John 15:1-5

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.³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.⁴ Remain in me, as I also 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.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.

“I am the true vine”

As followers of Christ, we are called to listen carefully to our Lord’s every word as recorded in the Bible. And when we find Jesus repeating a single word five times within just two sentences, as he does with the verb remain in John 15:4-5, we can’t help but be all ears.

As these verses show, Jesus repeatedly commands and encourages his disciples both then and now to remain in him. But why, some might ask themselves, is it worth paying heed to his exhortation and what does “remaining in him” mean in practice?

In verse 1, Jesus makes a bold claim: “I am the true vine.” Indeed, if we have accepted him as our Lord and Savior, we can equally boldly attest to the truthfulness of these words. While there have been countless teachers, teachings and temptations in history, all seemingly promising wisdom, peace, fulfillment, and joy, it is only through Jesus that we may truly have life to the full (John 10:10).

Following Jesus sincerely results in us bearing fruit (v.5). As our Father in heaven prunes us (v.2), he allows us to grow spiritually so that we may become God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works (Ephesians 2:10), or in other words, believers who live by the Spirit and therefore, in spiritual terms, are more and more able to enjoy solid food rather than milk (1 Corinthians 3:1-2).

If we seek to remain in Jesus, it is essential that we know his teachings and what has been passed on to us by God’s prophets and apostles. Reading and listening to his words while guided by his Spirit nourishes us in such a complete way that Jesus himself declared: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).

Likewise, remaining in our Lord requires us to maintain an active prayer life. Again, Jesus leads the way and, throughout the gospels, he both teaches and demonstrates how to pray: regularly, both alone and with fellow brothers and sisters, sincerely, persistently, humbly yet boldly, and faithfully.

Finally, we find ourselves struggling to remain in our Lord if we do not submit to him in obedience, just as the incarnate Son of God himself submitted to and obeyed his Father in heaven. While never ceasing to ask for forgiveness for the many times we stumble, we also have a responsibility to resist the enemy and his snares by choosing to obey our Lord’s commandments.

Finally, let us rejoice in the greatest reward imaginable, which lies in Jesus’ promise to us in verse 4 and is so highly encouraging that it cannot be repeated often enough: “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.”

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank you that we may know you as our life-giving God and everlasting source of peace and joy, the one and only true vine. Heavenly Father, we pray that you provide us with perseverance and wisdom to remain in your Son all our days. We praise and thank you with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.