John 15: The Vine

Setting the Scene

As we noted last week, the setting in the 13th chapter of John through the 17th chapter depicts Jesus’ final words and actions with his chosen group of 12 disciples  – the apostles.  Here, like a father temporarily leaving his family, Jesus imparts some important things to remember, lays out his expectations while he is gone, and tells them he will return again.  The transition from chapter 14 to 15 abrupt, with Jesus stating, “Come, now.  Let us leave.”

In chapter 15, Jesus immediately launches into an analogy concerning his relationship to the 12 (and by implication all believers).  Namely, he gives them the “I am the vine, you are the branches” speech.  This is one of the more famous sayings of Jesus, and it has caused some famous differences of opinion about certain aspects of the analogy.

John doesn’t say where this teaching occurs, but it likely this teaching took place en route to the Mount of Olives, as Matthew 26 records this abrupt ending to the last supper scene:

³⁰ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.  Matthew 26:30 NIV

Imagine Jesus walking along with his disciples as they approached the Mount of Olives.  Perhaps the surrounding olive trees enabled Christ to use this readily-available imagery as a vivid illustration for his disciples.  Just because the english word is “vine” doesn’t mean this could not reference any vine or tree (which is basically an enlarged vine) that bears fruit.  Historically, God used the grape vine as an analogy, as we will explore below.  Yet, Paul used the analogy of the olive tree in the same way, as will also be discussed below.

The True Vine

Whatever the setting and no matter what plant inspired the analogy, Jesus tells his disciples: “I am the true vine”.   The obvious question this raises is  “whatother vine is there”?  Is there a false vine?  It could be there was some additional discussion prior to this not recorded by John, since these words begin an entirely new discussion.  Was Jesus simply comparing himself to the surrounding examples of fruit-bearing plants, or was there something deeper at play here?

In Psalm 80:8, God calls Israel a “vine” planted by God, and in Jeremiah, God continues this imagery about his chosen people:

I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock. How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?

Jer. 2:21 NIV [emphasis mine]

Predicting the destruction of Jerusalem because of their sin, Jeremiah writes:

⁹ This is what the LORD Almighty says:

“Let them glean the remnant of Israel
as thoroughly as a vine;
pass your hand over the branches again,
like one gathering grapes.”  Jer. 6:9 NIV

Now, Jesus says to his disciples that he is the “true” vine.  Notice these points from Israel’s history and their ultimate fulfillment in Christ:

• Genesis 45:5 – Joseph dreams and goes to Egypt to preserve his family.
• Matthew 2:13 – Another Joseph dreams and goes to Egypt to preserve his family.

• Exodus 4:22 – Israel leaves Egypt and God calls it “my son.”
• Matthew 2:15 – Jesus returns from Egypt and God says, “I have called my son.”

• Exodus 14:22 – Israel is baptized unto Moses in the Red Sea (1 Corinthians 10:2).
• Matthew 3:15-17 – Jesus baptized to fulfill all righteousness.

• Numbers 14:33 – After coming through the Red Sea, Israel wanders in the wilderness for 40 years.
• Matthew 4:1-2 – After Jesus’ baptism, He is led into the wilderness for 40 days.

• Deuteronomy – At the end of the 40 years, Moses writes the book of Deuteronomy.
• Matthew 4:1-11 – After 40 days in the wilderness, Jesus is tempted and resists Satan, quoting three Scriptures from Deuteronomy.

• Psalm 80:8 – God calls the nation of Israel a vine that He brought out of Egypt.
• John 15:1 – Jesus declares, “I am the true vine.”

Jesus had been teaching previously (as recorded by John) that if one is to be connected to God’s chosen people, he is the “way, the truth and the life”.   He illustrated in John 10 that he is the “good” (i.e. “true” or “genuine”) shepherd of Israel.  If you want to be part of God’s flock, he must be your shepherd.  Now he describes himself as the “true” vine because he is God’s true chosen son, the true Israel.  What Jesus is saying is that the only way a person can be part of God’s “choice vine” and bear its fruit is to be attached like a branch to the vine – Jesus himself.

This analogy is really very simple.  The vine is the source of life to the branches.  If a branch is connected to the vine it lives and grows fruit.  If a branch is not connected to the vine, it dies and does not grow fruit.  A good gardner cuts off dead branches and prunes the living branches.  The pruning is nurturing and shaping the branch so it can bear the most fruit.

Making application to a Christian life, we connect to Christ in faith, and by his power flowing through us, we bear fruit.  There are differences over whether the fruit is personal holiness/good works or bringing converts to Christ, but I think the fruit encompasses the totality of a Christian life lived – our personal sanctification.  This may be expressed in evangelism by some and other deeds by others.  In short, fruit is the evidence of a life changed by Christ – no mater what form it takes.  As for the “pruning”, everyone has times in their walk as a Christian when they need correction and discipline (Heb. 12:6).  It seems painful, but it’s for our own good.  God does this in a myriad of ways as he sanctifies us.  He allows us to endure trials, he convicts us by his word, etc.  That’s the totality of the analogy in a nutshell.

