As I begin to think about some of the issues that concern our culture, I can not help but think about how busy people are. People are busy because of their demanding jobs. People are busy because they have to write papers and do homework. People are busy because they are trying to keep their family content. For whatever reason people are busy, they have a tendency to fall into that trap and become exhausted. They soon begin to forget to do their devotion time, they become too tired to pray, or they start putting in extra hours at work and stop going to Church. Whether they know it or not, they begin distancing themselves from Jesus.
Read John 15:1-8
This is the final of Jesus’ “I am” statements. Jesus makes the claim that he is the true vine. In the first eight verses of John 15, John retells a story in which Jesus explains who he is, how to obey his commands, what happens to those who obey and those who do not.
As in any Biblical story, it is important to understand the context of the verse. John frequently used metaphor to build his theology, and this verse is a prime example. The metaphor is covered in verses 1-8, and then verses 9-17 are spent explaining the metaphor and applying that story to form a theological truth. The vine is an important figure in both Jewish and Gnostic texts. The Jewish concept paints Israel as the vine and the grapes as the deeds of the people. The Gnostics used “The Vine of Life” as a popular image. It is evident that Jesus is the vine, so there is no mistaking this as a Jewish or Gnostic idea.
Since this sermon is focused on Jesus being the vine, the exposition and application will be mentioned from time to time, but not at great length. The main points that I hope that you take away today are how do we obey Jesus, what happens when we obey Jesus, what happens when we do not obey Jesus, and how do we apply this verse to real life.
To understand how we obey Jesus, we must understand WHO he is. The opening verse crystallizes this for us by saying “I am the true vine.” As 21 century Christians, some of us will probably have no idea what that means to be the vine. To Jesus’ peers, who were frequently from rural areas, this made complete sense to them. Jesus frequently referenced rural life to make his point known to his audience. As we go through this verse, I will continue to explain more of what it means to be the vine, the gardener and the branch.
When I read this, I had to ask “What does he mean by ‘true vine?’” The significance of this word is often times lost in translation. What it means to be the “true vine” is that he is from “the true God.” The Greek word alhqenos is used in John 1:9, 6:32, and 17:3 to explain that the father is the true God. This correlation shows that it is because of the father’s love that Jesus has power, and that Jesus gets his power since he was sent by the father.
While we are discussing the father, it is important to know that Jesus has shows that he is at the mercy of the father. He explains that his father is the gardener. With that being said, it can be assumed that both Jesus and the Christians are at the mercy of the father. Later in the chapter, Jesus explains that it is only because of what he has learned from the father that he has been able to give to us.
This brings us back to the original question, is how do we obey Jesus? In this scripture, Jesus reminds the audience to remain in him (or the vine) five times. It is quite evident that he is serious about this command. If one stayed within the first eight verse, it would seem incomplete since the audience would not know what it meant to remain in him. Verse nine explains that if you obey his commands, you will remain in his love. The command that he gives twice after that is to love each other. This concept of loving others is very abstract to most people, and quite honestly most people do not do it well enough. “How do we love one another well?” you might ask. It is by pursuing the vine, who has learned from the gardener and is willing to share with those who are attached to the vine.
Before getting too far off course, I ask this question, what can we do as Christians to pursue the vine? The ideas that come to mind are to maintain devotion time, keep a vital prayer life, spend time journaling and doing other activities that keeps you well nourished by the vine.
What happens when we obey Jesus? The first idea that is mentioned is that the father will prune those who bear fruit. This is really counter-intuitive considering that much of what Christians have been told since they were young was that God rewards those who are obedient. The act of pruning involves cutting off part of the fruitful branch so that it will grow and become even more fruitful. This is really a blessing in disguise!
As I look back at the times that God was pruning me, at times I was determined to hang on to that specific object. I would not let it go. That is when I heard him talk, “Jason, let it go.” I would respond, “No!” I am sure that we know how that goes. Either God pries it out of our hands or we end up letting go. Yes, much of the time I was disappointed right away, but I would usually have enough sense to ask him for perspective. I would ask him for perspective, and he would give it to me. I would then see how that object was getting in my way of growth, and soon, I felt as if that pruning was allowing me to engage in His presence even stronger. Because of that, I have been able to have peace with the idea of him being the gardener and that he knows what is best for me.
One interesting detail between verse two and verse three is that the Greek word that is used for “prune,” which is kaqairw, is used for both “to prune” and “to cleanse.” This is interesting since verse three mentions the idea of being cleansed because of the word spoken to the audience. I find this fascinating since the two are considered the same function, so when God is pruning you, he is not just taking the excess off but he is cleansing you as well!
The next issue worth addressing how do we reconcile verse seven? John wrote that those who remain in the vine will be given whatever they wish. This proves to be a problem because often times people ask for some pretty crazy things. Others, who ask for legitimate concerns, do not get their wish granted and their faith becomes unstable because of this broken “promise” that they receive from leaders. This is especially important because this is a question that is frequently asked by believers and non-believers alike, and this can make or break someone’s faith.
