Stay connected (part 4 in the "I AM" series)

“I am the true vine.. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing’ John 15:1,4&5.

Throughout the Bible, the vine and the vineyard are pictures used by God to describe His relationship with the people of Israel in the Old Testament, and the church, in the New Testament. The metaphor is a popular one and occurs in dream sequences, prophetic poetry, and in the parables of Jesus.

In John chapter 15, at the last supper, Jesus is preparing the disciples for an intense three days ahead which will bring them much confusion and bewilderment. He knows that Satan is going to strike, but He also knows that His enemy has no hold on Him. And we, of course, know the end of the story!

But the disciples don’t know any of this. The coming troubles, however, will reveal weaknesses and character flaws. So, Jesus is instructing them of the necessity to abide in Him during the shaking, and beyond, by using what would have been a familiar picture of a vine and its branches.

Jesus needed His followers to understand that no longer would their past religion be sufficient. After all, these guys were Jewish - they would have been steeped in the traditions, rituals, and sacrifices of their forefathers. They would have considered these to have been life-giving nutrients, feeding their spirituality.

Jesus needed to be sure that they understood that He was now the true vine that would provide what their religion had failed to give them.

Likewise, is He perhaps challenging us to consider whether we are attached to the church, but not connected to Him, the vine? Are we strong advocates of good theology and doctrine, but with little affection for Jesus Himself?

Jesus is the vine. The church isn't the vine. Christian teachings and church traditions are not the vine. Christian friends and community are not the vine.

When Jesus uses the word abide, ‘Abide in me, and I in you’, His heart’s desire is that we and He be connected, deeply interrelated. The temptation for most of us in today’s world is to go at life solo, to do it independently. Culture and society tell me that “I must take care of myself, that I must forge my own path, that my destiny is in my hands and that I must create the life that I want. It’s all up to me”.

Jesus gives a stark warning against this cultural pressure, by reminding us that, actually, apart from Him, we can do nothing.

 ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me’ John 15:4

In Western culture, success and significance are measured by tangible evidence-based outcomes - e.g. good exam results, degrees, certificates, job promotions, salary increases, bigger houses, better holidays.

These are not wrong in themselves.  But there is a subliminal societal message there that says that the worth of a person is found in measurable achievement and production that is won by hard work, long hours, striving, goal setting and ambition.

Picture a grape vine. Strong and dependable with deep roots, able to withstand winds, and rain and storms. Jesus says, ‘I am the true vine’.

Picture a vine branch - fragile, weak, needy, and dependent. The branch depends on the vine. Away from the vine, the branch cannot produce fruit and will eventually die. We are the branches. It’s through this dependence that we are sustained. It’s our reliance on Him that brings us life, that causes us to flourish, and to produce healthy fruit.

Picture the fruit - through the sun and the rain, it quietly develops and matures and ripens, and then it appears as great clusters of juicy, round, sweet grapes.

You see, for the branch that’s firmly attached to the vine, there’s no travailing or stressing, no strategising or straining to produce those wonderful grapes. The fruit naturally occurs on the branch and is the result of a deep, unwavering, consciously made connection to the vine. That’s what abiding means.

‘Apart from me you can do nothing’ John 15:5

Choosing to abide in Jesus means we recognize that it’s only through Him that we can produce fruit. Our own efforts, endeavours, ideas, strategies, and plans to live meaningful lives are useless. They amount to nothing.

Abiding in Jesus means that we fully attach ourselves to Him and we rely on Him to give us what we need in ANY given situation - that could be courage, or patience - it might be a job or food - it might be clarity at a time of confusion. Just as the branch draws all its sustenance, nutrients, and water from the vine, so with us, EVERYTHING we need, and ever will need, is found in Him.

You see, abiding isn’t a feeling or even a belief.

We are invited into a relationship with Jesus. But it isn’t an invitation to live for Jesus. It is not the offer to work for Him as servants, or slaves. Nor is it an opportunity to do lots of church stuff, to get busy and drained and worn out. No, it’s an invitation to rest in Him and let Him, out of the overflow of that abiding, live His life in and through us, in a way that produces beautiful fruit for His kingdom.

However, what we hear and absorb from the world around us is very different to this. It says, ‘If it’s hard, get out, leave, look elsewhere, don’t stick around’. That can mean a marriage, a job, a friendship, any tricky situation that doesn’t go our way.

But friends, this is NOT the way of Jesus.

Like the branch lying on the ground, tenuously or even no longer attached to the vine, a follower of Jesus who disconnects from God will stop producing fruit. As they no longer draw from their life source, eventually the fruit will become tainted, riddled with maggots of self-effort and soon the rot and decay of an independent lifestyle spoils what could have been glorious.

Unlike the ways of the world, as we abide in Jesus, we are choosing to stay connected to God through thick and thin, through grief and joy, when we understand and when we don’t understand, when life is boring and mundane, when it’s adventurous and exciting, all with the promise of His presence, His provision and His power!

 As they say, ‘it’s a no brainer’!