The Vine and the branches (John 15)

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

These beautiful words of Jesus depict the intimate relationship that all truly saved Christians have with their Savior. Yet, while there is beauty in the relationship, we will see that there is also pain involved.

When I was a teenager, my family lived in the wine country of Northern California and it was then that I learned about vine dressing first-hand. Like many of the homes in the area, we had wild concord grapevines growing on the fence in our backyard.

A man in our church who had a small farm taught me how to prune the vines growing on our fence so that they wouldn't take over the entire backyard. What I learned was very eye-opening and it gave me a clearer understanding of the Vine/branches passage in John 15. In this passage, Jesus speaks of the Father as the Vinedresser, of Himself as the Vine and of true believers as the branches (John 15:1-2). The brief (5 min.) video below is helpful to understand the pruning process.

Vine Pruning

A grapevine is made up of several parts. The image below shows the anatomy of a grapevine. As they relate to the passage in John 15, the trunk and cordon would comprise the Vine, and the branches would be the canes.

Now that we have some familiarity with the grapevine let's dig into the passage.

In John 15:1 Jesus says, "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was called the vine of God (e.g., Psalm 80:8-9; Jer. 2:21; Hos. 10:1) and was intended to be the conduit of blessing for the world. Rather than being a conduit like Israel, Jesus says He is the "true vine," indicating that He alone is the ultimate source of spiritual life. In like manner, the trunk of a grapevine nourishes everything attached to it.  The Vine is never pruned since it is the source of life for the branches.

God the Father (the Vinedresser) is the one who prunes the branches. The needs of each branch are all that matters to the vinedresser. There are some variables to consider for each branch, including which part of the branch needs to be cut, at which angle, the best time of year to prune, the correct pruning tool to use, last season's development, pest control, next season's forecast, etc. A wise vinedresser will take all these things into consideration and he will also have the necessary skills to perform the pruning himself. The Father is the all-wise Vinedresser who knows the best way to prune each branch so that it will bear the most fruit at the right time, and He is fully skilled to prune each individual branch perfectly.

Jesus continues, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit" (John 15:2).

Notice the contrast between the branch that does not bear fruit and the branch that does. On a grapevine, there are small branches near the roots of the vine called "suckers" (see image above) which are actually foreign plants that attach themselves to the vine. These cannot bear fruit since they aren't naturally from the vine. These need to be removed from the vine so that they don't take away any nourishment from the canes (i.e, the true branches). Then there's the bull cane (not pictured), which is a cane that sprouts so vigorously and quickly that it actually sucks a vast amount of nourishment from the other canes while not producing any fruit of its own. Bull canes are not healthy for the rest of the grapevine because they can disfigure the cordon and the branches. Suckers and bull canes are equivalent to the seed that fell on the stony ground in the parable of the soils (Matt. 13:5-6, 20-21) and they must be removed completely for the health of the branches. They are professing "Christians" who are actually unsaved and are merely using Christianity for their own selfish purposes. The Father removes these false branches for the health of the true branches (1 John 2:19).

Jesus says that all fruit-producing branches will be pruned. First, observe that both the sick and the healthy branches produce fruit, and both are pruned regardless of the quality/quantity of their fruit. This is the most important part of vine dressing. The state of each branch will determine how much of the branch is pruned. If a branch is sick the vinedresser will prune it down into the renewal spur (see image above), which is so close to the cordon that very little of the branch is left. A healthy branch will be cut down to the first, second or third bud on the cane (see image above). Either way, all branches have the majority of their length pruned so low that producing fruit again appears impossible.

Second, pruning actually wounds the branch so that it bleeds. "Wound" and "bleed" are real terms that vinedressers use. A freshly cut branch is commonly said to be "crying" because of how much watery sap it drips. Some even spray out sap for a moment before turning into a slow weep. Being pruned is a painful albeit necessary experience for the health of all true believers (cf. Deut. 32:39). But take heart! Pruning is best done by hand rather than by machine. As Dr. McGee put it, "You remember that the Lord Jesus said (as recorded in John 15) that He is the vine, we are the branches, and the Father prunes the branches. That hurts to be trimmed like that! But, as the old Scotch divine said, the Father is never so close to the branches as when He is trimming them."[1]  The vinedresser must focus on each branch and hold them carefully in his tender hand when he is pruning them. There is comfort in the thought of the Father's tender nearness during this painful process.

