The Vine and the Branches and Christ-like Love Gospel reading: John 15:1-16 Video clip: None available The Vine and the Branches 15 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples. Christ-like Love 9 “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. 10 If you keep My commands you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commands and remain in His love. 11 “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. **Verses 15:1-16 This symbolism or allegory is at the heart of Jesus farewell to the disciples. The symbolism of the vineyard or the vine was used in the Old Testament to represent Israel as God’s covenant people (“vineyard songs”… Is. 5:1-7; 27:2-6). Israel, however, failed to produce fruit resulted in divine judgment. Jesus came as the true vine, and His followers are to remain in Him and produce much fruit for God. **Verse 15:1 ‘I am the true vine’ is the last of the “I am” sayings in John’s Gospel. The reference to the Father as ‘the vineyard keeper’ goes back to Isaiah’s first “vineyard song” where God is depicted as tending His vineyard, only to have it produce sour grapes (Is. 5:1-7; Ps. 80:8-9). **Verse 15:2 As the divine tender and keeper of the vineyard, the dead branches are removed and others are pruned (Heb. 6:7-8). In John’s Gospel, Judas who betrayed Jesus would be an example of the dead branches, while Peter, who denied Jesus three times, would be an example of pruning to allow a branch to produce more fruit. **Verses 15:4,5,8 The continued and repeated reference to ‘fruit’ highlights that “fruitfulness” is God’s primary creative and redemptive purpose. The Old Testament prophets predicted a time that God’s people would “blossom and bloom and fill the whole world with fruit (Is. 27:6; Hs. 14:4-8). **Verse 15:6 ‘Fire’ is commonly used to symbolize divine judgment (Is. 30; 27; Mt. 3:12; 5:22; 18:8; 25:41). This verse echoes Ezk. 15:1-8, which asserts that a barren vine is “fit” only for burning. **Verse 15:10-11 Obedience to God is a source joy and a period of greta “end-time” rejoicing envisioned by the Old Testament prophets (Is. 25:9; 35:10; 51:3; 61:10; 66:10; and Zch. 9:9). **Verse 15:12-17 Jesus’ “love commandment” indicates that love must be the ‘distinguishing mark’ of Jesus’ disciples. This “new command” (Jn. 13:34) resembles the Mosaic commands to love the Lord (Dt. 6:5) and one’s neighbor as oneself (Lv. 19:18; Mk. 12:28-33). Additionally, in Mt. 5:43-48 Jesus said to love our enemies. While the commandment to love God and our neighbors was not new, Jesus illustration… “as I have loved you”…is unparalleled, as was Jesus insistence that we should love our neighbors. **Verse 15:16 Jesus tells his disciples that He ‘appointed’ them, which recalls the Old Testament description of God’s appointment of Abraham (Gn. 17:5; Rm. 4:17, the ordination of Levites (Nm. 8:10), and Moses commissioning of Joshua (Nm. 27:18). This “appointing” by Jesus was not typical during the first century Palestine, rather the religious disciples of that day sought out a rabbi, and attached themselves to him, not vice-versa. HCSB Study Bible, Holman Christian Standard Bible
Posted on: Mon, 05 Jan 2015 16:50:35 +0000
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