I am the true vine

A teaching on the Gospel of John chapter 15.

To understand this passage, you must understand Jesus' “I am" statements.  The end the book of John Jesus made the following" I am" statements: I am the bread of life, I am the bread came down from heaven I am the living bread, I am the light of the world, I am, I am the door, I am the good Shepherd, I am the resurrection and life, I am he, I am the way the truth in the life.

In each of these statements Jesus is stating that he is the source of true spiritual and everlasting life .  In John Chapter 15 this “I am” statements is no exception.

If you read the previous three chapters you will see that this passage is similar in teaching.

John 15

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

Meet the two primary movers in this passage.  Jesus is the true Vine.  Jesus the true vine stands in opposition to the false vines.  As Jesus made his way down to the garden of Gethsemane he would have passed the gates to the temple.  What Jesus was saying is that he was the way to God.  Not through the temple, no more through sacrifice, and ultimately no more through the Jewish nation only.

The Greek word for true which is found 23 times in John's writings means in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name real true and genuine opposite to what is facetious counterfeit imaginary simulated or pretended.  Which means if Jesus is the true vine then there must be false vines.  The false vines of religious observance, the false vine of hypocrisy,the  of false vine of legalism. All of these vines would not and will not get you eternal life.

False vines are still alive today.  The obvious ones are other religions such as Hinduism and Islam.  Cults such as Mormonism and the Jehovah's Witness are easy to spot.  Other false vines may not be intentional false vines.  A vine is a source of nourishment and there are plenty of people who receive all of their nourishment from other sources.  Christian TV, Christian books, if they take the place of the Bible and gathering together corporately can become false vines.

Now meet the vinedresser our heavenly Father.  The vine dresser's job is to coax as many pounds of fruit at each branch as possible.

There is about a three-year waiting time for branches to mature.  It is during this time that the vinedresser cuts back, ties back, trains protects with the purpose of producing viable branches.

Luke 13:6-9

6 And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any.

7 “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’

8 “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer;

9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.’ ”

John 15:2

“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.

This is simplistic teaching.  This is Jesus' last night.  He is not trying to hide things.  He even said I'll speak you in no more parables.  People have argued the meaning of this scripture.  I see it as black-and-white intellectual Faith versus saving faith. Either you are in Christ producing fruit or you're not

Matthew 7 .

21    “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

22    “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

23    “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

John 15:3

 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

Verse 3 is the key.  You are already clean.  The word “clean” is a vine keeping term referring to the process of pruning, training and tying back.  It is not discipline.  It is the word of God or as Jesus said “the word which I have spoken to you.”

John 15

4 “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.

5 “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.

6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

It's not about producing fruit.  It's about abiding in Jesus.  Fruit is a product.  It is the end of a process.  Jesus did not command us to bear fruit but rather to abide in him.  Fruit production is important but less important than abiding or remaining in Christ.

But what does it mean to abide in Christ?  I believe the answer is twofold and it is found in this scripture.  Abide in me and I in you.  How does Christ abide in us?  Through The Holy Spirit.  The word abide is the same word used earlier in the beginning of the Gospel of John Chapter 1 verse 30 --31

John 1:32-33

32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him.

33 “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the  Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

John 14:17

17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

8 “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

You see when we walked or abide in Jesus in the Holy Spirit we will be fruitful and it is in our daily walk with Jesus that we produce fruit.  And fruit is not salvations.  It is love.  Look in verse nine.  Look in verse 10

9 “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

Jesus has been speaking about love since the Passover feast.

10 “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.

And the commandment that he spoke of was to love one another.

11 “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.