There are other elements of this analogy worth exploring, as they have raised questions among believers for years.

Grafted 

First, we should not that like all analogies, this analogy is not perfect.  We don’t grow out of Christ like an appendage.  He are added to him.  In another place, Paul describes the Gentile converts to Christ as branches “grafted” into an olive tree.

¹³ I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry ¹⁴ in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ¹⁶ If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

¹⁷ If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸ do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.  Romans 11:13-21 NIV

In a graft, you take a branch from one plant and literally stick it into the trunk or vine of another plant, and it begins to grow in the strength of the plant.  Paul’s letter addressed the unique relationship of 1st-century Gentiles coming into a state of equality with the Jews, but the truth is, every Christian is “grafted” in.  No one becomes a Christian by birth or by virtue of their “Christian” lineage.  This brings us back to Jesus’ teaching about the vine and branches.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.  John 15:5-8 NIV

As noted earlier, any branch that doesn’t bear fruit will be cut off and cast away, wither, and be burned.  The branch that bears fruit will be cared for by the “gardner”. The whole thing is summed up in verse 2:

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.  John 15:2 NIV

And how does a branch guarantee it will be fruitful?  By being fully connected to the vine, hence Jesus says “remain in me and I in you”.  If the branch isn’t effectively grafted in, the sap can’t flow into it.  A true connection is needed.

Fruitless Branches and Eternal Security

What does this analogy say about the believer’s security in Christ?  Differences have arisen over what exactly is being taught here.  There are basically two camps: one says the fruitless branches are true believers who later turn their back on salvation, while the other says these branches were never truly believers.  The first camp says Jesus is teaching a “true believer” has lost their salvation when they stop bearing fruit. Another camp says no “true believer” will ever be cut off from the vine because a “true” believer will continue to bear fruit.

Jesus doesn’t really expound this point in great detail. He simply states that any branches in the vine that don’t produce fruit will be cut off.  Because Jesus emphasizes “without me you can do nothing”, it is obvious that any branch consistently not bearing fruit is clearly not connected to the vine – even if it appears to be “in” the vine.  A branch withers when it no longer is supplied sap from the vine.  Such a branch is not “abiding” (ESV) or “remaining” (NIV) in Christ, and Paul seems to clear up what “abiding” in the vine means in his letter to the Romans.

“…Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” ²⁰ Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.  Rom. 11:19b-21 NIV [emphasis mine]

“Abiding” or “remaining” in the vine is another way of saying “continuing to believe”.  Like the old cry of the reformers, “sola fide”, it is faith that connects the branch to the vine, resulting in fruit.  Consistent and enduring fruit-bearing is the evidence of this connection.  Even with this definition of “abiding”, the camps are still divided.  One says no one can believe to salvation and later disbelieve to damnation.  The other camp says it is possible for a person to believe to salvation and later reverse course and fall into unbelief, falling from their former state.

Christians will likely debate until the return of Christ whether the cast-off branches are true believers or not – whether these branches were saved and then lost because of unbelief or were never really saved to begin with.  Personally, I am currently looking closely at this issue afresh, and I admit it can be a difficult study to navigate.  At the moment, I remain convinced from the scriptures that apostasy is possible for one who comes to Christ in saving faith. In other words, a person may exist in a “saved” condition for a time, but then be entangled again and fall into unbelief.  For my part, the warnings about apostasy given to the church in the epistles of Paul, Peter, etc can’t be ignored, and  I haven’t seen an overwhelmingly-convincing alternate explanation for them.  One particularly poignant passage for me is this one about false teachers:

²⁰ If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. ²¹ It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.  2 Pet. 2:20

I find it difficult to get around Peter’s identification of these men (who are clearly destined for destruction) as having “escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior”.  In what way did they “escape the corruption of the world” if they were never made righteous by faith at any point in the past? What exactly was “overcome” if they were always in a state of unbelief?  And what exactly is Satan’s purpose in attacking the church?  I have a hard time buying the commonly-held idea that Satan merely wants to steal the Christian’s joy or disrupt the work of the church (although I’m sure he desires both).  Satan’s designation by Peter as a “roaring lion seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8) would be relegated to that of a roaring lion seeking whom he may “irritate”, if there is no possibility he can lead away true believers.  Furthermore, shepherds of the flock would have no need to “guard” the flock from “savage wolves” (Acts 20:29), if no lasting harm could come to the faith of true believers. These points are very persuasive for me.

Having said this, I do not believe someone haphazardly or accidentally “sins” their way into “losing” their salvation.  I believe anyone who apostatizes throws salvation away through a heart of unbelief.  That’s what Paul said about the branches cut off from the olive root – they were cut off because of unbelief.

