The Vine and the Branches

One of my favorite scripture passages in the entire world is found in John chapter 15. One reason I love this passage is because the context is especially precious. Christ’s words here came just hours before His brutal crucifixion. So that means His time to counsel and prepare His disciples was growing short. I’m sure He was very careful about what He chose to share as the sun fell lower in the sky.

What would His apostles need most to carry them through the drama that was about to happen?

What would they need to prepare them for the enormous ministry they would face after His glorious resurrection?

I believe these verses were His way of answering those pressing questions. He knew what would best strengthen and encourage and help them in this moment. For this reason, I believe these verses also teach us what we need to hear most.

In this particular chapter, Jesus and His brethren have left the Last Supper behind and they’re moving toward the Garden of Gethsemane. I imagine them passing by a vineyard where Christ stops for a moment and lifts one of the trailing branches into His soon-to-be scarred hands. He looks at His disciples, and once He knows they’re paying attention, gives them this life-changing analogy:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

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.

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 abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:1-5).

There’s so much packed into this one little passage. But the part I want to focus on today is the last phrase: without me ye can do nothing.

Notice how clear and succinct He was with those six words. He didn’t say we should work as hard as we can and He’ll be there to help us when we run out of steam. He didn’t tell us to try harder, do more, run faster, add more to our To-Do list.

No, He made it clear that there wouldn’t be any To-Do list without Him. No matter how amazing our intentions, no matter how pumped up we are to succeed…in the end, we won’t be able to do a thing without Him. Not a single solitary thing. If we don’t soak in the nourishing strength of the vine, the little branch of our lives will be lifeless and dead—unable to grow any fruit that is truly meaningful and lasting.

I love the way Bible teacher John MacArthur puts it:

“Listen, how much can a detached branch do toward producing fruit? Can’t do anything. Even great big strong branches can’t do anything. The strongest is as helpless as the weakest. The most beautiful is as helpless as the ugliest. And the best branch is as worthless as the worst branch if it’s disconnected from the vine. …It’s not a question of whether you’re strong or weak. It’s not a question of whether you’re good or bad, brave or cowardly, clever or foolish, experienced or inexperienced. Whatever your gifts, whatever your accomplishments, whatever your virtues, whatever your experiences may have been, they are worthless in helping you produce detached from Christ. I mean, what it amounts to is a whole lot of branches lying around trying to tie on artificial fruit. Can’t do it.”

So this verse teaches us that our goal isn’t to work harder at growing fruit in our life. Our goal is simply to abide in the vine. To do all we can to connect with our Savior. To know Him as intimately and personally as we possibly can. Then, with His strength and love and goodness flowing through us, loads of fruit will burst onto our branches. And we’ll know that abundance is all because of Him.

Listen to MacArthur’s final advice:

“Absolutely forget about fruit, don’t even worry about fruit, you’ve got nothing to do with fruit. You abide, He’ll produce the fruit through you. . . . Just be a branch. Just be close to Jesus. Get as close as you can by being in the Word, by loving Him, by obeying Him, get His life, His strength, His energy surging through you and there will be fruit everywhere and you won’t have done anything but abide.” (John F. MacArthur, Abiding in the Vine, Part 1, September 1971, gty.org).

Let’s abide in Him today. Let’s feast on the living bread and drown ourselves in His living water. Yes, the fruit will come. But even if our lives end up absolutely loaded with fruit, I think we’ll rejoice more in the relationship that we’ve built with our Savior. For in the end, knowing Him is the most soul-filling harvest of all.