Scripture Reading: John 15:1-12
When Jesus says, “I am the true vine,” He means that He is the source of the spiritual life of His people, who are compared to branches. What the vine is to its branches, Christ is to all who believe on Him. The branches, down to the smallest twigs, are dependent on the vine. So every believer is dependent on Christ. He is the source of the spiritual life of every Christian. A traveler in Kamchatka who spent many nights in the poor huts of the people tells of His experience. The hut in which he was entertained was dirty, and the people were in every way repulsive. But their kindness was beautiful. They were most attentive to the traveler’s wants. The best morsels were put upon His plate. The best bed was given to him. When bedtime came there was family prayer, closing with these words, “Lord, bless our home and bless and prosper our guest.” There was something almost heavenly in the spirit of the home, which deeply impressed the visitor. He had found a branch of the true Vine. The life of Christ was flowing in it. There was a vital connection between these kinds of hearts in Kamchatka and Christ. Wherever a real Christian life is found, there is a little branch of the great Vine. There is no other vine to which any soul can be joined and from which it can be nourished. Other religions may present their legends, their ceremonies, and their rules of conduct; but there is no life in any of them. The religion of Christ is more than a creed or a cult, more than a set of moral precepts. It has a great stream of heavenly life flowing from it. All the fullness of God is in it, and of this fullness we all receive.
Another truth suggested in this figure is the dependence of the vine upon the branches. It is easy to see how the branches depend upon the vine, but the only way a vine can bear fruit is on its branches. So the only way Christ can feed the world’s hunger is through His disciples. We ought to think of the responsibility of being a branch. The only way to be a good branch is to be full of fruit, the same kind of fruit that Christ bore on His life.
The culture of the vine is also important. Jesus says that the Father is the Husbandman. The care of the branches is in His hands. It ought to be a great comfort to us to know that our life’s training and discipline are under the Father’s care. If an ignorant, inexperienced, unskillful man were to enter a beautiful vineyard and begin cutting the vines, he would soon destroy them. He does not know what he ought to cut off. But if the man who comes to prune knows about vines, and has had experience and is skilled, though he may sometimes seem to be destroying a vine, yet we know that he is not making any mistakes and that His most severe and painful prunings are for the good of the vine. We have similar confidence when God seems to be dealing sorely or even harshly with us. The Husbandman is our Father; He has all wisdom and love, and never gives us pain nor cuts away any of our joys except when such pruning is for our good.
Page 1