As Jesus taught his disciples, he used many parables to illustrate his teaching. John 15:1-8 is not explicitly identified as a parable. But, like Jesus’ more explicit parables, it does use an everyday example, a grapevine, to illustrate a spiritual truth.
But what is that truth? What does he mean by identifying himself as a vine and his followers as branches attached to that vine?
1. The Grapevine, the Branches, and the Gardener
A grapevine is a shrub that produces long vines, each of which can produce clusters of grapes. These grapes can be eaten fresh, dried as raisins, or juiced and fermented into wine.
Left to themselves, grapevines will mainly produce vines and leaves with few grapes. Only with careful pruning can the skilled vinedresser or gardener coax them into producing large clusters of plump grapes. But with careful attention and the right conditions, they will produce an abundant harvest.
In John chapter 15:1, Jesus identified himself as the true vine. He is referring here to the central stalk rooted in the ground and provides support and nourishment to the branches attached to it.
In John 15:5, Jesus identifies his disciples as the fruit-bearing branches. While referring to those in the room with him, the implication is that all believers have the role of fruit-bearing branches.
And in John 15:1, Jesus identifies the Father as the gardener. The gardener will remove all non-fruit-bearing branches from the vine. And he will also prune those that are bearing fruit so that they will be more fruitful.
2. Abiding
In this passage, Jesus repeatedly referred to the need for the branches to remain connected to the vine. It is evident that if a branch is broken off a grapevine, it will die. It is only when a branch remains connected that it can experience the life of the vine and be able to produce fruit.
And Jesus tells his disciples that the same thing is true of them. It is essential that, as disciples, we remain connected to Jesus. If we fail to remain in Christ, Jesus tells us that we are like broken-off branches that wither and are picked up and thrown into the fire.
But, if we remain connected to the vine, we will receive the life-giving nourishment we need to live and produce fruit. Only by staying connected can we bear fruit.
How do we stay connected? One way that Jesus mentions is that his words remain in us (John 15:7). Are we spending time in his Word? Are we seeking to follow the instruction he gives us? Are we spending time with him in prayer?
Being an active part of a local community of believers? Being connected to Jesus means that he is our all, and we are living for him.
One of the advantages of remaining connected to Jesus concerns answered prayer. Jesus tells us that if we remain in him, and his Word remains in us, we can ask for anything, and it will be done for us (John 15:7).
At first glance, this might seem like a blank check. But, if I am genuinely remaining in him and his word in me, what I want will be what helps me be more productive. And I can trust that God will grant that to me.
3. Bearing Fruit
As disciples, we are told to remain connected to the vine, to Jesus. And, if we do that, we will be fruitful. It is important to note here that bearing fruit is not another thing I am commanded to do. Instead, it is the result of remaining in Christ. If we are connected, we will bear fruit.
As a branch connected to the vine, what fruit will I produce? To answer that, we first need to understand what fruit is. We commonly think of fruit as something growing on a tree or shrub that we can pick and eat. And that will help us understand a more complete definition of the word.
Fruit is what is produced. A cherry tree produces cherries, a blueberry shrub produces blueberries, and a grapevine produces grapes. But what fruit does a disciple of Jesus produce?
A common answer given to that question is that we produce other disciples. And while that is undoubtedly a fruit we can produce, it is not the only fruit. We can and should produce at least two different additional types of fruit.
Each of us is gifted, or equipped, by God to serve within the body of Christ. The specifics of that gifting are determined by God. But each of us is expected to use that equipping in building up the body of Christ.
The fruit that we produce as we fill the role God has given us will vary. It may be prophecy, serving, teaching, encouragement, generous giving, diligent leadership, cheerful mercy, or many other things (Romans 12:6-8).
A second type of fruit that we will produce results from the work of the Holy Spirit shaping and molding us. Are we growing in love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? (Galatians 5:22-23).
That is a fruit that is being produced in our lives. Fruit that should be growing in increasing measure (2 Peter 1:5-8).
Ultimately, the fruit of your life as a believer, connected to Jesus, the source of life, is what is produced because of that attachment. It is the result of the Holy Spirit working in and through the life of a disciple.
4. Pruning
We are to remain attached to the vine. And if we do, we will be fruitful. But we can also expect to be pruned by the Father. Pruning can be painful. But it is essential for maximum fruitfulness.
A grapevine, if left unpruned, will expend most of its energy in producing more vine. But, when it is pruned effectively, it will refocus its efforts on producing grapes. Most of the fruit grows in the first couple of feet of the vine. Anything beyond that can and should, be trimmed off.
As a new believer, there was much in my life that was not conducive to fruit-bearing. But over the years, much of that excess vine has been trimmed away, leaving the fruit-bearing portions. And as a result, the Holy Spirit has made me more fruitful.
What is pruned by the Father will vary depending on the disciple being pruned. We each have things that distract us and hinder our fruitfulness.
Some of what gets pruned are activities and attitudes incompatible with a disciple’s life. Not all the things that get pruned are inherently wrong, and some we may value greatly. But what they have in common is that they keep us from maximum fruitfulness.
Obvious areas of pruning can include sexual immorality, substance abuse, and dishonesty. Others can be more challenging to discern.
Unhealthy relationships, an identity wrapped up in work or recreational activities, or areas of your life you struggle to surrender to the Lord. All of these and more will eventually face the Father’s pruning shears.
The goal of pruning is not to make your life painful or tedious. Instead, it is to make you more fruitful, allowing you to live life to the fullness that the Father desires for us.
5. Life as a Branch
There are many things that, as believers, we ought to be doing. But the one essential thing is to remain in Christ. If we remain in him, we will experience the life he gives to us.
And as his life flows through us, we will be fruitful. All the other things we might be called on to do as believers depend on that.
And, as we abide in Christ and experience fruitfulness, we can anticipate that the Father will periodically take the pruning shears to us.
Not to punish or remove joy from our lives. Instead, it enables us to be even more fruitful. Rather than resist the pruning shears, embrace them and what they will lead to.
For further reading:
What Does it Mean That Jesus Is the True Vine?
What Did Jesus Christ Mean When He Said 'Abide in Me'?
What Does it Mean That Jesus Is the True Vine?
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