The call of discipleship is prevalent in the teaching of Jesus. Perhaps one of the most intriguing passages related to discipleship is John 15. Lets take a moment to examine the metaphors in this teaching to explore what Jesus wants to share with us about what it means to be his disciple.
THE TRUE VINE
Jesus declares that he is "the true vine." This is the last of the seven "I am" statements found in John's Gospel. So what does Jesus mean that he is the true vine? Throughout Israel's history, a vine or vineyard was a regular metaphor used to describe the people of God. Although it may make little sense to us in the 21st century, in the ancient near east, vineyards and wine making was a central economic mainstay for farmers. God often uses this normal farming practice as an illustration of his interaction with his people. Consider Isaiah 5 as a key example:
THE BRANCHES
Jesus teaches that "you" are the branches. The disciple is the branch that is connected to the vine. There are only two types of branches: connected branches (living & fruitful) and disconnected branches (dead and burned). The clear teaching here is that because Jesus is the "true" vine, a person MUST be connected to him if they are to produce any fruit for God. The fruit God is looking for in our lives can only come through identification with His Messiah. To not be connected with or fail to "remain" in Christ can only result in a dead and fruitless life that produces nothing meaningful to God. There are two key concepts to focus on here.
First, the word "remain." Jesus uses this word (Gk: meno) 7 times in these first eight verses. Jesus goes to great lengths to emphasize the importance of "remaining" in him. To me, this suggests that some can connect to Christ for a time, but ultimately fall away. Remember, Jesus is talking to his core disciples. He is warning THEM not to fall away, but to "remain" in him. We cannot produce fruit to God if we are not connected to Jesus Christ.
Second, Jesus teaches how we remain in him. Jesus calls his disciples to 1) remain in him and 2) let his words remain in them. This, in my opinion speaks to two key elements those who seek to be a disciple: faith and obedience. We are called to continue in a trusting relationship with Jesus. We remain in him through prayer and walking in faith. In fact, Jesus says, if we remain in him, we can ask "whatever you wish" and it will be done. This is a powerful declaration that shows vibrant relationship Jesus seeks with his disciples that is fused and regulated through a continual walk of faith and communication with God. God desires a relationship with us...to be our "friend." Also, it shows the importance of obedience. The words of Jesus are to remain in us. Many today claim to love Jesus and be his disciple, but refuse to submit their lives to his authority and commands. They want to claim "salvation" and moral authority with the label Christian, but do not want to obey his desires when it comes to issues like drunkenness, divorce, sexual immorality, honesty, integrity, etc. A disciple should not try to strain out love for Jesus with obedience to Jesus. Jesus clearly teaches that the two are one. if you love him, you will obey him. More specifically, Jesus points to a key command related to "love one another as I have loved you." The most impoartant command Christ gives us is that Christians love one another sacrificially. If we are not willing to humble ourselves before one another and show kindness and respect to each other on this board, we are not following the most basic command of Jesus that he claims is central to being one of his disciples. Just some food for thought.
Finally, the good news here is that our "fruit" will naturally take place. We do not have to "work" to create the fruit God desires. If we trust in Jesus and follow his word, our lives will naturally produce the fruit God seeks. Jesus says, "You WILL produce fruit, fruit that will last." This is not a conditional statement. It is a statement of fact. Those who are connected to Christ and allow his words to guide their lives WILL produce the fruit God seeks (Perhaps in the comments we can discuss the nature of this fruit).
THE GARDNER
Finally, God is declared to be the gardener. The gardener does two things: 1) prunes the branches and 2) gathers the dead branches to be burned. In order to understand this illustration, it is important to understand the process of cultivating a vineyard. Grape-producing vines do two things 1) they expand rapidly 2) they produce grapes. Farmers learned early on that based on the way they prune their vines, they can maximize the grape-producing branches. First, the gardener will trim back the dead branches from the stump of the vine prior to the growing season. These branches would be gathered and burned to prevent from interfering with the new growth. Next, when the vine began to grow, the gardener would regularly trim back the vine so that rather than the sap and the energy of the vine being used to expand its territory, that focus could be directed to the fruit-producing branches. This would cause the vine to yield the maximum amount of produce.
The point here is that God is at work in his people's lives. If you are walking in faith and prayer in Christ and seeking to be obedient to his teaching, God promises to be at work in your life to make your life fruitful. God DESIRES you to live a fruitful life, just like a farmer desires his vines to produce a LOT of grapes. God is not distant, waiting for us to produce for him. God is at work in us and through us, shaping our circumstances and situations to make us more like Jesus Christ. How encouraging! What if that challenge you are currently facing is not a bad situation, but one in which God has pruned so that your energy can be focused on something where you can be more fruitful for him!? We all get frustrated when our plans fail and our expectations are not met. Yet this verse gives us encouragement that it is very likely that these obstacles are a means by which God can direct our energy toward the things that will end in our greatest good and most fruitful lives. This is part of what it means to "trust" and believe that God truly does care and is working all things for the good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose!
