The true vine

 

The chapter can be divided into three portions:

Verses 1-8      Responsibility to Christ.    The main thought is “my disciples”; the commandment is “abide in me”-v4v7v9

Verses 9-17    Responsibility to each other.   The main thought is “my friends”, the commandment to “love one another” v12v17

Verses 18-27  Responsibility to the world.   The main thought is that we are “witnesses” and the commandment is to testify of Christ-v27

 

v1-8   Responsibility to Christ.

The picture is very graphic, “I am the true vine, ye are the branches”.   The purpose of the vine is to produce fruit.  In these verses there is a progression of thought concerning fruit: No fruit, fruit, more fruit, much fruit.  What is fruit?  It is the produce of the natural flow from the vine to the branches.  In Christian terms, it is the reproduction of Christ in my life.  The fruit of the Spirit is defined for us in Galatians 5v22-23, where, following 18 features of the works of the flesh-produce of a life detached from God, are listed 9 features of the fruit of the Spirit-produce of fellowship with God.  We have here a very graphic picture of a vineyard, the branches, the husbandman and the fruit.

Christ is the true vine.  This can be understood in a number of ways; “true” can refer to the spiritual counterpart of the natural.  This is a common biblical term and is used to compare the material with the spiritual.  It can also refer to that which is real as opposed to the false.  Blue letter bible defines as follows; “…that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name, real, true, genuine.

 A.   opposite to what is fictitious, counterfeit, imaginary, simulated or pretended.                                                                                           B.   it contrasts realities with their semblance.                                   C.   opposite to what is imperfect defective, frail, uncertain

Examples are: John 1v9-the true light; 4v23-the true worshippers; 6v32-true bread from heaven; 15v1-the true vine; 17v3 “the only true God”.  Elsewhere we read of “true riches”-Luke 16v11; Hebrews 8v2 “the true tabernacle”; Revelation 3v14 “the true witness”. 

Christ is the true vine; in contrast to the false vine of Israel as depicted in the Old Testament.  In Isaiah 5 the vine, which was the house of Israel, produced wild grapes; in Hosea 10v1-2, it was an empty vine, producing no fruit at all.  Christ is the true vine as opposed to the false vine of Israel, which first produced toxic fruit, then no fruit at all.  Real fruit for God will be produced in abundance by the disciples of Christ, as they abide in Him. 

Christ is the vine, the disciples are the branches; the Father is the husbandman who tends to the branches.  The purpose is to produce spiritual fruit for the glory of God.  We, as disciples, exist to produce fruit and there is a process of adjustment to that end.  This is pruning in order to maximise fruit production, just as an earthly vineyard keeper would.