The vine (Son) and the branches (believers) (John 15:1-17)
By Rev. Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian Arts Ministries: Biblical precepts
& Gospel music; pastoral ministry & counseling
Scripture reading John 15:1-7
I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (v.1) 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.(v.2) You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.(v.3) 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.4)
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. (v.5). If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown
away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.(v.6)
If you remain in me and my words remain
in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.(v.7)
Chapter 15 and 16 contain the second Fare will Discourse. In 15 are the themes of fruit bearing and the hatred of the world for Christ’s disciples. The theme of persecution is continued in chapter 16 along with teaching concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Father is the gardener, the source, the author, the planner, the planter, and everything to the vine. The Son as the vine is the center of God’s economy and embodiment of all the riches of the Father. The Father, by cultivating the Son, works Himself with all His riches into the vine, and eventually the vine expresses the Father in a corporate way through its branches.
Verse 2 cut off.
The word may mean this literally as “take away” in 11:39. And would therefore
be a reference to the physical death of fruitless Christians (1Cor.11:30); or
it may mean lift up as “picked up” in 8:59, which would indicate that the
vinedresser encourages and makes it easier for the fruitless believer, hoping
he will respond and begin to bear fruit. Prunes.
This is done through the Word of God, which cleans the life (same root word as
clean in v.3).
Verse 4 remain (or abide) in
me. John explains what this means when he uses the same word in 1
John3:24. (Abiding depends on keeping Christ’s commandments (15:10).
Verse 6 burned.
This refers to the works of the believer. The Christian who does not abide in
Christ cannot do what pleases God; therefore, his works will be burned at the
judgment seat of Christ, though he himself will be saved. (1 Cor.3:11-15). For
a branch to be cast out means that it is cut off from participation in the
riches of the life of the vine.
Verse 7 when we abide in the
Lord and let His words abide in us, we actually are one with Him,
and He works within us. Then, when we ask in prayer for whatever we will, it is
not only we who are praying; He too is praying. This kind of prayer is related
to fruit-bearing. (v. 8 ) and will surely be answered.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.(vv.8-9). If you obey my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love. (v.10) I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (v.11) My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.(v.12)
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Greater love has no one than this, that He lay down His life for His friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know His master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.(vv.13-15) You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-fruit that will last.(v.16) Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. (v.17)
Verse 8 This . I.e., by answered prayer. Note the progression: the step from fruit to more fruit involves pruning (cleansing) through the Word of God (v.2), and the step from more fruit to much fruit involves a life of answered prayer. In fruit –bearing the Father’s divine life is expressed; hence, He is glorified.
Verse 10 when we abide in the Lord, He speaks His instant words within us. These words are His commandments to us. If we keep those commands to us. If we keep those commandments, it shows that we love Him; it is thus that we will abide in His love.
Verse 11 being branches of the
divine vine and bearing fruit to express the divine life are matters of joy,
and they also issue in a joyful life.
Verse 13 the highest expression of love is a self-sacrifice that spares
not life itself (1 John 3:16). The Greek word here “life” means soul,
soul-life. Jesus lay down his soul-life for His friends.
Verse 16 we were wild branches, and through faith we have been grafted
into Christ. Here the Lord said that He set us.
This fits the thought of grafting. The Greek word for go forth means to depart, implying to leave for
another place; hence, it is rendered go forth. It is the same Greek word as
that for go in 14:4 and 16:5. The
fruit borne by going forth in this way does not denote the virtues of the
fruit-bearer’s character, such as the fruit of the
Holy Spirit in the believer’s living, mentioned in Gal.5:22-23, but it denotes
the believers produced by the fruit-bearer. This corresponds with the subject of this section,12: 20-17:26, which
is Christ’ multiplication. The virtues we possess through our abiding in the
Lord cannot be counted as Christ’s multiplication. Only the believers that we
produce in the Lord are the tangible multiplication of Christ. The Father’s
house in ch.14, the true vine in this chapter, and the man-child in ch.16 are
all related to the multiplication of Christ.
Verse 16 Bear fruit (v.16) after we go forth to produce believers in the Lord, we need to care for
them. The best way is to set up meetings in their homes to cover and protect
them that they may be cared for by being nourished and taught, and may become
the remaining fruit, living in the branches of the true vine, that is, in the
Body or Christ, to be Christ’s increase.
The same Greek word “remains” used for abiding in this chapter 15. To ask in my name (v.16), to ask
in the Lord’s name requires us to abide in the Lord and allow Him and His words
to abide in us that we may actually be one with Him. Then when we ask,
He asks in our asking. This kind of asking is related to fruit-bearing and will
surely be answered by the Father.
Verse 17 “love one another” This is to love one another in the Lord’s
life, the divine life, in the Lord’s love, and in His commission of
fruit-bearing. Life is the source, love is the condition, and fruit-bearing is
the goal. If we all live by the Lord’s life as the source, in the Lord’s love
as the condition and for fruit-bearing as the goal, we surely will love one
another. Having different sources of life, different conditions, or different
goals will separate us and prevent us from loving one another.
Bibliography,
Lee,
Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry,
1985.
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV). Chicago,
IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.
