The Vine

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

Dismal! That’s the best way to describe a vineyard in the late fall. Contorted log-like trunks about six to eight feet long lie on the cold barren ground stripped of limb, leaf, and presumably even life. It’s hard to believe that this place was fruitful just a few months before. Only a very few would even expect that those chunks of weathered wood could produce abundantly again.

         

Each of those naked stumps is a vine and within them is the promise of next year’s harvest. In the spring the empty field turns green with life. The vine sends out branches and then leaves. The clusters of fruit that form are not so much a reflection of the quality of the branches as much as a tribute to the productivity of the vine.

         

When Jesus said that He was the vine, His disciples understood that He claimed to be the source of fruitfulness to those abiding in Him. Christ did not have material wealth, comfort, or a large following while He was on this earth, so spiritual fruit can’t be construed as meaning these things. Rather, the character that people saw in Him is what He offers.

The Lord Jesus told his followers: “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” (John 15:9). “"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:11). “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14:27). The fruit of the spirit just happens in a believer’s life when he is very close to Christ (Galatians 5:22-23).