I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. 2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. 3 You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. 4 Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. 6 Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. 9 As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. 17 This I command you: love one another.
Up to this chapter in John Jesus had made six assertions to the disciples to bring them to an understanding of who he truly was; "I am the bread of life" (Jn. 6:35); "I am the light of the world" (Jn. 8:12); "I am the gate" (Jn. 10:7); "I am the good shepherd" (Jn. 10:11); "I am the resurrection and the life" (Jn. 11:25); "I am the way, the truth and the life" (Jn. 14:6). Jesus now asserts, "I am the true vine" (v. 1), and uses an allegory about a vine and its branches to strongly encourage his disciples to remain in him, to maintain a firm bond with him and produce much fruit for the Kingdom of God.
Jesus is the true vine who supersedes the vine references in the OT (Hos. 10:1-2; Is5:1-7), and God the vine grower cultivates the vine. The Father cuts off fruitless branches and prunes branches that bear fruit so that they can bear even more fruit. The disciples have already been pruned by the word Jesus has spoken to them (v. 3) and, as long as they remained in him (Jn. 14:11-13), they will be successful in their missionary work (Jn. 4:36) because without him they “can do nothing (v. 5)”. Anyone who does not remain in him will be discarded and burned (Mt. 3:10). If they continue to allow Jesus to dwell in their hearts, their prayers will be in accordance with God’s will, and they can be confident that their prayers will be answered. Anyone who becomes a disciple of Christ and bears much fruit glorifies God.
The disciples must keep Jesus’ commandments and love each other as he loves them, and in so doing their joy will be complete (vv. 11-12). Jesus made the Father known to them and they are no longer slaves but friends. They will share in the love Christ shares with his Father which is grounded in the Father’s commandments. The greatest example of love is to sacrifice oneself for one’s friends (the Cross) and doing so should be an occasion for joy. All who believe in Jesus are friends of Jesus. Jesus chose them, they did not choose him and he expected them to collect an abundant harvest for God (Lk. 10:2).
Almighty God, grant us the grace to remain in Your Son so that he will remain in us and his word remain in our hearts. Help us to love one another as Christ loves us and to be willing to share in his Cross so that we too can share in his resurrection. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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