Under the Old Covenant Israel was considered to be the vine. We understand this to be so, because in a prayer addressed to the Shepherd of Israel (Psalm 80:1), it is said Israel was a vine the Lord brought out of Egypt and planted in a place, where the heathen were cast out (Psalm 80:8). Room was given the vine to grow and its branches filled the land (Psalm 80:9). The hills were covered, and her branches extended to the Mediterranean, and its roots reached to the Euphrates (Psalm 80:10-11). To dwell under the vine and fig tree symbolized peace and prosperity (1Kings 4:25). However, Israel had become an apostate vine, yielding fruit, but not to God (Hosea 10:1). Therefore, Jesus drew from this parabolic understanding and referred to himself as the True Vine (John 15:1)! But, what did he mean?
While still preparing to leave the upper room, Jesus told his disciples that he was the True Vine. This would have been somewhat of a shock, but this evening was full of shocking statements for this group of sorrowful and confused disciples, who sought to grasp something that would allow them to hold on to their hope in Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus was offering them that hope in the statements he made in what we might call the Upper Room Discourse. Judas failed to hold on, but these men clung to the last vestige of hope in their Rabbi and Lord. Jesus was giving them real hope in claiming to be the True Vine. Jesus was claiming to be what the land claimed to be. He was their source of peace. He was their hope, and they could no longer look to anyone or anything other than him for their life.
Jesus began to explain his disciples’ relationship with him by reminding them how a gardener would dress his vine, taking away fruitless branches and pruning those that bear fruit, so they would become even more fruitful (John 15:1-2).
Now, they were clean, vis-à-vis they were cleansed through pruning and being purged of fruitless branches (viz. Judas). This process is accomplished through the word that Jesus spoke to them. Judas Iscariot was removed, while they were pruned, being troubled over what Jesus had been telling them that evening (John 15:3). Nevertheless, just as Judas made his choice, they need to continue to choose to abide in their Messiah, if they expect to bear any fruit to God. For, just as a branch in the vine cannot bear fruit on its own, neither can they, unless they continue to abide in Jesus, for he is the vine in the metaphor, and believers are its branches (John 15:5).
Heretofore, the vine was Israel, the nation, and as part of that nation, they could bear fruit to God by themselves. Nevertheless, under the New Covenant, the true Vine has become Jesus (John 15:1), and not even citizens of Israel, the nation, are able to honor God apart from abiding in Jesus, their Messiah (John 15:4-5). The sole purpose of the branch is to bear fruit (John 15:2, 4-5, 8), and the purpose of the disciple of Jesus is to use his life-giving sap (Spirit) to bear fruit to him, which honors or pleases the Father (John 15:8), and the kind of fruit that pleases God is righteousness, or good works, which cause others to be thankful to God (Psalm 1:3).
Therefore, the man of righteousness, the believer abiding in Christ, wouldn’t make his stand in the counsel of the ungodly (Psalm 1:1; cp. Luke 22:1-6), for to stand in their way is to become like them, and not only would we become entrenched in a way that dishonors the true Way (John 14:6), but we would feel the need to defend our evil deeds. In other words, he who truly believes in Jesus as his Messiah wouldn’t walk in the way of sinners (Psalm 1:1; Matthew 26:47-50), for to “walk with the ungodly” is to participate in their projects and plans, which conclude in glorifying or honoring themselves, not God. And, this is usually done by corrupting or destroying the good works of others, in this case, believers.
Finally, the righteous believer could never find fulfillment in the seat of the scorner or mocker (Psalm 1:1; cp. John 12:4-5), for to sit in the seat of scorners is to seek rest in making light of the works of righteousness, to mock them or to otherwise make them look unimportant to God and the cause of the Gospel. God isn’t honored in works such as these, and no fruit in such a branch is borne to the Vine (John 15:6).
Abiding in Christ is a deliberate act on the part of the believer. To choose to dwell in Christ is to embrace his words as though they were one’s own, and letting Jesus’ words abide in us this way is to bear fruit in our lives to God, honoring him and causing others to be thankful to their God for the things that are done. This is what our abiding in Christ does, and we have Christ’s promise that whatever we ask in prayer to God to fulfill such labor, would be done (John 15:7), and why not? If God is glorified in such labor, it is only logical that he would help us fulfill the desires of our hearts in doing such things that bear much fruit to Christ (John 15:8).
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