Personal Devotional Bible Study-
In this passage Jesus is continuing His farewell discourse with His disciples. Reading this text, we get a sense of the weight pressing against His heart as He contemplates leaving His disciples. I find it to be shortsighted if we do not consider this as we read the narration of John’s account of this very moving scene. After Judas leaves Jesus and the disciples (John 13:31), we notice Jesus becomes very intimate and emotional in the way He speaks to His disciples. Could it be that Jesus, like anyone of us, if we knew that mere hours were left before we were to undertake separation from the ones we love, we would likely say the things of greatest importance and utmost comfort. In one instance we see Jesus being brutally truthful foretelling Peter’s denial, then extends him comfort and reassurance (John 14:1-2). Jesus continues to comfort all of His disciples, He calls them His children, He reassured them by saying they will not be left orphans (John 14:18). This is a glimpse into the amazing love of the Father’s heart. Comforting, reassuring, instructing and equipping His children for what is to come.
John 15:1-16
In verse 1 – Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”
This is an Old Testement referrence to Israel, in Psalms 80 the vine is what Israel is called, being uprooted by God, replanted and spread like shade over the mountains. In Isaiah 5 the vine is spoken of the vineyard of the Lord of Host which is the house of Israel. In both of these passages Israel is referred to as a vine in need of tending from the Vinedresser, that which is not fruitful the Vinedresser cuts away and burns. Jesus is the true vine, not the nation of Israel, He himself is the source of all Life.
John 15:2 – “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He (the Father) takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He (the Father) prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
Jesus being the source of all life is the true Vine. John 1:1-4 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Remembering context here helps us understand what the author intends, in John 15:1 Jesus says the Father is the Vinedresser. He trims and prunes every branch with the outcome of fruit bearing in mind.
John 15:3 – “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.” Jesus affirms they are clean because of the words He has spoken to them. In reference to the vine, the branches that have been cleaned are prepared by the Vinedresser, for His tending.
John 15:4 – “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” “Abide in Me, and I in you,” He follows this statement with its meaning, “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” This is very comforting to know that the disciples will not be expected to sustain the abiding power of abiding, for one cannot bear fruit unless one abides in Him, the “I in You” is the power of abiding.
John 15:5 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Jesus further asserts the direction of the power to remain a fruit bearing branch is not within us to do, but originates from Him, apart from Him we can do nothing.
John 15:6 - “If anyone does not abide in Me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” The Vinedresser will tend His the branches of His vine, as in Psalms 80 and Isaiah 5, He uproots, He plants, He tends, He set aside, He prunes and He nurtures His branches, those who are not in Him, who are not of the true Vine will be thrown aside, like a branch and he withers.
John 15:7 – “If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Here we see the promise of our abiding, when we abide in Him, and His words in us, we have an assurance that He will do for us, as we wish. Clarity in thinking is needed here, it is humanity’s tendency to work from our egos outward, I get what I wish, God will grant it! That is not exactly what this text says, “If you abide in Him and His words in you” God’s word, God’s ways, the fullness of His character and nature, all that He is, if it abide in you, then according to that point of reference, we would ask from God’s heart and desires inwardly. What are You saying God, what are You thinking God, what are You feeling? One then would ask according to His word that abides within. Asked from that place, He will do it for us. Notice here God does it for us, again the power to abide, produce, and have originates from God and not us.
John 15:8 – “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.” The evidence of being a disciple is that fruit comes from the work of the Vinedresser. This glorifies the Vinedresser, having fruit, that is the results of Vinedresser’s tending to them as the branch, because they are His.
John 15:9 – “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” Here we see the act of tending the branch is the loving work Vinedresser. Jesus affirms His love for His disciples.
John 15:10 – “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” This is repeated by Jesus as to how we will know we are His, John 14:15 Jesus said, “If you love Me you will keep My commandments.” John 13:34-35 Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples…”
John 15:11 - ”These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” This was a comforting saying, Jesus wasn’t intending to scare His disciples. He wasn’t giving this “word-picture” to cause doubt in them, but to assure them that the Vinedresser is in command of the working of His branches, that they are assured to be kept by Him, tended by His loving hand, His joy in them being made complete. The joy for the disciples that assuredly loved Jesus was to know even though He was “going somewhere that they could not go” (John 13:36), they would ultimately abide in Him and Him in them, that they would never be separated.
John 15:12-15 – “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” Jesus calls them friends, He makes a specific distinction here, a special kinship, no longer servants, making known to them all that He knew from the Father, trusted friends.
John 15:16-17 – “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.” The final thought in this “word-picture”. The Vinedresser chose them. Picture the meticulous looking through of the branches, the Vinedresser laying aside some branches and searching through others to get to the ones He favors, for His glory, for His joy and ours, He lovingly tends them, pruning them, caring for them so that their fruit abides and remain in Him, the branch is uplifted by the strong capable hands of the Vinedresser. We abide in Him, in His love, secure that He will work in us His joy and it will be complete in us. We will never be apart, we will go on and bear fruit for we are chosen and appointed by the beloved Vinedresser, being bearers of His fruit, loving one another as He has loved us.
