ for sure. And yet we are children of God as well. And yes we are friends.
v. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Jesus chose us. We have been called by God into relationship with God, and we are appointed by him to bear fruit. Jesus expects our lives to make a difference for him. He did not choose us just so we could go to church for the rest of our lives. He called us and chose us to live lives for his glory. Are you bearing fruit? Are you making a difference for Christ?
v. 18 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. Don’t be surprised when everyone doesn’t celebrate your love for Jesus and your commitment to biblical values. The world doesn’t understand, and doesn’t want God. They hated Jesus, and there will be times that they resent the followers of Christ. It isn’t pretty. It isn’t fun. But it is real. Don’t give up. Be bold.
v. 26 When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. V. 27 And you also must testify… The Holy spirit is our Counselor. Some versions translate this as the Comforter. He is both. The Greek term is “paraklete” – meaning one who comes along side of us. The Spirit of God is in us and alongside of us to help us live the Christian life. He is the life of the Vine that we receive into our lives. The Spirit has come to testify to us and the world about Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the ultimate witness of Jesus. He makes Jesus real to us. He reveals Jesus to us, and by him and through his power, we witness to the World about Jesus. We need the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life, to bear fruit, to share Jesus with the world.
Yum! Yum! Yum!… This fruit is delicious! Have some!
Hours before Jesus goes to the cross, it’s interesting that He’s comforting His sheep (the disciples) instead of them comforting Him. The Good Shepherd says, “My sheep hear my voice and follow Me. No one can snatch them from my hand or the Father’s hand.” So salvation is not the issue here. He’s talking about fruit bearing. When we walk through the orchard, we eat the fruit! The fruit of Jesus is comfort, assurance, love, forgiveness, peace and abundance. This is the fruit that we bear. It is for the world; so lets go give it away. Yum! Yum! Yum! – It’s delicious! Have some!