By making these statements and throwing in one verse from 2 Peter, I have obviously barely scratched the surface of this debate, and I am well aware of the scriptural and logical arguments of excellent bible students and scholars who take a different position than I do.  I think a person can take either side on this issue and still be saved.  Both sides accuse the other of slipping into extremes – either antinomianism (lawlessness because you can’t “lose” your salvation) or salvation by works (because you have to do good works to “keep” your salvation).  The matter is worthy of careful consideration.

Works Salvation or Something Else?

Another source of confusion is found in verse 9:

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.  Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

Jesus makes an imperative statement here.  “Remain in my love” (NIV).  He then seems to use an “if-then” statement to say that in order to “remain” in his love, we must keep his commands.  In other words, we are commanded work to continue to stay in his good graces.  If we do the works he commands us, then he will love us and we will “stay saved”.  Is Jesus teaching a “works-based” salvation?  After saying this, Jesus said he told them this that their “joy may be complete”.   If what he meant was, “You had better do plenty of good works or I won’t love you anymore!”, how could this have filled them with joy?

Here, the ESV term “abide” is better than the NIV “remain”.  “Remain” has an entirely different meaning than “abide”.  Remain has an element of work to it, as if the party is clinging desperately by his or her own power.  “Abide” has an element of rest to it, as if the party is contentedly (but not complacently) existing in a particular state.  Jesus said he would give us “rest” (Mat. 11:28).  The Hebrew writer makes the case that the people of Israel awaited the “rest” that would come through messiah (Heb. 4).  Perhaps to say “live” is an even better modern equivalent for “abide”.  Anyone who keep Christ’s commandments is living in Christ’s love.  To obey Christ is to live in Christ.  To live in Christ is to obey Christ.  Paul said something similar: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

What Jesus is doing here is simply to give the disciples the proper understanding of what defines a life lived in the gospel.  Keeping his commands and abiding in his love are inexorably linked.  Like the act of baptism in itself is powerless to save, it would nonetheless have been unthinkable for the apostles to have taught salvation without it or without repentance, for that matter.  Actually, what Jesus lays out is a perfect and logical progression.

1. God loves Christ because God is love.
2. Christ loves his disciples like God loved him.
3. His disciples love each other like Christ love them.

This is exactly the “command” he gives them in verse 12:

¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.   John 15:12 NIV

Coming Persecution and Coming Help

The end of this chapter involves two promises.  One is of persecution and the other is of help.

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[b] If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’^[c]

    ²⁶ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.  John 15:18-27

On a side note, Jesus makes another unusual statement here.  In speaking of those Jews who have rejected him, he says:

²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

How are we to understand this?  Is this saying people who haven’t heard about Jesus can’t be held guilty for sin?  This is best understood to mean these Jews were guilty of the sin of rejecting Jesus.  They were certainly sinners like every other man, but hearing the testimony of Christ and rejecting him is a sin in itself.  In fact, it is the ultimate sin – the “unforgivable” sin.

 And everyone that says a word against the Son of Man, that will be forgiven; But he that blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Luke 12:10

More to the point, Jesus emphasizes how utterly and completely he had been rejected – even hated by men.  In essence, he promises the same for anyone connected to the vine, but particularly these men.  But this bleak prophecy comes with another promise of help.  The Holy Spirit will come to testify to the truth of  Jesus and he will do this through the apostles (“whom I will send to you“, vs. 26).  No doubt the “fruit” the apostles bore would include evangelizing the world.

Concluding Thoughts

Although the discussion is interesting, overall, I don’t believe this particular text was intended to raise a deep theological argument about eternal security.  This teaching was short, pointed, and practical.  Let’s sum up with two practical points from  these sayings of Jesus.

1. Jesus is the Source of Life and Power for the Believer

This text simply records Jesus reminding his closest followers to remember he is the source of their salvation and power to change.  His love and example and promised Spirit (v. 26) are the motivation they need to live a fruitful life in his service.  He calls them “loved” (vs. 9) and his “friends” (vs. 14, 15).   He reminds them that they were chosen by him for this mission – they didn’t choose him (v. 16).  He says this to  further instill in them the motivation and power to bear fruit in his name and to endure persecution and hatred (v. 20).  (Incidentally, I don’t believe verse 16 is meant to be a commentary on God’s predestination of individuals to salvation.  In this context, I think Jesus is simply talking about his choosing of his 12 apostles.)  Jesus provides the power to save you and the power to change you.

2. The Cost of Discipleship

Perhaps more than anything else, this text is about the lordship of Christ.  He can’t be your savior and not be your lord.  Being his disciple is more than simply saying, “OK, I believe.  Bless me!”  It’s more than saying, “OK, I’m in the vine now”.  No, one must be truly connected and show this by bearing fruit.  What’s been called “easy-believism” is being rejected outright by Christ.  His true disciples will obey his commands, suffer hatred and persecution, and love others sacrificially.  That’s the mark of a true believer.  Those who put merely these properties on externally will be told, “Depart, I never knew you.”  in final judgement (Matthew 7:23).

Chapter 13, 14, 15 and 16 may comprise the world’s greatest pep-talk, and the disciples will need this reminder and the love of each other to face what is coming next.