In John 15:1 Jesus says that “I am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser.” This is the seventh of the great “I am’s” in the gospel of John. One can only speculate why Jesus chose this analogy. Perhaps it was the “a fruitful vine growing over the window of the upper room where the discourses were spoken” or “to the great ornamental vine decorating the door of the temple,” according Coffman. Whatever the reason, Jesus was going to teach his disciples a very important lesson that they needed to take to heart and that we should also take to heart.
In the Old Testament Israel was considered a vine. God says in Jeremiah that he had planted Israel as a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. But they had turned into a corrupt and wild vine. (Jeremiah 2:21) Israel, now being a corrupt and wild vine could not bear the fruit that God is happy with. That’s if they bore any fruit at all.
Jesus is the true vine of which there is no corruption. He is not only the true vine but the only vine. Jesus states in John 14:6 that he is the way the truth and the life and that no one comes to the Father except through him. Also in Acts 4:12 the Holy Spirit say through the Apostle Peter that, there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved.
Jesus says in John 15:5 that we are the branches connected to the vine and that we cannot bear fruit outside of him. He also gives us a stern warning that those who are in him and yet bear no fruit will be cut off. (John 15:2,6)
God loves us more than we can imagine, (Eph. 3:17-19) enough to send his son down from heaven to die on our behalf. (John 3:16) But he does have some expectations. One of them is that we bear fruit. Let us consider this as we work out our salvation with fear and trembling. (Phil. 2:12)
Tony
