Grafted to Jesus, The Vine of Life

5th Sunday of Easter

Rev Steve Spencer

John 15:1-8

 John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Our Scripture today starts with these words: I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. These words were spoken to men that understood vineyards and winemaking. Under the control of Rome winemaking had reached its pinnacle. Therefore the words, "I am the true vine" would have caught the attention to those listening. The words, "TRUE VINE" shows Jesus separating Himself from the false vines that would so desire to entangle and poison those listening. Jesus is the genuine and sole source of our spiritual sustenance. He proclaims His trueness by telling of His own purity and deity.  For He uses the title "I AM" and variations of it no less than 4 times; The same words spoken to Moses in the burning bush "Who shall I say sent me, God tells Moses, them I AM sent you"; the same words Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in John 8 (8:58) "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." The Pharisees understood what Jesus was saying in chapter 8 and accused Him of blasphemy by picking up stones to kill Him. No doubt Jesus telling that He is The Great I AM and He is the True Vine by which all-eternal life comes angered the Pharisees that were present for this reading.

Jesus refers to Himself in our reading today no less than 14 times; however, He likewise refers to you no less than 14 times. It's very personal, intimate it's relational I - You relationship. The Great I AM is in a personal relationship with you.

His Father is the vinedresser caring and tending the vineyard." Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit The Father takes away; and every branch that bears fruit The Father prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  Both Jesus and our Heavenly Father continue to care and provide for you. We can loose sight of the fact that whole Trinity works together for our benefit. An example of this is the word fruit, which appears 3 times and is a key to understanding this verse. This passage reminds us of the words of passages like Galatians 5 (5:22,23); "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." or Ephesians 5 (5:9) "for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth" but also Hebrews 12 (12:11) "All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

The fruit of the Spirit is righteousness. Let's revisit that passage updated with this proper understanding "Every branch in Me that does not bear the fruit of righteousness The Father takes away; and every branch that bears the fruit of righteousness The Father prunes, that it may bear more fruit of righteousness." But what is righteousness? It's not something you do, nor an action you take. Righteousness is the by-product of being righteous. How are you righteous?  You are righteous because you have been grafted into Him whom is righteous. Be aware, a branch on the false vine bears fruit, but it's the fruit of that vine is death. Galatians 5 (5:19-21) tells us of that fruit: "Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

A branch on a false vine cannot separate itself from the false vine and graft itself to the true vine; no more than you can switch from being a sinner to being righteous. That work is the work of the vinedresser.  

  Just 220 miles north of Los Angeles is the world's largest raisin producing region. The whole area is filled with vineyards. In the middle of the region is a small town named Caruthers. Just 6 miles north of that is Raisin City. It's between those two cities that a 68-acre vineyard was owned and operated by my Uncle Harold. While growing up in California, our family would often stay with my uncle and help him tend the vineyard.

It was there that I learned a little about vine tending. Part of our duties early in the season was to remove non-fruit bearing branches. These branches with no fruit on them would rob the other branches of the vital nourishment necessary to be fruitful. The term used in the vineyard was blank branches. Marked off in the vineyard were dying vines. Typically branches with fruit on these vines would wither and die. Our job was to remove the branches from the dying vines and graft them into the hearty vine. We used a special grafting knife that looked more like a rock hammer. You would drive the hammer into the vine and then take a branch and insert it into the vine. You would pour water over the branch and vine to join these two together. This whole process was common at the time of Jesus also. A standard reading for vine keepers was The Agriculture (De Agricultura) written by the Roman author Cato circa 146 B.C. Cato speaks of three types of grafting: by splitting, by drilling, by approximation and he recommended that the operation be done in such a way as to place the marrow to marrow (medullum cum medulla componito) and saturate the two with life giving water. Jesus says: "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."  You have been separated from the dying vine, and you have been grafted into vine of life and saturated with the life giving water in your Baptism. You have been joined marrow to marrow with Jesus. When God looks at you He now sees Jesus. You are part of His vine. The fruit you bear is the fruit of righteousness, which leads to eternal life. Romans 5 says: (Rom 5:21) "That, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life because of Jesus Christ our Lord." Jesus says: " You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you." Clean is a synonym for justified. The point of this verse is that the fruit, the good works that we would strive to do, don't make a Christian better or cleaner. Christians are already clean, justified, and pure because of the Gospel and waters of Holy Baptism.

Whenever a Christian feels overcome by their sinfulness and sin they need only to flee to the Gospel, which conveys the forgiveness of sin because of what Christ suffered on the cross.  Jesus speaks to you the words: "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;" Jesus doesn't say some fruit but much fruit. This is a very comforting word because Christians quite often, in disappointment of themselves, say even as the Apostle Paul said: "the good which I'd like to do, I do not and the evil which I don't want to do, that I do." Paul's continues: "Oh wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this sinful body? Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ."  Such an individual is clinging to Christ, the Vine. Such an individual needs be assured that he is bearing much fruit, though he's often not even aware of it.

Jesus says: "Apart from Me you can do nothing."  As Christians we attribute everything to our good and gracious Savior. He is our justification and sanctification; He is owed everything, because He died for us. 

Not everyone believes this. For verse 6 tells us:  "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." Most of us know what happens to branches that fall from the vine. They dry up then are carried away and burned. This is the starkest picture of the law the fruitless person who has fallen from Christ. Jesus is speaking of the individual who refuses or ceases to acknowledge Jesus for who He is; The Great I AM, The Vine of Life, The Son of God, God Himself. Jesus is both vine and vintage.  He imparts the vine of life through the vintage - the wine. We receive His very body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. It shouldn't surprise us that Early Church called the Lord's Supper fruit from the Tree of Life. Jesus is both the tree, and fruit thereof. 

Jesus says to you: "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you."  Remaining in Christ and having His words remain in us are not two individual things but the same thing.  John 8:31-32 says: "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Christ is where His word is. "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matt 18:20)

Whatever you wish, no matter what it shall be given to you. Christ is closer to you that your husband, wife, child, parent or friend.  He knows your innermost thoughts and wants you to bring Him your most personal request. "And it shall be given to you." What a magnificent promise.

It hardly needs to be said that Christ is not including ridiculous or godless request. Faith doesn't make such request only the flesh does. Furthermore, faith is always saying, "Not my will by thy will be done." The point of verse 7 is the same as Paul's in Romans 8:31-32  "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" And God has indeed given you all things, He has given you forgiveness of sins and everlasting life, won't He now give you all that is needed for this life also? Of course He will and does.

Jesus and Jesus alone is the source of that which is truly good. His highest good comes to you through the fact that He laid down His life for you. His word has cleansed you, the waters of Baptism has joined you marrow to marrow with Him. The wine from the True Vine continues to nourish you.  And because you are grafted into Him you bear the fruit of righteousness even unto life everlasting.

For all of this and much more we joyfully give all praise, honor and glory to Jesus Christ our true Vine and Lord. - In Jesus name, Amen!