I Am the Vine

What does it mean when Jesus called Himself the vine? He gave His disciples

this picture on the night before He went to the cross, saying, I am the

vine; you are the branches (John 15:5). Jesus as the vine is a great

metaphor for our relationship to our Savior. Jesus being our vine means

that we can draw love and strength from Him, like a branch that is

connected to a vine can draw water and nutrients to sustain growth. Jesus

wants to stay in connection with us, and when we remain in Him, we see

growth in our lives. Jesus also offers us support as our vine. A branch

that is connected to its vine won’t blow away or break off in a windy

storm. When life gets windy and we are connected to Jesus, we can remember

who we are in Christ and what our purpose is in Him. Remembering that we

belong to Christ is a great way to center ourselves when life is getting

chaotic. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit reminds us that

we can reach back to our connection to the main vine, rest in His strong

love, and reconnect with our purpose. And what is this purpose? To bear the

fruit of love. Just a few verses after calling Himself the vine, Jesus

commands His disciples to love each other like He has loved them. But He

makes it clear that they cannot do this without Him, saying, No branch can

bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear

fruit unless you remain in me (verse 4). And Jesus has already shown us

what bearing fruit can look like. Our vine has already demonstrated His

love for us. Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross and rose again, beating

sin and death, because of the deep love He has for us. And because of His

sacrifice, we can now bear the fruit of love too. ⦠Naomi Zylstra ⦠What

does it mean to bear good fruit as a Christian? (Take a look at Galatians

5:22-23.) ⦠Why is it important to remember that we can’t bear this good

fruit on our own? What do you think it means to remain in Jesus? My

command is this: Love each other as I [Jesus] have loved you. John 15:12

(NIV)

Read Verses:

John 15:1-John 15:12