THE TRUE VINE
Jesus declares that he is "the true vine." This is the last of the seven "I am" statements found in John's Gospel. So what does Jesus mean that he is the true vine? Throughout Israel's history, a vine or vineyard was a regular metaphor used to describe the people of God. Although it may make little sense to us in the 21st century, in the ancient near east, vineyards and wine making was a central economic mainstay for farmers. God often uses this normal farming practice as an illustration of his interaction with his people. Consider Isaiah 5 as a key example:
Many other examples could be listed. So, Jesus' statement here is startling. He declares he is the "true" vine. This is a very bold statement that clearly indicates that one must find their identity in Christ if they want to be a part of the "true" people of God. Jesus is clearly teaching here that belonging to God and his people starts and ends with him.“I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.” (Isaiah 5:1–7, NIV84)
THE BRANCHES
Jesus teaches that "you" are the branches. The disciple is the branch that is connected to the vine. There are only two types of branches: connected branches (living & fruitful) and disconnected branches (dead and burned). The clear teaching here is that because Jesus is the "true" vine, a person MUST be connected to him if they are to produce any fruit for God. The fruit God is looking for in our lives can only come through identification with His Messiah. To not be connected with or fail to "remain" in Christ can only result in a dead and fruitless life that produces nothing meaningful to God. There are two key concepts to focus on here.
First, the word "remain." Jesus uses this word (Gk: meno) 7 times in these first eight verses. Jesus goes to great lengths to emphasize the importance of "remaining" in him. To me, this suggests that some can connect to Christ for a time, but ultimately fall away. Remember, Jesus is talking to his core disciples. He is warning THEM not to fall away, but to "remain" in him. We cannot produce fruit to God if we are not connected to Jesus Christ.
Second, Jesus teaches how we remain in him. Jesus calls his disciples to 1) remain in him and 2) let his words remain in them. This, in my opinion speaks to two key elements those who seek to be a disciple: faith and obedience. We are called to continue in a trusting relationship with Jesus. We remain in him through prayer and walking in faith. In fact, Jesus says, if we remain in him, we can ask "whatever you wish" and it will be done. This is a powerful declaration that shows vibrant relationship Jesus seeks with his disciples that is fused and regulated through a continual walk of faith and communication with God. God desires a relationship with us...to be our "friend." Also, it shows the importance of obedience. The words of Jesus are to remain in us. Many today claim to love Jesus and be his disciple, but refuse to submit their lives to his authority and commands. They want to claim "salvation" and moral authority with the label Christian, but do not want to obey his desires when it comes to issues like drunkenness, divorce, sexual immorality, honesty, integrity, etc. A disciple should not try to strain out love for Jesus with obedience to Jesus. Jesus clearly teaches that the two are one. if you love him, you will obey him. More specifically, Jesus points to a key command related to "love one another as I have loved you." The most impoartant command Christ gives us is that Christians love one another sacrificially. If we are not willing to humble ourselves before one another and show kindness and respect to each other on this board, we are not following the most basic command of Jesus that he claims is central to being one of his disciples. Just some food for thought.
Finally, the good news here is that our "fruit" will naturally take place. We do not have to "work" to create the fruit God desires. If we trust in Jesus and follow his word, our lives will naturally produce the fruit God seeks. Jesus says, "You WILL produce fruit, fruit that will last." This is not a conditional statement. It is a statement of fact. Those who are connected to Christ and allow his words to guide their lives WILL produce the fruit God seeks (Perhaps in the comments we can discuss the nature of this fruit).
THE GARDNER
Finally, God is declared to be the gardener. The gardener does two things: 1) prunes the branches and 2) gathers the dead branches to be burned. In order to understand this illustration, it is important to understand the process of cultivating a vineyard. Grape-producing vines do two things 1) they expand rapidly 2) they produce grapes. Farmers learned early on that based on the way they prune their vines, they can maximize the grape-producing branches. First, the gardener will trim back the dead branches from the stump of the vine prior to the growing season. These branches would be gathered and burned to prevent from interfering with the new growth. Next, when the vine began to grow, the gardener would regularly trim back the vine so that rather than the sap and the energy of the vine being used to expand its territory, that focus could be directed to the fruit-producing branches. This would cause the vine to yield the maximum amount of produce.
The point here is that God is at work in his people's lives. If you are walking in faith and prayer in Christ and seeking to be obedient to his teaching, God promises to be at work in your life to make your life fruitful. God DESIRES you to live a fruitful life, just like a farmer desires his vines to produce a LOT of grapes. God is not distant, waiting for us to produce for him. God is at work in us and through us, shaping our circumstances and situations to make us more like Jesus Christ. How encouraging! What if that challenge you are currently facing is not a bad situation, but one in which God has pruned so that your energy can be focused on something where you can be more fruitful for him!? We all get frustrated when our plans fail and our expectations are not met. Yet this verse gives us encouragement that it is very likely that these obstacles are a means by which God can direct our energy toward the things that will end in our greatest good and most fruitful lives. This is part of what it means to "trust" and believe that God truly does care and is working all things for the good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose!