The Vine and the Branches

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.—1 Corinthians 12:12

A verse by verse study in John 15

Apparently the words of Jesus, found in chapters 15 and 16 of John’s gospel, were spoken either en route to the Garden of Gethsemane or in the valley, just before Jesus and his apostles crossed the Kidron and entered the garden proper. The subject of chapter 15 concerns the expectations Jesus had of his followers and his concern for their spiritual well-being.

The Vine Illustration--Verses 1 to 3

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

The opening theme may have resulted from a discussion of the fruit of the vine introduced in the Memorial service, the vineyards through which the walk would wend, the great vine erected over the main temple gate or the smaller vine etching over the Huldah gate at the southern entrance to the temple compound.

It is doubtful whether Jesus, being a hunted man whose time had not yet fully come, would have risked walking by the temple itself for he would surely have been spotted. Rather it seems that he would have followed the southern wall of the city, turning at the pinnacle of the temple to descend into the Kidron valley. Such a course would have led him directly past the twin Huldah gates, which led into Solomon’s stables directly under the temple complex. The visitor to Jerusalem even today can see a similar embossed vine and branches over the interior lintel of the Huldah gate. These gates are referenced in Edersheim’s Sketches of Jewish Social Life in the Days of Christ, page 218.

In any case, the object of his illustration was the necessity for fruit bearing. The Christian world is divided into two classes: the fruit-bearing and the no fruit branches. The illustration is similar to that of the parable of the sower, where some seed bore thirty-fold, some sixty-fold, and some a hundred fold. In this illustration, however, he demonstrates that there can be progress between these groups. To secure this progress, the husbandman carefully prunes his vine. He also uses string to tie low-lying branches to a higher level, encouraging them to develop more strength. Grapes on a low-lying branch are not only more tempting to the "little foxes" (Cant. 2:15) but are also more subject to rot and mildew.

It is unclear whether, in verse two, he is speaking of the removal of unproductive branches or this method of tying up the falling branches. The Greek word airo, translated "take away" in most translations, has "to lift up" as its primary meaning, according to both Strong’s Concordance and Thayer’s Lexicon and is so used in such passages as "take up thy bed and walk" (Matt. 9:6). Whichever is meant, both are true statements. The Lord will remove those who bear no fruit at all, and he will bear up those who are weak and need to be pointed in a heavenward direction so that they can begin to bear fruit.

His statement in verse three that they were "clean" appears at first glance to be unrelated to his theme of the vine and the branches. It is reminiscent of what he had told this same group earlier that evening after washing their feet, "Ye are clean, but not all" (John 13:10). Here the thought seems to be they all have an equal start. It will be up to their future conduct if they remain clean and thus able to bear much fruit.

The Dual Abiding--Verses 4 to 8

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

The secret of fruit-bearing in a natural vine is having an adequate supply of sap. If the connection between the branch and the stem of the vine is not solid, the sap cannot freely flow to the branch. If the sap is not in the branch, the branch cannot bear fruit. Jesus is using this analogy to illustrate the oft-repeated concept of abiding in Christ and having Christ abide in his follower.

If there is debate as to the non-fruit-bearing branches in verse two, there is no debate in this section. These are removed and burned in the fire, much the same as the tares in the parable of the harvest.

Building on the illustration of the sap, he identified this necessary nourishment as his word. It is by him, both by his teachings and his example, that we receive the needed grace for fruit-bearing. The fruit is well defined by Paul in Galatians 5:22, 23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

Such abiding in Christ requires the frequent study of the Scriptures, and especially of the life he lived for "he who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). Fruit-bearing is a credit both to the vine and to the husbandman, therefore the Father is glorified by the Christian bearing his fruits.

The Commandment of Love--Verses 9 to 13

As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus further extended the thought of his words abiding in them; he informed them that obedience puts them in the circle of his love. This harmony of two souls working together is the producer of true joy—both his joy and the joy of the Christian.

On an earlier occasion he had been asked to define the greatest of the Mosaic commandments. His words were simple and to the point, "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:29-31).

In like manner, in our text he condensed the "commandments" of verse nine to the one commandment of verse twelve. That commandment was to exemplify his love for them in their love for each other. This was the same lesson he had demonstrated by the foot washing earlier in the evening. He well knew their petty jealousies and striving for position. He could foresee the problems that lay ahead. But he also knew the antidote, and he expressed that remedy in the strongest possible terms. It was to be a commandment, not a suggestion or request. They must "love one another."

Not merely was it to be a human or fleshly love, but it was to be of the same sacrificial type he had shown for them. They had seen how he was moved with compassion for all in need. Now they would soon see a new dimension of sacrificial love, a love that would even cause one to die for those he loved. The human family did not deserve such a sacrifice. Indeed it is written, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). This is the very example he left them in this sermon: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

Servants, Friends, Sons--Verses 14 and 15

Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

His disciples had a unique relationship with him. They were not strangers, nor casual acquaintances, not even servants. They were his friends. They would show that friendship by doing his will.

