John 15 has so very much meaning to it, it needs to be repeated again to keep us in touch with the subject that Jesus is trying to convey to His disciples which in turn is us today. So bear with me as I repeat these verses again.
John 15: 1-8 "I am the True Vine and My Father is the Husbandman. Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that bears fruit He purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 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 abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings 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, an 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 he be My disciples".
Jesus spoke these words after having celebrated the Passover and inaugurating the first Lord's Supper with His disciples. Jesus had conversed with the disciples following the meal, but eventually brought the conversation to a close and led them out into the night and proceeded towards the Garden of Gethsemane. Along the way He came to a beautiful grapevine.
A vine held great significance for the disciples, for the Jewish people had always seen themselves as the vine. Jesus wanted to correct this misconception, and so as He stood before that moolight-bathed vine with its clusters of grapes hanging upon it, He said, "I am the True Vine." The disciples thought they were the vine, but Jesus, using an illustration from nature as He had done on so many occasions, asserted that He was actually the True Vine and His Father was the Husbandman. "Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away" John 15:2.
The last time we considered this subject, we discussed the purpose of the branch, discovering that the branch's one purpose is bearing fruit. The vine supports the branch in this matter, and the branch is there as a vehicle through which the fruit is borne. Fruit-bearing is the branch's purpose!
We also discussed that it is in the area of fruit-bearing that problems exist, and that the only way the branch can bear fruit is by abiding in the vine. The branch cannot bear fruit by making any effort. The branch naturally bears the fruit as long as it does one thing; abides in the vine. It doesn't have to expend energy and effort, saying, "Well, I think I ought to have a cluster of grapes at this point." Nor does it say such a thing at some later point. It just naturally bears the fruit.
I would like to continue this thought tomorrow because it is so profound and simple at the same time, it needs a lot of thought and contemplation, so please understand that I am so thrilled to have found this little booklet and this profound explanation of John 15: 1-8. I just want to make sure everyone who reads these blogs have time to consider what it is saying. I never heard it explained like this before and I want to make sure I know what its saying and understand how it affects my life. So see you tomorrow for sure. Grandma Joan
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