The Vine And The Branches (John 15:1-16)

by Sands, A. P. | Category: In The Shadow Of Calvary | Aug 1986

(All scriptures quoted from the NIV unless otherwise stated).

Have you ever been deceived by a bowl of plastic fruit? Perhaps you have at a distance; but you soon discovered that what was man-made, and very impressive, was only ornamental. It could do you no good. Only the real thing, the work of God, secured through human cooperation, can satisfy. This is the lesson of the Vine and its branches.

We have been following in this series the very precious ministry given us by our Lord Jesus in the Upper Room within less than twenty four hours of His cruel death for us at Calvary. John chapter fourteen closes with His words, "Come now, let us leave". Knowing every detail of the horrors that lay before Him, He was ready to face all, yet such is His amazing grace, He was more concerned for our needs than for His own as He prepared to go out into that dreaded night. Marvellous Saviour!

The fruit of the vine was on the table. Possibly there was also a vine curled round the window or doorway visible to the disciples in the Upper Room. Obviously this could be no artificial plant - it would be real enough. Yet Jesus spoke of something even more real, more enduring. Though He would die the next day, He saw beyond Calvary to the fruitful relationship He would have with many: "I am the True Vine ... you are the branches" (vv. 1,5).

To the men gathered around the Lord that night vines were most familiar. Their countryside was decked with them, and their Scriptures spoke often of them too. Fruitful vines symbolized all that was good and prosperous and joyful in God's original plan for His people, and their annual grape gathering was a happy period. But the Scriptures also used the vine to describe the sad failure of those same people: "I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock... How then did you turn against Me into a corrupt wild vine?" (Jeremiah 2:21).

How fitting that our Lord should take up the vine again, this time symbolic of a more wonderful divine plan; namely His own perfect self in unique and vital union with persons chosen and enabled to bear choice fruit to His Father's pleasure. The intimacy He thus describes is to be the very source of God-honouring happiness and effectiveness for the people of God today. From the metaphor of the vine and its branches our Lord vividly depicts the consistent outcome of true spiritual relationship with Him. Branches of the vine are exposed to the necessary light and atmosphere, but if cut off, they wither and die. Rather, they must feed on the hidden supply from the vine itself. What we call simply "sap" is a marvellous complex solution containing all the vital ingredients for life and healthy growth. So the branches just stay where they are and, tended by a careful vinedresser, take character from the vine and produce luscious clusters of grapes, bringing divinely intended benefit to others.

Now in the portion before us, the Lord uses the word "remain" (or "abide" as in A.V. and R.V.) no fewer than eleven times in the first ten verses, in contrast to His use of the word "go" just once in verse sixteen. Clearly He is stressing a most important principle, and we could express it paradoxically like this: THE SECRET OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS IS TO STAY WHERE YOU ARE.

We who are described as "branches" are in Christ, and praise Him, we are eternally secure. However, our soul's security is not an issue in this discourse, but rather the effectiveness of our lives. They may be fruitful or fruitless; like branches laden with grapes, or sadly like withered twigs which God cannot use. The latter are so spiritually out of touch and useless as to be discarded like the dead branches on the fire. Whether this actually takes place during a lifetime or is the inevitable conclusion of the life reviewed at the judgement seat of Christ one cannot be dogmatic. But on the positive side, both individually and collectively, real fulfilment and effectiveness in service will depend on our being careful to develop in our Christian experience our relationship with Christ. Our eternal souls are bound close to Him in love forever, and by faith and obedience our temporal lives can be lived in the joy of that closeness; bearing fruit and bringing glory to the Father (v.8).

We may summarize what we are saying like this: -

UNION >COMMUNION >EFFECTIVE SERVICE

(In Christ)(With Christ) (Through Christ)

The order and frequency of the words "remain" and "go" are a challenge in themselves. Eleven times "remain" (representing communion) occurs before the one "go" (representing service). How disastrous when we put "go" first! Busy service without the energy and direction of prior communion 'will be rather like our bowl of plastic fruit possibly impressive, but certainly useless. How often one has been painfully reminded of our Lord's words on this occasion, "apart from Me you can do nothing" (v.5). Now we need men and women of action, "doers of the Word" in the best sense, and we should encourage as many as possible to get involved, but the ratio of "remain" to "go" is eleven-to-one. Surely we need to examine our lifestyle and ask ourselves the question, "Am I giving a high enough priority to remaining? Only to the extent that the branch is feeding will the fruit continue. Perhaps some of us need to spend more time in speaking to God, and less, but more effective time, in speaking to men.

In stressing this vital matter of our remaining, or abiding, in Him, our Lord brings before us in this passage seven essential elements which are as follows:-

1. "If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit"(v.5).

This practical fellowship with Christ entails a two-way commitment. He says, "Abide in Me, and I in you" (v.4 RV). Clearly then if we are willing for Christ to take control in our lives He has promised to make them very fruitful.

2. "If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you "(v.7).

Reading, studying, memorizing, meditating in, and applying the Scriptures:

all these are so important.

3. "Ask whatever you wish ... the Father will give you whatever you ask in My name" (vv.7,16). What an encouragement to pray! Yet we have some difficulty with these words. Certainly, it is only as we allow His word to dominate our thoughts that His will becomes our wish (and daily cleansing will be a paramount wish of course).

4. "As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love" (v.9). What boundless love! He laid down His life for us (v.13). This love seals our relationship with Him. How it should thrill our hearts! Now the enjoyment of His love, both to us, and through us, and the response of our own love to Him day-by-day require the yielding of our wayward will to Him, for we do not wish to grieve the One we love. He also says "Love each other as I have loved you" (v.12). So I cannot be truly abiding in Christ if I carry on just thinking about myself. May I then be increasingly concerned for others and enjoy their love in return.

5. "If you obey My commands, you 'will remain in My love" (v.10). So abiding in Christ not only involves hearing Him, speaking to Him, and thinking lovingly about Him, but it requires us to respond to His directions. Then the "going" we spoke of earlier is led by Him and is part of the experience of abiding in Him who said, "Go ... I am with you" (Mat. 28:19,20 RV).

6. Every branch that does bear fruit He trims clean so that it "will be even more fruitful" (v.2). In ignorance one has stood aghast at the apparent drastic pruning by a skilled gardener. But the rich results which followed proved he knew what was best. So then, abiding in Christ will cause us to be properly sensitive to all God's dealings with us, and with His help we shall resist the temptation to complain or to become embittered. "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace ("peaceable fruit" AV) for those who have been trained by it" (Heb. 12:11).

7. "I have told you this so that My joy may be in you" (v.11). Although our Lord knew the great troubles which lay ahead, such was His devotion to God, He knew a unique calm and satisfaction. In contrast, we don't know what lies ahead; but He speaks these words to us so that though we may be baffled at times, we can be strengthened by the serenity which comes with His own dear presence, and our submitting to His own perfect will.

Finally, regarding the fruit itself (the mark of true disciples - v.8), we may be sure that if we attend to the abiding, God will attend to His fruit.

It will manifest itself in such things as:-

1. WHOLENESS. The development of a balanced Christlike character with those precious inward and outward graces, "the fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. 5:22,23).

2. WORSHIP. "The fruit of lips" confessing His glorious name (Heb. 13:15).

3. WITNESS. The manner of life "bearing fruit in every good work" (Col. 1:10).

4. WINNING. The vital "spiritual reproduction" through leading another to Christ.

Though we may be deeply conscious of past failure, may we be encouraged by our Lord's words: "I CHOSE YOU TO GO AND BEAR FRUIT ... FRUIT THAT WILL LAST" (v.16).

Ours are peace and joy divine

Who are one with Christ,

When, like branches in the vine,

We abide in Christ.

As a living grafted shoot,

Nourished from a hidden root,

We may bear all holy fruit

Through the love of Christ.

Love of Christ!

Clusters grow on every branch,

Through the love of Christ.

Sands, A. P. | Aug 1986
In The Shadow Of Calvary