“I am the true vine, and My Father is the
vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear
fruit He takes away;[a] and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it
may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the
word which I have spoken to you.4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, 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, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is
cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words
abide in you, you will[b] ask what you desire, and it shall be
done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that
you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
- - John 15:1-8
The Old Testament was intended to point humankind to God,
specifically the person of Jesus. The apostles understood this better as time
went by and that is why they made a lot of references to the Old testament in their
epistles. When we read the letters of the New Testament, we observe the writers
referring to the Old Testament as foreshadowing Christ.
The old testament referred to Israel as God's Vine:
"You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted
it" (Ps. 80:8).
Then Jesus stated he was God's Vine: "I am the true
vine, and my Father is the gardener" (John 15:1).
It was stunning for the average Jew to hear his bold
declaration. He was stating that he was God’s choice and not Israel.
It is believed that Jesus may have spoken said these words while
standing beneath the gate to the entrance of Herod’s Temple. Herod had built a
golden vine that stretched across the top of the gate and he gave instructions
that the gate should never be closed. Possibly he used the golden vine as an
illustration for his sermon. When Jesus shared that He was the “true” vine and that
His Father was the husbandman of the vineyard, he was revealing a truth about
what He came to fulfill. This truth placed Jesus in the position above the
gate, as the way and entrance to the Father.
Jesus being the vine and we are the branches on that vine. It
is the branch that bears the fruit. We can only bear much fruit because we
abide in Him. This just reveals a glorious truth: That believers produce good
works because of Jesus; not because of their efforts. It is our connection to Him
and to his grace in us that produces in us glorious results.
For us to produce more fruits it would be a wrong step to
think of increasing our good works. A man’s life would reflect good fruits to
the extent that he beholds more of Jesus because in reality bringing forth much
fruits speaks more of more of Jesus showing forth in your life.
If you are not producing the works of righteousness in your
life, no amount of effort on your part will begin to bring forth a harvest. It
will only result in more frustration and misery. The solution is simple. Hear
the words of Jesus as He speaks of His love and grace into your life. As you expose
yourself to this, you will be abiding in His finished work, and He will transform
you into such a beauty.
There are many believers who are not bringing forth any fruit
at all, and they are often removed before they had to be, so that they do no
damage to the body of Christ (John 15:2) as they don’t represent the body
properly and don’t discern the body (1 Corinthians 11:29).
There are others who bring forth some fruit, but not much.
Christ purges them so that they will produce even more for the kingdom. That is
why he prunes them.
When you bear much fruit for the kingdom, you bring forth
much glory to the Father (John 15:8). This fruit manifests itself as, “the
fruit of the Spirit”, which is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Galatians
5:22, 23).
Notice that it is actually the word “fruit”, and not the
“fruits”. It’s not a situation of you developing and producing various at your
intended goal. These virtues come in equal measure by the Holy Spirit. We
cannot walk in one but not in the other. It is actually love that enables the
others to find expression. The Holy Spirit knows how to grow us in each one at
the right pace as he establishes us in the love of the Father.
If you desire to see more fruit in your Christian walk then
see more of Jesus! As your heart is established in His love, your heart will
produce His fruits. When you proclaim Christ Jesus and His finished work, you allow
the husbandman (the father) of the vineyard to prune away your dependence on yourself
and dead works. This will leave you only with Christ in you.
RELAX and ENJOY the journey because fruit grows naturally,
not by screaming at the tree. He is working in you that which is well pleasing
his sight (Hebrews 13:21).
