John 15:1-6
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
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.
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.
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.
When we last got together on John 15, we were discussing verse 2 and 3, and the relationship of pruning and cleansing. We saw the two types of branches, and the actions taking on them based on their fruitfulness. Of course we considered what Jesus meant for the non-fruit bearing believer when He used the term “take away”, and couldn’t come to a conclusion as to His meaning given the verse we were looking at. Did it mean to raise up, as in raising the branch our of the dirt , or did it mean removal of the branch form the vine?
Hopefully the next few verses will assist in our understanding.
Verse 4 is a defining verse in this passage, for Jesus identifies who the branches are. It may have been assumed previously, but now there is no doubt. The branches are disciples.
Their responsibility? Abide in Jesus. This is a command that is to be obeyed, and out of this obedience, a fruitfulness occurs. Don’t get this backward though. Working at being fruitful is not the intent of this passage. Jesus isn’t saying that we should force fruitfulness out of our lives, as if that were possible. No. He says to abide in Him.
To Abide
The Greek term is menō. Synonyms for this word include remain, dwell, continue, tarry and endure.
For the disciple to continue having the life of God course through his (spiritual) veins, he has to remain in Christ. His responsibility is to stay put, to continue with Christ and not to “not abide”.
Yet in this passage Jesus brings to the disciples thoughts what are the consequences if anyone does not abide in Jesus….
This is the picture of the one who started as a branch, but decided to move on to something “better”. This disciple did not abide, he did not stay in Christ.
What is the reaction of the Father? As a Master Vinedresser, He tends the vineyard, finding unconnected branches, possibly with green leaves and fruit hanging from it, and throws the unconnected branch away. The unconnected branch may have the appearance of life, but since it is not connected to the life giving source of the True Vine, it is only a matter of time before the leaves turn brown, and the branch dries out.
The one who chooses not to abide in the True Vine is thrown away, eventually to be gathered together with other unconnected branches, to be thrown in fire.
Now that is some harsh teaching!
When Jesus brings the picture of burning and fire into the monologue, might Jesus be referring to hell as we modern believers understand it? A fire of eternal torment? This particular passage does not address this topic fully of course, and other Bible passages may provide alternate understandings of fire in a believers existence.
Might the fire refer to a fire of consumption? That is a fire that consumes whatever is thrown into it?
Another possible understanding is that the fire is a fire of purification, intending to burn off waste in order to cleanse.
Whatever the fire means in this passage cannot be something to look forward to. And it surely is not the intended end of a believer.
John 15 is very comforting to believers of all stripes, and I used to love reading it, skipping over the “difficult” parts, but it may be wise to tackle those very parts, in order to truly enjoy the comforting parts.
What are your thoughts on this passage? Have you a comment to offer on this passage and the provided teaching? I would love to hear anything you may say, especially from those who may disagree.
Nevertheless, may the Lord give you peace and strength to stay put in Christ, to abide in Him. He is the True Vine!
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