Today I want to look at John 15. I want to remind us again that these are some of the last things that Jesus spoke to His disciples before He faced the cross. These are urgent statements. Or to use the blog title, they are some more of His famous last words. Jesus says this:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. [Verse 8] My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:1-5, 8; NASB).
This passage in John 15 has had a special place in my heart for many years. Jesus is such a brilliant communicator. He gives to His disciples (and by extension to us today) a vivid analogy of our relationship with Him. In verses 4 and 5 He gives what I believe is the key point. Christ states that just like a branch can’t produce fruit unless it remains connected to the vine, neither can we unless we remain in Him. In verse 5 He declares that He is the vine; we are the branches, and if we “abide” in Him, we will produce fruit. Because, as He says in that last clause in verse 5: “apart from Me, you can do nothing” and this includes bearing any fruit in the first place.
I love the message that Jesus is conveying. Essentially, He is declaring that He is the source of life. Author Beth Moore has written a new book that recently caught my attention. I have not read her work; and so this is not an endorsement or a lack of it, but I do like her title: “Chasing Vines”. I like that imagery because I think that sums up our existence; we are like branches that are chasing after vines to cling to or abide in. The problem is these vines cannot give life.
The examples abound. We look to human relationships to give us sustenance. We look to corporate success. We look to recognition. We look to continuing education, achievement, or humanitarian causes. But none of these things give life because Jesus said only He is the true, life-giving vine (verse 1). Now, please don’t misunderstand me, in their proper place, these are wonderful things. But if you look to them for your survival, they will let you down.
I recently heard a fascinating sermon; even though it was from a few years ago, it sounded like it could have been from last week. The pastor spoke about how, in times of crisis, we are prone to run back to our vices. He was right. In times like this, that bottle of alcohol calls our name. We think drugs will save us. We abuse God’s gift of food by turning into gluttons. We participate in illegitimate sexual encounters (and by the way, this includes pornography). These “vines” are false, hollow, and artificial. Ultimately, they only produce shame and guilt.
To conclude, in an online only Wednesday night prayer service, my pastor spoke words of comfort and hope. He prayed for the prodigal sons and daughters; that they would, as he put it, “recognize that the cup of the world that they’ve been drinking from is empty.” No matter where you have been, you can run back to God. He won’t ask you to stand in a corner and think about what you've done. The truth is just as Jesus expressed it in Luke 15 – He will embrace us in love and forgiveness.
Kevin
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