Enduring Word John 15 (2024)

FAQs

What is the main point in John 15? ›

On the final evening of His mortal ministry, after the Last Supper, the Savior taught His Apostles that He is the True Vine and that His disciples are the branches. He commanded His disciples to love one another and warned them of the persecution they would experience because of their association with Him.

This message explains that we need to remain constantly connected to Christ. As a branch needs to be connected to the main part of the plant in order to live, we need to be “attached” to the Lord.

In John 15:2, Jesus was saying that He will remove every unfruitful branch (those who say they're Christians but live not in the spirit) by tribulation and by the cares of the world; these are considered dead. But, for the branch that bears fruit, He will remove (prune) all things that stop it from increasing.

Like a branch "in the vine" which produces no fruit, these are people who have attached themselves to the church, but are not connected to the Source of life. The One with ultimate knowledge and authority—God as the "vinedresser"—will eventually remove those false branches and discard them.

The only choice that leads to salvation is to follow Jesus and obey His commands. To abide in Jesus means that we are “all in” and committed to following Him no matter where the path leads us. No matter how difficult the road in front of us may be.

So you see, according to Jesus, God wants us to bear fruit. And the fruit he wants is the fruit of Christian character, Christian conduct, and Christian converts.

The True Vine (Greek: ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή hē ampelos hē alēthinē) is an allegory or parable given by Jesus in the New Testament. Found in John 15:1–17, it describes Jesus' disciples as branches of himself, who is described as the "true vine", and God the Father the "husbandman".

In this allegory are two important principles: First, we must be grounded in Christ. If we are not, we will not be fruitful (see John 15:4). If our lives are not in harmony with the teachings of the Savior, it is no more likely that we will bear good fruit than that a branch cut off from a vine will bear fruit.

Jesus is the vine, the true source of life for us believers. We are branches connected to Him, drawing that life from Him as branches draw the necessary nutrients to survive and flourish. At first glance, we may assume that branches bear fruit, but in another sense, it's really the vine that makes it all happen.

Pruning is not a punishment for a Christian; it is a reward. God is the vinedresser who prunes the life of everyone who abides in Christ and bears the fruit of Christ. Spiritual pruning enhances spiritual growth by removing whatever inhibits spiritual growth. Through much of life we are told that things do not hurt.

How do you know God is pruning you? ›

One of the first signs that God is pruning you is that your priorities start to shift. You value more of what God values rather than what your flesh values. You're choosing God's ways instead of the world's ways. You desire spiritual growth and a closer relationship with God.

John 15:2 KJV. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. The above metaphor seemingly refers to two branches one an unfruitful one which is cut off and thrown away and the other a fruitful one which is purged.

The disciples are reminded of the love of the Father and the Son, and the love of the Son for the disciples, and then exhorted to 'love one another' in the same manner. John 15:13 speaks of the 'greater love' as being the willingness to 'lay down' one's life for friends.

Although Israel was viewed as the vine in numerous Old Testament texts, Jesus is the “true vine” who fulfills God's expectation for his people. A growing vine needs care and so Jesus identifies God the Father as the farmer or gardener. God is the one who does the planting, watering, and pruning of the vine.

Jesus likened his Father to a cultivator, himself to a vine, and his disciples to branches. Just as branches on a literal vine receive their support and nourishment from the trunk, Jesus' disciples receive spiritual support and nourishment if they remain in union with him, “the true vine.”​—Joh 15:, 5.

John's theme of life- eternal life, comes up again and again. One could argue this is his main purpose: to demonstrate Jesus as the source of eternal life.

Gospel: John 15: 12-17

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.

Jesus explains in John 15:3, “Already you are clean because of the Word that I have spoken to you.” We read that abiding means to dwell in God's presence, and one essential way of doing this is by hiding His Word in our hearts.