The Vine & Branches

The concept of what it means to bear fruit as a believer is the basics of the Christian life. To abide in Christ is the priority of this analogy.

Jesus Is the True Vine

John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.

In the Old Testament the vine is a common symbol for Israel, the covenant people of God.

However, whenever historic Israel is referred to under this figure, it is concerning the vine’s failure to produce good fruit. With this is the corresponding threat of God’s judgment on the nation.

In contrast to such failure, Jesus states, ‘I am the true vine.” The true vine, then, is not the apostate people. The true vine is Jesus Himself, and those who are incorporated in Him.

Branches cannot bear fruit without being connected to a vine.

How many things do we really attempt to attach ourselves to for our lives? The vine is not the church. We must grow out of Christ as a natural branch.

God the Farmer

John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.

Now Christ describes Himself as a plant, but describes the Father as a person. The point of that is to teach the care of the Father for the Son and for the branches. The farmer is He who maintained the vine. He was
responsible to cut off the branches that bore no fruit— because they tended to sap the energy from the fruit bearing branches. Those branches needed to be removed so more fruit would grow on the other branches.

The farmer also constantly pruned the branches that did bear fruit. He cut off little shoots and things so that none of their energy was dissipated, and so that the branches might concentrate on bearing more fruit.

The Farmer, God the Father, removes the branch that bears no fruit. He removes it. He doesn’t fix it up, He cuts it off. The farmer has two responsibilities to the branches: He cultivates take the ones away that don’t bear fruit, purge the ones that do.

Two Types of Branches

John 15:2 Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away; and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth

There are two groups of branches, those that bear fruit, and those that do not. The branches on the vine grow very rapidly. They must be tended to carefully, And drastic pruning is necessary.

The vine is Christ; the husbandman is the Father. The branches that bear fruit would be those eleven disciples and future believers like them, who would live and produce spiritual fruit throughout all the church age.

Branches who do not bear fruit are Judas branches who never were real to begin with.

This contrast between the disciples and Judas is at the heart of this analogy.

Both groups had contact with Jesus. The eleven were with Him, Judas was with Him, and they were with Him for the same amount of time. Apparently, everything looked all right to most. Judas was even given the responsibility of maintaining the purse. But Judas, although appearing to be in the vine, was a branch that never was connected. He bore no fruit and God finally removed that branch.

People today also stand in close proximity to Jesus Christ, but are apostates and are doomed to damnation.

In today’s busy, confused world even more people are deceived about what matters most, and where they really are spiritually. Many who attend church, and maybe go through some religious motions, therefore feel they are connected to Jesus Christ, but they are not legitimate branches. They have never connected to The Vine, and bear no real fruit.

An individual can appear and live apparently connected to Jesus Christ but be not connected at all. Examine yourselves whether you are in the faith, prove yourselves. 2 Corinthians 13:5

The Connected Branches

John 15:2b Every branch that bears fruit, He purges 15:3 Now you are clean through the word which I have spoken to you.

It is spiritual pruning which the Father does to the committed; it’s the process of removing all the things hindering our fruit bearing.

A good pruning tool is suffering, trouble, or problems. Much pruning must be done with a knife. Valuable lessons of suffering and heartache are what awaken us to what is not necessary in our lives, what matters, or needs removal.

This pruning through difficulties proves that God the Father cares that we bear a lot of fruit. We’re not on display trying to operate to please the Father all by ourselves. He is involved in it.

The word purging comes from a Greek which means to clean. John 15:3  Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you.

The pruning knife is the Word of God.

In adversities the Word of God comes alive, it does the surgery but the trouble makes it obvious to you, it opens the opportunity.

Our only source of life is Jesus, the True Vine.