The Christian life is hard.
This shouldn’t be a surprise to us. Jesus promised that we would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33), but knowing this doesn’t always make things easier or more bearable. It’s hard to love our neighbors when they have complete disdain for what we believe. It’s hard to count it all joy when our desperate prayers seemingly go unanswered. It’s hard to be slow to speak and slow to anger when people on social media are so hostile to our values. It’s hard to remain steadfast when the world around us appears to be dissolving into chaos and depravity.
But Jesus knew all this. He knew the Christian life would be hard for us. He knew, even two thousand years ago, even before then, what the world would become in 2023. And the wonderful thing is that Jesus did not just leave us to figure out how to live as a Christian in 2023 on our own. Instead, He has promised to be with us (Matthew 28:20b) and to abide with us, for He is the True Vine.
Shortly before His arrest, Jesus was gathered with His closest disciples and enjoying a Passover meal with them when He declared,
“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 15:5, ESV
What does Jesus mean when describing Himself as a vine? Well, most scholars believe that this is actually an allusion to the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was also described as a vine (Psalm 80:8-9). However, writers like Isaiah and Jeremiah described Israel as a “wild vine” that produced “wild grapes” (Isaiah 5:1-2, Jeremiah 2:21). You see, God chose the people of Israel to be His holy and beloved people, and He rescued them out of slavery to bring them to the Promised Land (Exodus 19:5-6). But as we see over and over again in Scripture, the Israelites had a short memory. They quickly forgot the goodness, and mercy, and steadfast love of their Lord, and they grumbled against God when they didn’t get their way, often turning to other gods and idols instead. They became disobedient and sinful—wild. Israel was meant to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6), yet they allowed the darkness of those nations to corrupt them and turn them away from God.
In John 15, Jesus claims to be the “true” vine. He says,
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” John 15:1
By claiming to be the True Vine, Jesus is saying that He is the true Israel, the better Israel. While Israel was unfaithful and disobedient to God, Jesus would be faithful and follow the perfect will of His Father. He would fulfill God’s purposes for Israel, being the light to the nations that Israel never quite was. He had a genuine relationship with God and abided with Him, even when His own people did not.
What does it mean for us today that Jesus is the True Vine? When we were saved by Christ, we became united with Him (Galatians 2:20). He is the vine, and we are the branches. Like any branch, we’re expected to produce fruit—spiritual fruit, like what was discussed above. Love. Joy. Patience. Faithfulness. And of course, bearing this kind of fruit isn’t always easy and often we have to go through some pruning and some tribulation to get there.
“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” John 15:2
God prunes us. He sanctifies us. He places us in situations where we can practice, develop, and grow this spiritual fruit. But again, we’re not left to do this on our own. In fact, we are completely unable to do it on our own. But we have Christ. We are united with Him. And He promises to help us if we just abide in Him.
“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
We cannot bear fruit—we cannot be loving, and joyful, and patient, and faithful—unless we abide in Christ, unless we daily seek a personal relationship with Him in prayer and in the reading of God’s Word. Apart from Him, we can do nothing—we cannot bear spiritual fruit or live the true Christian life. But with Christ, with our True Vine, we can do anything (Philippians 4:13). Nothing is impossible with Him (Matthew 19:26). We can love those who hate us. We can have joy amidst our sorrows. We can hold our tongues and control our anger. And we can be faithful even in the darkest of times.
The Christian life is hard, but we don’t have to live it alone. We have Jesus, the True Vine, who promises to always be with us and always help us in our time of need. If you find yourself struggling to obey God’s Word, to produce spiritual fruit, to live the Christian life in a faithful manner, cry out to Jesus and abide in Him. He will intercede on your behalf and answer your prayers.
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.” John 15:7-9