There are a number of distinct relationships the Bible uses to describe man’s dealings with Christ and with God. Two of those are contrasted in the verse under discussion: servants and friends. The nation of Israel, as a result of their Law Covenant, had pledged to be God’s servants. As servants, they would be told what to do but they would not have the relationship of a close confidant, a friend. In another sense, they were children of God: young and immature children; a parent directs young and immature children by commands rather than by reasoning, as with mature offspring. The apostle Paul picks up on this theme in Galatians 4:1-3, "Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world."

His disciples had shown that maturity. He would deal with them as "friends." In Old Testament times, there were a few who had progressed to this relationship as well. Abraham was called "a friend of God" (James 2:23). The Lord spoke to Moses "face to face, as a man speaketh with a friend" (Exod. 33:11). It was of those in this relationship of whom we read "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do."

Yet, close as this relationship of friendship is, there is still a closer relationship, one that even the disciples could not enjoy at that time. But it was one they would have in less than two months —the relationship of sons of God. After Pentecost they could progress to this next rung on the ladder that leads to God. There they would be begotten to a new life, a spiritual one, and become "new creatures in Christ Jesus."

This same two-step process operates today for Christians. Once they arrive at the point where they are willing to dedicate their lives to the principles of righteousness, they become a friend of God. But it is only when they take the next step of offering their lives unreservedly to God as a sacrifice that they can progress to the point of sonship.

Ordained to Fruit-Bearing--Verses 16 and 17

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye love one another.

Not only does he choose the potential members of his bride because they can be developed into fruit-bearing branches, but he commissions, or ordains them, for that very purpose.

The present fruitage of the church is only part of their ordination. They bear this fruit now so that they may train others to bear pleasant fruits for the Lord in the age to come. Now they can preach the "word of reconciliation," then they shall do the "work of reconciliation." As Jesus’ parable in John 10 puts it, bringing the "other sheep" into his fold is the grand object of all present training and development.

This is a task they can not do in their own might. Therefore Jesus assures them that whatever they ask of the Father in his name, as branches abiding in the vine, they can confidently expect to receive. Having commissioned them to a task, he is faithful and just to provide them all the necessary tools to accomplish it.

Yet they cannot teach what they have not themselves learned, therefore he reiterates the commandment which they are to teach: "love one another."

Animosity of the World--Verses 18 to 21

If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Although Jesus was the exemplification of love, the world around him which he loved did not return that love. Rather he faced constant and increasing animosity. He warned them that they were to expect no better treatment. The reason is obvious, because they were not of the world. They did not share the same pleasures, ambitions, and desires of non-believers. More than this, their non-worldly ways were a rebuke to those who preferred to pursue their own selfish ideas of pleasure. "This is the condemnation," Jesus said, "that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." The disciples’ lives would be a living reproof to those around them, inviting hostility and animosity.

Unfortunately many of their persecutors would afflict them thinking that it was the right thing to do. "They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service."

Therefore Jesus counsels that we are to continue to love even the persecutors, inasmuch as they thought they were doing it "for his name’s sake, because they knew him not who sent me." It is not for us to blame one who intends to do right but, because of lack of knowledge, does the opposite. Saul of Tarsus was such a sort. We do not feel anger for a blind man because he cannot see, neither should we resent those who are blinded by Satan and become our persecutors.

Hated Without Cause--Verses 22 to 25

If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke [cloak] for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.

Jesus continued by showing how the hatred came about. It was because he spoke fearlessly unto them of the principles of righteousness, removing their excuses for not doing right. The Greek word profasin, translated "cloke," carries the thought of rationalization or pretext. The clarity of Jesus’ teaching made it impossible to justify their bad conduct.

The statement that if he had not come "they had not sin" is to be taken in a relative sense. Compare it with Romans 7:9, "For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." It is not that they were sinless before he came but that they were not cognizant of its presence, therefore their guilt was mitigated.

The reference to the Old Testament passage of being hated without a cause applies to many verses in the Psalms, (for example Psa. 7:4; 35:19; 69:4; 109:3). The sense of the passage is that they hated him without a justifiable cause.

Two Witnesses--Verses 26 and 27

But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

The chapter closes on an upbeat note, the promise of the coming of the Comforter, the holy spirit. This would happen within about seven weeks. This promise is elaborated in the succeeding chapter (John 16) and is introduced here for a limited purpose: "he shall testify of me."

The very presence of the holy spirit to be an indwelling force within the believers was a vindication of Jesus’ life. If he had been unfaithful it would not have come. Among other things, the bestowal of the spirit was an affirmation of the success of his mission. As the dove at his baptism showed the Father’s approval of that step, so the tongues of fire showed his approval of the carrying out of that sacrifice.

But the holy spirit was only one witness. Many things under the law were to be established by "two or three witnesses" (Matt. 18:16). His disciples were to be the confirming witness. Nothing would show this witness more than the keeping of his commandment to love one another. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another" (John 13:35).

That is our burden. We are to be faithful witnesses to the reality of his work and to his character. We can best accomplish the task to which we are ordained by showing that "love to one another." May we each demonstrate the truth expressed in 1 Peter 1:22, "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently."