John 15 Commentary
We have the seventh of the memorable “I am” statements – where the “I am” is followed by a metaphor. “I am the true Vine”.
I am the Bread of Life; I am the Light; I am the Door; I am the Good Shepherd; I am the Resurrection; I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; and finally, I am the true Vine. There are seven and it’s a complete set. They all declare Jesus’ deity and His relationship to humanity.
It is difficult not to think of fruitfulness as part of the original mandate for humanity. Genesis 1 verse 28. Again, you want to think of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5 verse 22.
Then the chapter zooms in on love. We know love is the fruit of the Spirit. Corinthians 13 underlines the importance of love. The sermon on love expands on the importance of fruitfulness. A branch cannot bear fruit by itself. It must be attached to the vine.
You cannot have the fruit of the Spirit if you are not born of the Spirit in the first place.
Can non-believers love? No. Not love as the fruit of the Spirit. They are disconnected from the Vine. They can have counterfeits but never the fruit of the Spirit. Just like we have what we think is life but the only real life is Jesus. You get it as you accept Him. You don’t accept Him into your life. There is no life before Him. He becomes your life.
It defines what we are before – nothing and dead but walking. The “walking” is simply an opportunity to get real life.
It becomes easier if we remember the formative moments. We became living beings after He breathed Himself into us.
Look at the metaphors again and see how the prince of this world has created a parallel world. Jesus is the Truth; satan is the father of lies. Jesus didn’t have to turn stones into bread; He is the Bread of Life. Darkness surrounds satanic activities. He is a bad shepherd, misleading the flock. He wants people to settle in the “ICU” and be at home there. He has his own set of fruits – sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. Galatians 5 verses 19 to 21.
This chapter is a beauty! Saints know they can bear more fruit. The LORD prunes them. A branch that bears less fruit should not be mistaken for a lifeless branch. It knows it must do better and does so by tapping more from the Vine.
The Vine decides to have branches; the branch doesn’t decide to have the vine. Our lives depend on the Vine. He makes the call. He rules. We simply answer the call.
The hatred directed at the Vine lands on the branches. Branches cannot be better than the Vine. The Vine makes the branches. It’s beauty through and through!
The chapter closes with the work of the Spirit of Truth. Helper. Comforter. Advocate. Intercessor. Counselor. Strengthener. It is a complete package! More resources visit
LOVING SCRIPTURE 