The Vine And The Branch

Jesus talked a lot in parables in the Word of God. John 15:1-6 is no different as it says;

v. 1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

v.2 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.

v. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

v. 4 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.

v. 5 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.

v.6 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".

In verse 1 Jesus said He is the true vine, God is the Gardner who takes care of the branches. These have to be cared for so they may bring forth fruit.

In verse 2 Jesus tells us about two kinds of branches, fruitless and fruitful. He tells us the branches in Him that bear no fruit will be taken away. These are the ones that cease to have the lasting faith and love for Jesus. When this happens they are separated from Jesus. The branches bringing forth or beareth fruit God will purge them causing them to bring forth more fruit. These are ones that have enduring faith and love for Christ. When God prunes these He takes from their lives things that hinder the life-flow of Jesus in them. The fruit they bring forth is the character of a Christian bringing glory to God through life and witnessing.

In verse 3 it talks about being clean through the Word. There is a cleansing virtue in the Word; it is truth Jesus has spoken. Ephesians 5:26; "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,"

Verse 4 talks about when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we receive eternal life and the power to abide in Him. Since we are given this power we must accept the responsibility in salvation and abide in Jesus. The branch has life as long as the life of the vine moves into it. So it is with us, as long as Jesus' life moves into us through our abiding in Christ. We need to have a continual communion with Jesus in order to get strength and grace from Him. We also need to obey his commandments, abide in His love, make sure we keep our lives clean by staying in the Word, resist sin, and listening to the Holy Spirit as He directs us.

If we do not abide in Jesus we cannot bring forth good fruit. In verse 5 it tells us we can do nothing without Him. We need to rely on Jesus so we can get the living support we need just as the branch relies on the vine for living support.

Verse 6 informs us about the result of not abiding in the Lord. The branches being fruitless are cast forth as dry and wasted branches and are pulled off because they hinder the tree, these branches are picked up and thrown in the fire and burned. If a person doesn't remain in the Lord, the person becomes an easy prey for Satan. The same thing that happens to the branch will happen to the person that doesn't abide in the Lord.

The Word of God is very explicit in telling and explaining things about our salvation. This is why we should read the Bible continually and go to church. Being saved is not a momentary thing; it is something we work on continually. If we don't stay close to the Lord when things happened we have a tendency to question and then walk away from the Lord. Being a Christian is something we have to work at continually because of Satan but the Lord is always there to help us through our trials and tribulations, we just have to call on Him and He is there to help us.

May you always know the love, joy, and peace of the Lord!