I am the True Vine

John 5:1-3

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that bears not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he purges it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

This beautiful passage has been read as a passage full of promise and warnings. But while taking a closer look I was surprised that it is essentially a passage meant to encourage and not to warn. Let us look at the words used.

“Takes away” = airo and is used as follows:-

In the temptation of Jesus it is translated “bear thee up” Luke 4:11 and Matthew 4:6.

In the crucifixion scene is translated “bear” in Matthew 27:32 speaking of Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross for Jesus.

In John 11:41 it is translated as “lift up” as Jesus lifted up his eyes.

The word also means to take or carry away.

“Purges or prunes” = kathairo

“Clean” = katharos

They are the same word.

In John 13 we have his version of the Last Supper and then the move from there and we have the discourse from John 14-17, known as the Farewell Discourse. Jesus is bidding farewell and encouraging the disciples. In this He says – if you are in the vine, but do not bear fruit, I lift you up and bear you so that you can become strong and bear fruit! Only a tiny minority of commentators take this line, most going with you are cast off and thrown into the fire.

But in the context, and the fact that Jesus is speaking to the close disciples, I prefer to see it as a promise of help rather than a warning of judgment. It is a passage for those who feel ill-equipped to bear fruit, that Jesus is saying, do not worry, I will carry you.

To those who are bearing fruit Jesus says that I will make you clean (purge). Most translators, in the context of the vineyard, use the term prune. So you would have read commentators and preachers tell you how pruning is painful that produces fruit in out lives. But this is not the teaching here. In verse 3, Jesus says clearly, that the cleansing takes place by the word of God. It is not cutting anything away from you, but interpreting your fruit bearing in the light of the word, so that you are more focused and you renounce the things that distract. You are cleansed by the word working in your life, and not painful circumstances!

Personally, I find this much more encouraging than most sermons and commentaries on this passage.

John 15:6 Those who do not abide in the vine (i.e. walk away from Christ) are cast forth and condemned, not weak believers.