I have found that the answer is not very well spelled out in this passage, but when one understands the context it becomes clear. This is why we must always understand the context! If Jesus obeys the father and receives his love, we must obey Jesus and receive his love. It becomes clear in this entire passage that there is a chain so to speak, that what comes from Jesus comes from the father. With that in mind, if Jesus has the same desires of the father and we seek to have the same desire of Jesus, then we ultimately have the desire of the Father. When our heart is conformed to be like Jesus, what we are asking for is the Father’s will. This is why when we remain in Jesus, we remain in the Father, and their desires become ours as well.
The final product of being one with the vine is bearing good fruit. This is a very well used analogy for the spiritual production of a person. As it is mentioned multiple times in this verse, if someone tries to bear fruit apart from the vine, it will not succeed. This is not just a matter of good deeds, since any person can do good deeds. It is also a matter of exhibiting a Godly lifestyle and the ability to be a healthy Christian.
It is also worth mentioning as we are transitioning between subjects to explain that there is a distinct difference between being part of the vine and bearing fruit. Often times it is assumed that if someone is on the vine that they are a productive branch on the vine. That is not always true. There are many Christians who for some reason or another are the type that create more trouble than good. According to Jesus, you do not want to be that branch.
When we look at the branches that are non-productive, the two words that John writes to describe them are withered and fruitless. These two words speak of two different states of being. Withered, which happens after they are cut off, brings to mind the feeling of being dry and malnourished. Fruitless, on the other hand, depicts that the person is just not living out their faith. It is crucial to understand that these branches do not apply to non-Christians, but they are Christians who are not being productive.
With that being understood, what does the fate for those who do not stay near to the vine? The description is not very good. In verse two, Jesus says that the Father will cut off those branches that do not bear fruit. In verse six, he is thrown away to wither, and then thrown into the fire to burn.
Does that sound dramatic? Of course! But is the father going a little over board? Not at all. Since the father can see the vine in it’s entirety, he is able to decide what is helpful and what is destructive. Certain branches prove to be a problem since they are constantly getting in the way of other Christians. Have you met these people before? I have. These are the type of people that do not act out of love, and they just create distractions and trouble and often times stunt the growth of others. Do they know of Jesus and the father? Yes. They know of them because they are involved with the vine. But do they really know the father and do they really know Jesus? You have to wonder. You might ask, “Well if they are on the vine, they should know them.” But if they knew the true vine, and where it came from, they would want to obey him and remain in his love. This love that is known to the fruitful is not evident in this person. It becomes evident that the discipline that is found in pruning is not taking effect, and the branch becomes useless.
If you are anything like me, you begin to sense urgency in this message on two different levels. The first level is on a personal level. As I look at my life, I begin to reflect on my week and think about how I spent my time with God. For instance, one day I woke up late and had to run to a meeting instead of doing my devotion in the morning. I completely forgot about it and went about my business. Other days, I will read my devotion online, and it just does not change my heart. Instead of spending time trying to understand the truth, I move on saying, “that was a weak devotion.” I am saying this to show how easy it is to forget or disengage from the spirit. I am guilty of it, and most people do not want to admit it when they do it.
The second level of concern is knowing that there are people around us who are hurting because they are not engaged enough. When I think of people I know, most of us say, “I am not doing as well as I had hoped.” That’s quite alright, I think that is a healthy sense of trying to improve your time with God and trying to strive for perfection while not abusing yourself to be perfect. The people I am concerned about are those that become apathetic towards their God time.
These people are not always easy to pick out. But if someone is beginning to show a generally lack of interest in God, and begins to act uncharacteristically, I hope that you would take the time to come alongside them and encourage them.
This brings us to my final question: Now that we know that we are called to bear fruit and to love one another, how can we apply these verses that we learned today? The way is to LOOK AT YOURSELF! I have always made the habit of trying to see if I am well nourished or if I am beginning to become dry. It is difficult at times since we live in our own skin, but I found that when I take a look at my general attitude and look at where my time is allocated, I have a better idea of where I stand. Another great way to look at yourself is to see how those close to you react towards you. Do they mention the positive deeds that you do or the life that you give them, or do they only mention negativity that you bring to their lives. It sounds harsh, but listen to what they say about you. It is not always accurate, but let the Holy Spirit convict you of what is said.
Listening is the key to figuring out others as well. I am a firm believer in that from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. If you want to know what someone is feeling or thinking about, listen to what they are saying. This is difficult, especially since listening well is a trait that seems to be very rare. But listen well. If you can tell that the fruit of their soul is not good fruit, it might be time to encourage them. It does not have to be a big production, but it can be done in a number of ways. Often times, just living out the life of Christ and not even preaching at them is extremely successful. After reading this verse, I felt more motivated than ever to help bring back the wayward branches. It pains the vine to have to lose those branches, but I feel that we can make a difference.
In closing, I was an unfruitful branch once. During college, I became detached due to commitments. I was honestly too hurt to go to church anyway, and I was about ready to walk away. I lost hope since nothing made sense and Christianity became painful. Then one day, I decided to start putting a verse in my wallet every week. I started it to be conscious of my money, but found that it was helping me spiritually. I remained dry because I was cut off, and I did not have support. It was really hard. After a few hard experiences with church, I gave up and I wanted the truth. I took the hardest bible class at my school, it opened my eyes and changed my life. It became the catalyst for who I am today, and from then on I never wanted to be that dry again.
