The true vine

Read John 15:1-12

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The great theme of John’s gospel is that anyone who believes in Jesus receives eternal life i.e. the life of the age to come already entered into now (5:24; 6:35,40; 10:10). It’s through the Holy Spirit in us that the presence and life of Jesus is real in our experience and this is what he emphasised in his farewell teaching in John 14-16 (14:7, 20, 23). The final “I am” saying is a vivid illustration of this.

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The metaphor of vine and branches points to Jesus as the source of the life within us, through which we can and will be fruitful for his glory (8,16). In contrast to Israel which had proved to be a faithless and fruitless vine (Is.5:7; Jer.2:21) Jesus is “the true vine” (1). As long as we remain (live, abide) in him then his fruit will be produced in us and through us by his Spirit (Gal.5:22-23; Col.1:6,10).

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To remain in him is to remain in his love, just as he remained in the Father’s love (9-10). He did that by obeying the Father’s commands and the same is true for us also, particularly the command to love one another (10-12). Love is at the heart of God’s life; so love is the key characteristic of our remaining in the vine and of the fruit we bear for him (Rom.5:5; 1 Jn.3:23-24).