Jesus used various illustrations to effectively communicate the relationship and the connection between him, the Father, and his disciples. One of such illustrations was an agricultural analogy.  Jesus presents himself as the true vine ( ‘I’m the true vine’), the Father as the gardener, and his disciples as the branches.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 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. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you” (Jn 15:1-3).

In this profound illustration two things are expected/desired by the Gardener:  

Fruitfulness– Fruitfulness is the Father’s expectation for every branch that is attached to the vine. It is God’s will that you become a fruitful believer. Fruitfulness is the increase and multiplication of the seed/word that was sown. There is a deposit in you that can either be suppressed or harnessed for greater multiplication and fruitfulness.

Fruitful here can refer to the way you live. It can also refer to bringing others to Jesus; but it can also be construed in terms of bearing the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But the fruit of the Holy Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control­- Galatians 5:22-23. So be fruitful.

Any branch that isn’t fruitful has forfeited its purpose. There is no use of such a branch to the gardener. It is like clouds without rain, a well without water, or like salt that has lost its saltiness. The only thing that the gardener (God) does to such a branch is to cut it off and throw it to the fire. Elsewhere, He promises to spit out from his mouth that which is neither hot nor cold (Rev. 3:16). Therefore, see to it that you do not become axed by God.

Cleanliness– On the other hand, every branch that bears fruit is pruned to make it even more fruitful. Its productivity is enhanced and increased. Pruning, removing the unnecessary buds, is not meant to kill the sprouts of the vine but to make it clean, flourish, and even produce many more yields. (The painful ‘pruning experiences’ we sometimes go through are not meant to make us bitter but better).

Jesus further instructs, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you”. The word of God is able to purify us from all unrighteousness and make us clean, effective, and productive in our Christian lives. The Leviticus imperative “be holy because I am holy” is relevant here. It is untrue to claim that we (branches) are connected to Jesus (the true vine) yet we live in sin.

Therefore how can we remain connected to the true vine? Again, two things are necessary:  

i). Detachment– We need to be detached from the things that hinder us from getting connected to the true vine. It could be possible that you are attached to other “vines” and not to the “true vine”, Jesus Christ. Concurrently, you can’t be attached to Jesus and some other things.

Jesus guarantees, “apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn. 15:5c). We are nothing without him. Without him, we achieve nothing. Detachment from Jesus only leads to fruitlessness and complete removal from the true vine.

The truth is, to be detached from our past (or from what we see as a source of life) is not an easy processes; it needs God’s grace and a decisive move.

ii). Attachment– Detachment should lead to attachment. There is no neutral ground. You “put off” and “putt on”. After getting detached from various concerns, we need to be attached to the true vine for fruitfulness and purity.

Jesus taught, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (Jn. 15:5)

Our life is derived from our connection with Jesus, the true vine. Jesus is our life. It is by remaining in him that we have the words of eternal life. In Jesus there is holiness; and it is by remaining in him that we become/are made holy. In Jesus there is a savior; by becoming connected to him we are saved. In Jesus there is glorious and unfading inheritance and by becoming constantly connected to him we become co-heirs with Christ.

Get connected today to the true vine to receive the life of God.