I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 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. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 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 15:1-4
There are three images here in Jesus’ allegory: vine, vinedresser, and branch.
Jesus = vine.
Father = vinedresser (gardener).
Disciple = branch.
What is Jesus claiming when he claims to be the true vine? Many Old Testament passages speak of Israel, God’s people, as a vine (Psalm 80, Isaiah 5, Ezekiel 15, 19, Hosea 10). When Israel is unfaithful, they are pictured as a barren vine. Jesus, however, is always faithful. He is the true and better vine. In John’s Gospel, when we talk about the Son of God, we often talk about God, the Father. My Father, he says, is the vinedresser. The divine persons work in unity. God is the source of life and he’s the keeper, or cultivator, of life.
The role of the father in this metaphor is decisive. He watches over the vine and takes action to ensure the fruitfulness of the branches. Life from the vine flows through branches on which hang fruit. Does life come from the branch? No. Life comes from the vine and flows through the branch.
Christianity is not, fundamentally, a religion of works and achievement. It is a faith of divine gift; it’s a religion of grace. God gives us his life to live through us. God gives us his love to love through us. Why? Because he loves us. Why does he love us? Because he does!
You are clean, Jesus says, not because you’ve worked hard to clean yourself but because of the Word (the fullness of his message which we condense as the gospel) that I have spoken to you. When Jesus washes his disciples’ feet, he says that they have no share with him if he does not wash them.
When we believe the gospel, we are joined to Christ–we are cleansed by God. When we are joined to Christ, we are joined to the life of God. We are like a branch that has been grafted on to the true vine.