If you’ve a few minutes, please read John 15 with me… you may find it both confronting and comforting, existential and encouraging.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit, he takes it away, and every branch that produces fruit, he prunes it so that it can produce more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Remain in union with me, and I will remain in union with you. Just as the branch is not able to produce fruit by itself unless it remains in union with the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in union with me. I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in union with me, and I in him, that is the one who will bear much fruit, because apart from me you are not able to do anything. If anyone does not remain in union with me, he is thrown away like a branch, and withers; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in union with me, and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. This is how my Father is glorified: that you bear much fruit and prove to be my disciples. Just as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you: remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have spoken these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is my commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this-that one would lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do the things that I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his lord is doing. But I have called you friends because all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you, that you should go and produce fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. These things I command you so that you will love one another.” — John 15:1–17 (REV)
Woah. There’s a lot to think about in there. What do you mean bear no fruit and you end up getting tossed in a fire?? At first read, it might sound pretty ruthless.
Let’s read it again carefully.
Already Clean
Firstly, the greek behind the word “clean” is katharoi and it is closely connected with the previous verse’s concept of pruning (kathairei). Ah ha! A word play. The original dad joke. Good start.
“You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” So you (the disciples) are already pruned, and connected, and clean. You’re not in the category of not producing fruit. Jesus does not begin with condemnation for his listeners, but with assurance. Apparently, their task is not to earn their place on the vine through extraordinary effort. They are already connected (at this point by Jesus’ own choice, according to John 15:16). They have already received his teaching. Now they are simply called (commanded, even) to remain where they are: connected. That’s an important distinction. Just as a healthy branch naturally produces fruit because it is connected to the vine, a disciple naturally grows in love, joy, and obedience because he remains connected to Jesus. Fruit is not the cause of our relationship with Christ; it is the evidence of it. Let’s expand on that.
The Branch Doesn’t Strain
A branch attached to a vine doesn’t have to strain, panic, or constantly prove itself. It simply remains connected. The vine supplies what the branch cannot generate on its own: life, nourishment, strength, and ultimately fruit.
But if a branch becomes detached from the vine, the result isn’t arbitrary punishment. That branch understandably withers — eventually — because it has become disconnected from its source of life. In the analogy, a withered branch is eventually burned, consumed, annihilated, dead.
But hey, you! You’re not dead yet! Nonetheless, the outcome follows naturally from the choice. Cause and effect. Decision and consequence. Such is reality.
Remain
Perhaps this is why Jesus places such emphasis on the phrase “remain in me.” In just these few verses, He repeats the idea again and again. The focus is not on anxiously measuring how much fruit we’re producing. The focus is on staying connected to Him.
In fact, notice what Jesus does not say. He does not say, “Try harder and you will bear fruit.” He says, “Remain in union with me.” Fruit is the result of connection.
Confronting, and Comforting
That’s both confronting and comforting.
Confronting, because it challenges us to ask honest questions. Am I drawing close to Christ, or am I drifting away? Am I obeying him (John 14:15, 23), listening to His words, following His example, and cultivating my (two-way) relationship with Him? Or have other priorities begun to crowd Him out?
But it’s also comforting. Our hope is not based on our own strength, wisdom, or endurance. The branch is not expected to be the vine. We are not expected to sustain ourselves spiritually. Jesus promises that if we remain in Him, He remains in us. He, in a way, produces fruit through us.
The Fruit He Is Looking For
And what is the fruit He is looking for?
The passage itself gives us the answer. Love. Obedience. Joy! (What’s the purpose of all this? Read John 15:11 again!) Friendship with Christ. A life that reflects His character and brings glory to His Father. This passage culminates in a simple but profound command: “Love one another just as I have loved you.” …We’re talking about a compounding proliferation of loving community here! We are called to self-sacrificial love for one another. Our friends. Our family. Our community. Our church. And it is through that self-sacrifice, that emulation of Jesus our Messiah, that we truly find our selves, our identity, our purpose, our calling, our life.
If He Was Me
This looks different for everyone. Because we are not asking “What would Jesus do?” (throwback #WWJD)… We clearly aren’t all first century rabbis or the Unique Messiah for that matter.
But we are asking “What would Jesus do if he was …me? If he had my body, right here, had my family, my friends, in this job, in this country, at this specific moment in time?” …because, in essence, Jesus does have you… right? (1 Corinthians 12:27)
And thus we go out in faith, knowing that if we’re doing God’s will, seeking first the kingdom of God, and aligned with Jesus’ mission and commands, then the world is our oyster — anything we ask for in the name and power and authority of Jesus will be granted by God! What are we waiting for?!
Not Fear. An Invitation.
So when we read John 15, perhaps the main takeaway is not fear of being cut off, but appreciation for the invitation being extended. Jesus is inviting us into a relationship that brings life, purpose, joy, and lasting fruit. He has chosen us, loved us, and opened the way for us to remain close to Him. If we continue reading in John, he has sent the Holy Spirit — the advocate — Jesus’ spirit-life-breath which is God’s spirit-life-breath — the helper, comforter, life-giver, and convicter of hearts. The one who cries with our spirit, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15–16)
Start Here
If you’re going through a challenging period, feeling spiritually dry, or simply wondering what God expects of you, maybe start here: get connected to the Vine. Spend time with Christ in prayer. Listen to His words. Imitate His love. Obey his commands (John 6:29, John 15:12)… Trust that the growth will follow.
After all, healthy fruit is not produced by a branch striving harder. It is produced by a branch that remains thoroughly connected to its source of life.
May we all continue to remain in His love, bear fruit that lasts, and experience the fullness of joy that Jesus promised.
“Today I call heaven and earth to be witnesses against you, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life so that you will live-you and your seed- by loving Yahweh your God, by obeying his voice and by holding fast to him (for he is your life and the length of your days) so that you may live in the land that Yahweh swore that he would give to your fathers-to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” — Deuteronomy 30:19–20 (REV)
“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” — 1 Timothy 2:5–6 (NASB)