Any Jewish person would have understood a metaphor about a vine. But even to us, who touch agriculture less often, it’s a pretty simple concept. Vine branches have to be perpetually attached to their vine, because everything they have comes from that vine. It’s the same for us; our strength, our hope, our life and breath and purpose all come only from Jesus, and so we absolutely have to stay as perpetually attached to Jesus as spiritually possible. I’ve often been convicted—and invite you to be convicted with me—that however deep my actual, lived-out attachment to Christ is, truly abiding would be much deeper.
Jesus also says that vine branches get pruned by the gardener so as to bear more fruit. If we’re abiding in Christ and adopting his strength, we’re unavoidably adopting his purpose as well—his grand kingdom purpose! And that means that, just as vine branches have their weak and useless ends cut off so that they can be maximally fruitful, our Father will prune us, snipping off the parts that don’t advance his kingdom. Be warned: pruning hurts. Abiding in Jesus means losing the parts of our lives that don’t resemble Jesus, and that pruning process may leave scars. Are we really willing to accept the Father’s pruning shears?
But Jesus is unapologetic in saying this because, according to him, the fruit that pruned branches bear makes it overwhelmingly worth it! If our root is in Jesus, then what comes out of us will not be things of our own making; it will be the very character of the Son of God. We will bear the fruit of Jesus, for the kingdom of our Lord.
What does that fruit look like? It looks first and foremost, as Jesus reminds us again, like thoroughly obeying his commandments for righteous living. It looks like constantly fixating our minds on the pure and holy things of God, as well as his promises to make all things new soon. It looks like acting justly, loving mercy, and walking faithfully with our God. It looks like overflowing with love for one another. And then notice the last verse in this passage. Bearing fruit ends up looking like having a joy that is total, perfect, complete, ultimate, unquenchable.
But don’t forget what Jesus’ instruction is for us in this passage: not to build up this fruit on our own, but to abide in him. And when we abide, the fruit of the vine will blossom out of the branches in overwhelming abundance. Abide in Christ Jesus.