Third, pruning takes place in late winter a few weeks before spring, when the fruit is no longer being produced. This goes well with Psalm 1:3, which says the faithful believer produces fruit "in his season." The saved person can do everything right and yet they will still have dormant, dry seasons. We should not expect a life of constant fruit nor should we get discouraged when we are doing all the right things but are not producing any fruit. It means that God has just pruned you or He is about to prune you so that you will heal, you will be healthy, and you will produce more fruit than ever before. This ought to give the wounded, hurting believer hope and it ought to develop confidence and endurance in them while they wait upon the Lord to bring healing and more fruit.

"You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples." (John 15:3-8).

Pruned grapevine

The word "clean" that Jesus uses here is the same Greek word for pruned (καθαροί) that He used earlier. Jesus is saying that His disciples were prepared for spiritual growth because they believed in His word. He then gives them the command to "abide" in Him because it's impossible to produce Spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22-23) unless one is abiding in Him.

Interpreters disagree over the interpretation of the branches that do not abide and are cast into the fire in verse 6. Some see these branches as false believers, much like the suckers and bull canes. The "fire" would be Hell in this interpretation. Others take these to be truly saved branches who, for one reason or another, live in unrepentant rebellion against their Savior and will never turn back to Him, so He ends their earthly lives and brings them home. In this interpretation, the "fire" is the ending of one's physical (but not spiritual) life (see 1 John 5:16-17). Either way, the point is that it is unwise and can be fatal to choose a false, empty source of nourishment by living disconnected from Christ, the true source of life.

Jesus goes on to give the wonderful promise of answered prayer for those who are abiding in Him and have His words abiding in them. To have His words abide in you means to have Scripture as the controlling force in your life. It means that your mind is filled with God's word and you are living in accordance with it. If your mind, heart, and life are filled with and controlled by God's Word then your prayers will be in line with His will so that whatever you ask will be God's will (1 John 5:14).

When the branches abide in the Vine they produce "much fruit" (John 15:5). This glorifies the Vinedresser who has the love, wisdom and care to prune the branches in such a way that they produce the best fruit possible. Pruning is good for the health branches and it glorifies the Vinedresser when the fruit is produced in the branches.

"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another." (John 15:9-14, 16-17).

Ripened grapevine

Question: How do the branches abide in the Vine?

Answer: Obey Jesus.

Notice that Jesus is telling us this so that our joy may be made full. This means that our joy can be not full. Being joyful comes with abiding in Christ, which means obeying Him. Again, even when we are healthy and doing everything right, there are times when the Father will prune us so far back that our happiness disappears. But when we remember that our Father is pruning us for our healing and for better growth we can take comfort that more joy is in our future, even if we don't have it in times of pruning.
It is important to note that not every bad thing that happens in a Christian's life is God pruning them. Some trials are the natural consequences of our own sins (Gal. 6:7-8), some are discipline from God meant to turn us back to Him (Heb. 12:5-13), some are brought to demonstrate to the genuineness of our faith (1 Pet. 1:6-7), and some bad things could be unrelated to us entirely. There are many reasons why God allows us to suffer and there are also many reasons why we may need to be pruned, so we must always seek the Father for wisdom to know how each trial should be handled (Jas. 1:2-7, 12).

The Vine gives His branches the command to love one another to the level that He has loved them. This is how the branches abide in Him; obey Christ and love others enough to lay down our lives for them. It's wonderful to be reminded that the grapes produced in the branches provide food for people. In the same way, true believers nourish others when the fruit of the Spirit is being produced in them. Also, recall that grape clusters are picked off the branches to feed others, which perfectly applies to Christ's command to love one another enough to give our lives for each other.
Jesus chose us to bear fruit that lasts and to live with His words abiding in us and controlling us so that we pray for things that are in God's will. When Jesus says He chose us so that our fruit would remain, He departs from the analogy somewhat. The point is, the more we are pruned the longer our seasons with fruit will last. And the more times we go through the pruning process, the more we will look forward to the results, which is itself growth. Think of it! Pruning, although painful, ultimately brings healing, Spiritual fruit, a closer walk with the Savior, joy, answered prayer, and it glorifies the wisdom, skill, and love of the Father! If you are in the midst of a pruning season, remember that Christ promised you will bear more fruit when this season is over. Your healing and growing seasons are on the way!

"Every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit." (John 15:2)

[1] Reaction to Suffering by Dr. J. Vernon McGee. (2020). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved 11 May 2020, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/mcgee_j_vernon/eBooks/suffer/reaction-to-suffering.cfm



Here's another helpful video to watch if you'd like to learn more: