THE JOY OF BEING A FRUIT BEARER

THE JOY OF BEING A FRUIT BEARER:

An Exegesis of John 15:1-11

 By: Daniel McMillin

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” (John 15:1-11)

Imagine being in John’s place, hearing these words spoken by Jesus. John was present, and he recorded these words decades later, but it is as though we are there in the moment when Jesus first spoke these words. Imagine the weight of this moment. There are men who are plotting to capture and kill Jesus, soldiers intend to arrest him, and Jesus informs His disciples that he is about to die and that He will depart and return to the Father in Heaven. These men dropped everything and followed Jesus. And now He’s saying he’s going to die. So now what? Is it over? Did we just waste three years of our lives for Jesus? Did we drop everything for nothing?

They are shocked, disturbed, and hopeless. And so, Jesus says these words for comfort to tell them that all who are his disciples will be connected to Jesus spiritually even when He is not physically present. Although these words were first spoken to the Apostles, these are words that are relevant to all Christians. In fact, John, who was present, applies this conversation with the Apostles to all disciples in 1 John. But what is interesting is that when Jesus tells His disciples to abide in Him, it is Him saying farewell. But then John uses this language to say, “abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming” (1 John 2:28).

JESUS: THE GREAT “I AM”

Jesus’ “I AM” statement reveals to us that Jesus took the place of true God. It is an echo of Exodus 3:14, where God identifies Himself as the great “I AM.” This is the final use of “I AM” in John’s gospel, which is used as a declaration of Jesus’ divinity. He has said, “I AM…” the bread of life, light of the world, gate for the sheep, good shepherd, resurrection and life, way, truth, and life. Why are these so significant? The “I AM” statements in John “demonstrate that Jesus fulfills the OT hope for Israel. He is the way of salvation, and the cross is the means by which salvation is accomplished. Jesus is the unique revelation of God, and in addition, in Jesus God himself has been manifested among his people.”[1] 

JESUS: THE TRUE VINE

In light of texts such as Psalm 80, Isaiah 5, and Jeremiah 8, the word “vine” holds a special place within the Old Testament narrative. Significantly, they identify Israel as the vine. So, when Jesus says that He is the “true”[2] vine, He is saying that assumed the place of true Israel. Beale and Gladd note that “when Jesus claims to be the true vine, he identifies himself as true Israel in contrast to unfaithful Israel. According to Isaiah 5, despite God’s gracious care in establishing Israel as a vineyard (Isa 5:2a), the nation responds in unfaithfulness toward his covenant (Isa 5:2b-4) and is deserving of punishment and exiles (Isa 5:5-6). Jesus, though, claims to be the ‘true vine,’ that is, true Israel. He responds faithfully to his Father’s provision. Only those who believe in him, whether Jew or Gentile, are considered part of the true vine, namely, end-time Israel.”[3] It is interesting how John uses this title because God now assumes the role of the vine and faithfully lives as the true vine and true Israel. This highlights the failures of Israel to produce fruit, which resulted in judgment, and emphasizes Jesus’ ability to produce much fruit and deliver us from judgment.[4] Jesus identifies Himself as the vine to say that He is “the one to whom Israel pointed, the one that brings forth good fruit.” As the true vine, Jesus “supersedes Israel as the very locus of the people of God.”[5]

Notice He is the true, real, genuine, and perfect vine. As the vine, He is life-giving to the rest of the plant. But, the emphasis on “true” is meant to highlight a certain reality. Jesus is the “true” vine in contrast to any false vines. There are various counterfeit vines. There is the idolatrous Israel (John 12:37-41). And today there are many other counterfeit vines that we may go to that become our life source that consequently leads to death. Only Jesus is the true vine.

THE FATHER-GARDNER

God is actively involved as the gardener/ farmer/ vinedresser. [6] The vine provides power, but the vinedresser provides direction. The Father, as the vinedresser, tends to everything as He shapes and nourishes every plant in the vineyard. The Father cuts away and cultivates, destroys and disciplines, takes away and prunes. In Jesus’ metaphor, the Father focuses on the big picture, the vineyard, and Jesus focuses on the small picture, the branches. In other words, Jesus works on things internal while the Father works on things external. God the Father, as the owner of the vineyard, has an interest in his possession. That is why, as the gardener of the vineyard, God cuts off and prunes to make us realize that Jesus is the true vine.

TWO BRANCHES: THE FRUITFUL AND UNFRUITFUL DISCIPLES

In verse 2, Jesus discusses the two types of branches: those that bear fruit and those that do not. He also talks about their fates: fruitful branches will be pruned, and the fruitless will be taken away. Jesus later identifies the branches as His disciples in verse 5. Jesus says that every branch is “in” Him. They are genuinely connected to Christ and are His disciples. So, as the branch derives its life from the vine, the Christian derives his or her life from Christ. As Guy N. Woods says, “They are in the vine; they draw their vitality from the vine; and, they are attached to the vine in the same way as the fruitful branches. These unfruitful-bearing branches differ from the rest, not in the manner of their existence, nor in the source from which they draw their life, but in their failure to bear fruit.”[7]  

Those branches that are cut off by God were once connected to Christ but now have been cut off. It is not as though there are some individuals who come along and only appear to be Christian and bore no fruit, then depart the same way they entered in. Rather, these were individuals who once abided with Christ and then departed from Him, bearing no fruit of Christ’s abiding, and then the Father cut them off. They were at one time connected to Christ and were genuine Christians who were cut off by the Father because they were not genuinely Christians by the way they lived, i.e. unfruitful. And so, they slowly withered away and became barren branches. These branches had the same opportunities, the same source of vitality, the same potential to bear fruit, and the same manner of existence, but the difference lies in their inability to bear fruit. As any decent gardener will tell you, a vineyard’s sole purpose is to have plants that produce fruit. D.A. Carson said, “There are no true Christians without some measure of fruit.”[8] 

BARREN BRANCHES: THE GARDENER BREAKS OFF THE UNFRUITFUL BRANCHES

What does a barren or dead branch look like? They are simply fruitless. It is not entirely about what they have but is about what they do not have. Those who proclaim Christ but do not possess Christ. Those who think they are really righteous but are, in fact, very wicked. Those who know what to do but do not do it. Those who know of or about the Lord but do not know the Lord. The barren branches are pretenders or actors who do not genuinely believe. There is no evidence of the new birth or any transformation. It is as though the dead man of sin still lives in them. And that is precisely why they are not joyful. True disciples of Christ are fruitful, fake disciples are dead. This is precisely why God the gardener “takes away,” “breaks off,” or “cuts off” unfruitful branches.[9] God despises and disposes of fake Christians. “As the vinedresser cuts off unfruitful branches from the vine, so the Father cuts off unfruitful branches from the Son.”[10] God cuts off the dead to strengthen the plant so it may prosper and live and have vitality. “Anything that would take away from the production of fruit was removed from the living branches.”[11]

FRUITFUL BRANCHES: THE GARDENER CLEANSES

God the Father also “prunes,” “cleanses,” or trims the fruitful branches which abide in the true vine. My first job was at a nursery (for plants not kids) where I would often take my shears and trim bushes before they were sold to beautify them for the seller. Similarly, the pruning process is done to beatify the whole plant. But this pruning process is also an act of the Lord’s spiritual disciple. God the Father disciples His children like any father who needs to discipline their children. God wants the best for His children; He loves His children, He wants them to bear fruit. But if they do not bear fruit, if they are dead, then God takes action and cuts them off. Sometimes, pruning enables the believer to become more fruitful than ever before. “Fruit-bearing branches of the Lord (his disciples) are ‘cleansed’ by discipline, teaching, training, and growth to produce more fruit.”[12] In some cases, God tests us to strengthen us. We may endure hardship to realize how much more we need Christ. He cleanses us to make us holy as He is holy. He transforms us to mold us into something beautiful.

THE PRUNING PROCESS: THE FATHER CLEANSES HIS DISCIPLES

Verse 3 speaks of the spiritual state of every disciple. God prunes, and yet we are already clean because we abide in him. Those who submit to Christ and abide in him will surely be clean. That is so beautiful.  The disciples were already clean. And so, Jesus is not rebuking His disciples. Rather, “even though they were clean, the disciples were in need for continual cleansing (or pruning) in order to keep them clean (or productive).”[13] We require a continual process of cleansing where God purifies and sanctifies us so we may remain well nourished.[14] Jesus says that it is by His spoken words that we are made clean. Here, Jesus’ words included “all that Jesus was, all that He said, and all that He did.”[15]

ABIDING IN CHRIST

Verse 4 describes the responsibility and result of being a branch that is connected to Christ when He says, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” As we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. This phrase is conditional. “Jesus’ emphasis was that continual cleansing and fruitfulness are contingent on abiding in Him.”[16] The life of a branch depends upon its connection to the vine; otherwise, it has no life in itself and is utterly useless. The only way a branch can be productive is to be connected to the vine.”[17] Interestingly, in Christ’s allegory, the branch has the responsibility to remain connected to the vine.  And so, it is only when we abide in Jesus that He will continue to abide in us.[18] But it is Jesus who drew us near to Him that we might abide in Him. At this point, we are just told to abide in Christ, but we are not told how we may abide in Him, He does not reveal that to us until verses 9-10.

What does it mean to abide with Christ? It is to remain with, dwell with, and stay connected with Jesus. It is to enjoy and experience union and communion with Jesus. But how does this look? By trusting and obeying. Demonstrating a dependence upon Christ and an obedience to His commands. The only way to persevere is to abide in Christ. We stay closely connected to Jesus by obeying His commands. This is how we abide with Christ, and Christ abides with us. In sum, you cannot abide in Christ if you do not listen to Christ, you cannot abide in Christ if you do not obey Christ, and you cannot abide in Christ if you do not love Christ.

ABIDING IN JESUS MEANS BEARING FRUIT

The Lord said, “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” Jesus is giving us a very important teaching. So, listen closely: I cannot bear fruit if I do not abide in the vine. An important distinction needs to be made at this point. We do not produce fruit, but we bear fruit. The branch does not produce its own growth or fruit; that is the work of the vine. But the branch cannot bear fruit if it is not connected to the vine. Thus, we cannot produce fruit without abiding in Christ. And so, to experience God’s abiding presence in our lives, we must abide in the Lord.

TO ABIDE OR NOT ABIDE: HOW WE PRODUCE FRUIT

Jesus’ “I AM” statement in verse 1 was centered on “His relationship with the Father, the vinedresser, the emphasis here [in verse 5] is on His relationship with the disciples, the branches.”[19] He declares Himself as the “vine” and us as the “branches.” What are the “branches”? Lipe says, “The nature of the fruit is not specified in the text, but it encompasses all the various evidences of spiritual growth and development in the lives of believers.”[20] At this point, it is essential to note that the branches are not, as many have proposed, the various denominations. Instead, as Woods notes, “The Lord is not talking about branch churches but about individual disciples who are his faithful followers.”[21]

Earlier, Jesus expects us to bear fruit, but it is not until verse 5 that He finally explains how we produce fruit. That is, we bear “much fruit” when we abide in the Lord. Now we see why it is so important that we stay connected to Christ as the true vine. “Without this connection, the branch not only does not produce fruit, it cannot survive.”[22] In fact, Jesus goes so far as to say that without Him, we not only are barren, but we can do “nothing.” There is nothing acceptable, pleasing, or meaningful that glorifies God. That is, there is nothing of eternal significance. And so, without Christ, we have nothing, but with him, we have everything. If we abide in Jesus, there is no other hope.

EXCURSUS: WHAT DOES JESUS MEAN BY “FRUIT”?

What does Jesus mean by “fruit” in John 15? Carson defined “fruit” as “nothing less than the outcome of persevering dependence on the vine, driven by faith, embracing all of the believer’s life and the product of his witness.”[23] 

WARNING OF FRUITLESSNESS

But now we return to the fate of the fruitless branches in verse 6. Jesus’ words are a bit uncomfortable as He begins to detail what He means by the Father cutting off or casting out the barren branches. He will gather all of the dead branches, pile them up, and burn them with fire so they may be consumed. The Father annihilates the fruitless branches as a form of judgment. Branches that are disconnected from the vine are lifeless. The vine is the source of life, and without it, there is no hope that the branch will bear much fruit. A branch that does not bear fruit is worthless. It does not serve its purpose. It is good for nothing. And so, we see why God disregards the dead branches if He is the vinedresser tending to His vineyard. “This admonition underscores the necessity of continually being dependent on the vine in order to be fruitful.”[24] 

THE FATE OF THE COUNTERFEIT FAITH: THE REALITY OF HELL

Jesus’ words are quite clear. Hell is real. Why make this point? Being a fake Christian is a serious offense. Being a dead branch is a serious problem. Not producing fruit is unacceptable. You cannot have a dead faith and expect to have eternal life. Only the genuine Christian life is joyful and bears much fruit but the type of counterfeit life that is dead is quite pitiful and depressing. I plead with you to ensure that you bear fruit and abide with Christ.

ABIDING AND ASKING

In verse 7, Jesus talks about the blessings of abiding in Jesus. If we abide in Him, then what we ask for will be given to us. Jesus’ words of encouragement are comforting because they hint at His return. Jesus informs His disciples that He will die but makes all of these promises of things in the future. These promises are powerfully encouraging parting words to His beloved friends. “The blessing is dependent on abiding Christ and harboring his teaching in the heart.”[25] It is only when we abide in Jesus that we may experience this blessing. As David Lipe notes, “Those who are in union with Jesus understand that they should desire and ask only for what Jesus would approve.”[26]  This ought to be the philosophy of our prayer life. Often, we ask for things we do not need or do not have a right to ask for. And so, we neglect to ask for the things that truly matter that increase not our happiness but our joy, not allow us to prosper but to bear more fruit. That is why what we ask for draws us nearer to Christ. And so, as Christians, we ought to ask for things as though we abide in Christ.[27]

THE FATHER-GARDENER’S GLORY THROUGH OUR FRUITFULNESS/FAITHFULNESS

In verse 8, Jesus says that the “Father is glorified” through our fruit-bearing because it is proof of the authenticity of our discipleship. He is saying, in sum, fruitfulness is evidence of faithfulness. The fruit is the evidence of life. The vinedresser is the cultivator of life, and the vine is the source of life. And so, as we bear fruit for Jesus the vine, we demonstrate our faithfulness to the vinedresser. But I feel as though I must clarify that the fruits do not save. Jesus alone saves. The fruits are simply the evidence of my salvation and the greatest assurance of my salvation, but they are not the source of my salvation. As Tom said this morning, “You can know that you are saved by the way you live.” I would add, those who abide in Jesus know they are saved and are assured of their salvation.  Now, these fruits of faithfulness are not simply the best proofs of discipleship but we as the branches are to offer our fruits to the vinedresser for His glory. According to Jesus, the goal of the branch is to produce fruit and glorify the vinedresser. God the Father receives all of the glory by making the plant beautiful. And so, the more fruit we bear, the more glory God receives as the Gardener. He is responsible for the branches bearing fruit. In John 13:31-32, the Father is glorified by the redemptive work of the Son, and in John 15, the Father is glorified by us through the redemptive work of the Son as we bear fruits. In other words, “the fruitfulness of disciple results in glory to the Father through the Son.”[28] We cannot fake genuine transformation. A life of fruit-bearing. We, as New Testament Christians and joyful fruit-bearers, “must remember that the fruit that issues out of their obedient faith-union with Christ lies at the heart of how Jesus brings glory to his Father.”[29]

THE LOVE OF GOD ABIDES IN THOSE WHO ABIDE IN GOD

Verses 9-10 serve as a transition from the vine metaphor to now the illustration of the Father/Son (vinedresser/vine) relationship which is the model for the Jesus/disciple (vine/branch) relationship. Verse 9, is very powerful to me. Jesus says, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” Jesus loves His disciples like He loves the Father. God loves us as each person of the Trinity loves eternally. Jesus wants us to enjoy the eternal, infinite, immutable love of God. A love that all three persons of the Godhead experience. This love is deep. This love is sacrificial. This love is powerful. This love will always abides! In essence, Jesus is saying, “I want your enjoying to be my enjoying.”[30] That is powerful! That’s something I want. That’s something I need. That’s something I don’t deserve. But That’s something that God graciously bestows to each of us who abide in Him and bear fruit. I never have to question the love of Christ while I abide in Christ. His love never wavers, and it goes wherever. It is a love that “remains.”

Of course, abiding in Christ is beneficial for our lives. Here, we see that the motive of our love for God and desire to obey His commandments is volitional. To summarize Jesus’ teaching, He is saying that the abiding presence of Christ is the full experience of God’s love for us. We cannot love the lord and live our lives by ignoring God’s commands. We are required to obey Him. But we have greatest reasons for obeying Him. God’s love is the greatest motive for love and obedience. When we obey God, we abide in Him. We will surely be blessed by Him and experience more fully His love as we draw near to Him. Stephen Lawson said, “Obedience honors God, and God honors obedience.”

THE JOY OF ABIDING IN CHIRST

How do we abide? Why do we abide? Verse 11 answers all of these questions by pointing us back to all of the things that Jesus has said. “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” Essentially, “true joy is grounded in abiding in the love of the Father.”[31] Abiding in Christ is staying connected to Christ. We abide in Christ because we love Christ and we enjoy this wonderful experience. Guy N. Woods wrote, “Christians are privileged to experience the greatest joy possible to people in this world and the anticipation of joy unspeakable and pleasures innumerable in the world to come.”[32] There is a fundamental difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is exterior and finite. Joy is internal and everlasting. It is strange how we can experience genuine joy in a wicked, broken, and godless world. But in light of Jesus and His cross, it seems to be the only explainable reason for such a phenomenon. In fact, it seems strange that Jesus would say to His disciples that they would have joy when He was going to die soon. But the point that Jesus is making is that He will not abandon any of us without hope. Jesus left us with joy! When He returns, we will be filled with joy because we have bore much fruit and abided in Christ faithfully.

As Christians, we have so any reasons to be joyful. We enjoy this communion and fellowship with the best of the earth, namely Christians. We enjoy this union with the Triune God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We enjoy the satisfaction of doing good to others: the joy of loving our neighbors. We enjoy the consciousness of doing the Father's will—our response of love and obedience towards God. We enjoy the assurance of life everlasting at the end of this age, that is, the blessing of eternal life in the here and yet to come. It would be shameful and, indeed, wasteful to live the Christian life without joy. A life without joy is surely vain.

The Christian life is a life of joy. It is joyful because we enjoy our Savior. It is joyful because we enjoy our salvation. It is joyful because we enjoy our Christian community. It is joyful because we enjoy our purpose If you want to live a life of joy, then you will find rest when you are abiding in Christ. All of God’s joy is transferred into our hearts and is made complete. Joy is filling and fulfilling. It is a joy that is overflowing and covers all areas of our lives and truly completes our lives.

Do you have joy? Does Christ abide in me and do I abide in Christ? After reading John 15, I hope you see it as more than just words on the pages of your Bible but an experience that testifies to the reality of your union with Jesus Christ. May you enjoy the joy Christ enjoys. May you abide in Christ with joy. May you be a joyful fruit-bearer of the true vine.

WORKS CITED

[1] Schreiner, 254.

[2] The term “true” functions within a redemptive-historical context. As Benjamin Gladd notes, “The OT contains institutions, persons, and events that anticipate Jesus and his followers. They are a shadow (the type) of something greater (the antitype or that which is ‘true’). There’s a sense in which the covenant community in the OT typologically anticipates the covenant community in the NT.” (Handbook on the Gospels, 372)

[3] Beale and Gladd, The Story Retold, 146-147.

[4] David Lipe, John 13-21, TFT (Searcy, AR: Resource Publications, 2019), 123-124.

[5] D.A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, PNTC (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 513.

[6] Lipe makes an interesting comparison between Jesus the Shepherd and the Vine and suggests that the relationship between the vine and the branch is closer than the shepherd and his sheep. “While the shepherd cares for the sheep, the vine imparts life-producing strength to its branches. Apart from the vine, there is no life the branches.” (John 13-21, 125)

[7] Guy N. Woods, A Commentary on the Gospel according to John (Nashville, TN: Gospel Advocate Company,1981), 322. Similarly, Lipe said, “The unfruitful branches, like the fruitful branches, were attached to the vine and derived their life from the vine—yet they were not fruitful.” (John 13-21, 125)

[8] Carson, The Gospel according to John, 515.

[9] Interestingly, there was a dead branch in their presence: Judas Iscariot.

[10] Lipe, John 13-21,125.

[11] Lipe, John 13-21, 126.

[12] Woods, John, 322.

[13] Lipe, John 13-21, 126.

[14] “To revert to the metaphor, they required regular pruning in order to keep their fruit-bearing at highest efficiency, and yet, by being faithful followers of the Lord, they enjoyed his approval and that of the Father.” (Woods, John, 323)

[15] Lipe, John 13-21,127.

[16] Lipe, John 13-21, 127.

[17] Lipe, John 13-21, 127.

[18] “The condition precedent to be kept continuously cleansed as well as effective fruit-bearing is to abiding Christ and that he abide in us. As the life of the branch depends on its connection with the fine, in order to its life and usefulness, so our spiritual life is wholly dependent on our connection with him who is the source of all life, both physical and spiritual.” (Woods, John, 323)

[19] Lipe, John 13-21, 127.

[20] Lipe, John 13-21, 128.

[21] Woods, John, 324.

[22] Woods, John, 324.

[23] Carson, The Gospel according to John, 517.

[24] Lipe, John 13-21, 128.

[25] Woods, John, 325.

[26] Lipe, John 13-21, 129.

[27] “If one abides in Jesus, His words will abide in him; likewise, obedience to Jesus’ teaching is directly related to being in continuous union with Jesus, ‘the true vine.’ It is this union of the believer with the vine that results in fruitfulness.” (Lipe, John 13-21, 129)

“Such words must so lodge in the disciple’s mind and heart that conformity to Christ, obedience to Christ, is the most natural (supernatural?) thing in the world.” (Carson, The Gospel according to John, 517)

[28] Lipe, John 13-21, 129.

[29] Carson, The Gospel according to John, 518. There is no eternal security, no assurance of salvation outside of Christ. That is why it is so important to abide in Christ. As Woods notes, “Fruit-Bearing is proof of faithful discipleship; Hence, when the disciples of the Lord bear fruit, they reflect on or not only on their Saviour but upon him who sent him into the world. Moreover, they demonstrate that they are indeed faithful disciples when they thus earnestly and effectively carry out his will.” (Woods, John, 325)

[30] John Piper, "The Vine & the Vine Dresser."

[31] Lipe, John 13-21, 130. “The joy of which Jesus spoke was the full joy He had in His relationship with the Father and His unqualified obedience to the Father. Jesus wants His disciples to experience the same joy that He experienced (see 1 Jn. 1:4). As Jesus’ joy was based on abiding in His Father’s love, so it is with the disciples’ joy.” (Lipe, John 13-21, 130) This experience of joy “originated in the realization that he was doing the Father's will. It is complete, unchanging, and total, thus differing from that which the disciples had, since theirs was as yet imperfect independent on their continued faithfulness.” (Woods, John, 326)

[32] Woods, John, 326.