The True Vine
John 15:1-8
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Key Verse: John 15:4 –
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.
Vines and vineyards were a big deal in ancient Israel, and not just because people liked grapes or raisins: they were all about wine. Wine provided needed calories, and its small alcoholic content helped to prevent bacterial growth, making wine safer to drink than water from some sources, and it could be stored for years. [DD]
Grape vines, like olive trees, flourish in much of Israel. While other natural resources may have been lacking, wine and olive oil were dependable sources of income for small farmers, crucial for their survival.
Jesus’ first reported miracle involved turning water to wine (John 2:1-11), and he apparently enjoyed wine enough for enemies to accuse him of overindulgence (Matt. 11:19, Luke 7:34). So, we are not surprised that Jesus tapped into a vine-based Old Testament metaphor to describe a spiritual reality.
Today’s text speaks of Jesus as a vine, the Father as the vinedresser, and Christians as branches from the vine. [DD] Each section of the text emphasizes a different point, but all of them are concerned with a single thing: the production of fruit. Like peach flavoring infused in a wine made from grapes, the theme runs throughout (vv. 2, 4, 5, 8).
The vine and the vinedresser (vv. 1-4)
The prophet Isaiah preached one of the most memorable sermons in the Old Testament by composing a song about a man who went to great lengths to prepare, plant, and tend a vineyard on a fertile hill (Isa. 5:1-7). Anticipating an abundant harvest, he built a wall to protect the crop and carved out a wine-vat to process the grapes. Instead of sweet grapes, however, the vines produced sour and useless fruit. Isaiah declared that the vineyard was fit only for destruction, and lowered the prophetic boom: “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!” (Isa. 5:7).
Other prophecies use the same metaphor [DD], and it is not surprising that Jesus did the same. He spoke of himself as the real vine, not a pretender. Unlike Israel, he and his followers would bear fruit that would please the keeper of the vineyard.
“I am the true vine” (v. 1a) recalls other “I am” sayings of Jesus: the Fourth Gospel includes seven of them. [DD] Although most versions have “I am the true vine,” a better translation might be “I am the real vine.” The Greek word used here generally refers to something that is real, not imaginary. Jesus is “the real thing,” the authentic source of support and nutrients to fruit-bearing branches.
But Jesus is not alone in this metaphor: “and my father is the vinegrower” (v. 1b). Left to itself, a vine will grow in multiple directions and produce branches upon tangled branches that produce more greenery than fruit. The further a branch is from the central vine, the less fruit it bears. The sweetest and plumpest grapes are those that grow nearest the vine, where water and needed nutrients are most abundant.
Productive vineyards require a skilled vinedresser to tend the vines, cutting away unproductive branches altogether and pruning old growth from the good ones so they will remain productive. Vineyards are beautiful in the summer, when the vines are full of greenery and hanging with grapes. After pruning, a vineyard in winter looks skeletal – but the vinedresser knows that the best grapes grow from new and healthy canes. Dead wood must be cut away, and even healthy canes must be pruned. One could argue that pruning is the most important step in wine-making: even the best vintner can’t redeem poor quality grapes.
Thus, Jesus said of the Father, “He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit” (v. 2).
This is a reminder that Jesus was speaking to his disciples, to people who were already attached to the vine and subject to pruning: “You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you” (v. 3). The word for “cleansed,” katharos, is closely related to the verb used for pruning, kathairō. [DD]
What might the metaphor of pruning suggest for the believer? Perhaps we have fallen into habits that rob us of time and detract from our witness. Perhaps our comfort level with sin has grown to the point that we don’t recognize how far we have wandered from Christ, like a twisting and tangled vine that produces little or no fruit.
Although Jesus attributed pruning to the Father, there must be an element of self-pruning, too: believing “branches” are subject to the Father’s tending, but also self-conscious. Jesus said “you have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you.” Being cleansed involves hearing and following the teachings of Jesus. Being fruitful involves cooperation from both parties. Thus Jesus said: “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me” (v. 4).
The vine and the branches (vv. 5-6)
The next two verses largely restate the importance of vine and branch “abiding” in each other. “Those who abide I me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5). A branch that is detached from the vine may look good at first, but with no access to water or nutrients, it cannot produce fruit. Soon it will wither and die. The branch is no good without the vine: apart from Jesus, his followers can hardly produce the kind of fruit Jesus has in mind.
Likewise, branches that remain attached to the vine, but are so distant that they produce no fruit, are useless. Thus, they are cut away and added to other deadwood, destined for burning (v. 6). While this is clearly a warning, it should not be read as a threat of hell: the point is that those who seek the abundant and fruitful life that Christ offers can do so only by abiding in him. [DD]
So what does it mean to “abide” in Jesus? The word for it (menō) occurs no less than seven times in these verses. It means to remain, or to continue. One aspect of abiding is to understand that it is reciprocal: “Abide in me as I abide in you” (v. 4a). To abide in Jesus is to be open to the indwelling of Jesus through the Spirit, and that comes through following his teachings. “You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you” (v. 3), Jesus said, but the Christian life requires continual pruning as we seek to eliminate distractions and focus on the main thing.
And what is that main thing? Immediately following this passage, Jesus turns to the subject of love: “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 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” (vv. 9-10).
To abide in Christ, then, is to abide in Christ’s love, and to abide in Christ’s love is to keep his commandments. And what is that? “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (v. 12). Making it clear that this discussion is closely related to the vine and branches metaphor, Jesus went on to say “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last …” (v. 16).
To abide in Jesus is to receive his love and to love others as Christ loved us.
The vine and a promise (vv. 7-8)
When we as branches abide in Christ the vine, we will produce good fruit and live in joyful harmony with God, so Jesus could say “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (v. 7). While this may appear to be a blank check for answered prayer, it is not a promise that every plea for healing or success or profit will get a positive response. Those who fully abide in Christ and his words will seek the same things Christ seeks.
When we do this, we will ask according to God’s will, not our own will – and that will result in producing good fruit for the kingdom, to the glory of the Father. “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples” (v. 8).
Notice the connection between “bearing fruit” and “becoming my disciples.” The two go together. Bearing fruit is a natural result of discipleship. Do our actions point to us as authentic disciples producing the good fruit of love expressed toward both God and others? Can we – as individuals and as members of the community of faith – say with confidence that we abide in Christ and follow his word?
People who plant vineyards are in it for the long haul. They expect the vines, properly tended and pruned, to grow and produce fruit for many years. Jesus likewise calls us to a life that is not short-lived, like a tomato vine that produces fruit for a season and then dies, but one that is consistent and long-lasting, revealing the love of Christ year after year after year. [DD]
What kind of harvest are we producing? What might we need to produce more and better fruit?
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: John 15:1-8
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
There will come a time when we need to “prune” our students. Our students will make mistakes and we will need to help them correct them. Sometimes they will know what caused their mistakes, while other times they won’t have a clue. Either way we are to help our students to prune the bad fruit out of their lives. It becomes delicate when deciding how much we need to prune off. Make sure that you help the bad fruit to be removed, but don’t cut too much or the good parts will be taken away as well.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: John 15:1-8
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
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“Harvest Tomato” from Turbo
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