Pruning of the Vinedresser, The Father and Abiding In The True Vine, Jesus
John 15:1–8 (NKJV)
The Relationship of Believers to Christ
1 “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 bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Message
Jesus said the Seven (7) “I AM” statements in the Gospel of John. They are
- I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 48)
- I AM the Light of the World (John 8:12, 9:5)
- I AM the Gate (John 10:7)
- I AM the Good Shepherd (John 10:11, 14)
- I AM the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
- I AM the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)
- I AM the True Vine (John 15:1, 5)
There is another “I AM” statement in the Gospel of John.
- Before Abraham was, I AM (John 8:58)
Today, let us study one of these “I AM” statements of Jesus, “I AM the True Vine”.
I. The Father, The Vinedresser (1-2)
See v1.
1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Jesus is a true vine (1a). We are the branches of the vine (5). His Father is the vinedresser (1b). What does the vinedresser of the vine do? See v2.
2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
The Father removes every branch that does not bear fruit (2a). He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it may bear more fruit (2b). ‘prune’ is defined in a dictionary [1] as below.
trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, especially to increase fruitfulness and growth.
Just as the vinedresser prunes the branches, God disciplines us for fruitfulness and growth. Our sins block our growth in Jesus. So, God will discipline us to repent our sins so that we may repent our sins and grow in Jesus. This ‘the father disciplines his son’ is mentioned in the Bible.
11 My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
Nor detest His correction;
12 For whom the Lord loves He corrects,
Just as a father the son in whom he delights.
(Proverbs 3:11–12 NKJV, quoted in Hebrews 12:5-6)
17 “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects;
Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
(Job 5:17 NKJV)
As disciples of Jesus or Christians or Church members, they might act devotedly religious (Isaiah 58:1 NLT). They might come to Church regularly and seem delighted to learn all about God. They might act like a righteous group and would never abandon the laws of its God. They might ask God to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near God (Isaiah 58:2 NLT). They might say ‘We have fasted before God! Why isn’t God impressed? We have been very hard on ourselves, and God doesn’t even notice it!’ (Isaiah 58:3 NLT a). They might humble themselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing their heads like reeds bending in the wind. They might dress in burlap and cover themselves with ashes. (Isaiah 58:5 NLT a).
But the Father would tell of their sins! (Isaiah 58:1 NLT)
“You are fasting to please yourselves. Even while you fast, you keep oppressing your workers….This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me.” (Isaiah 58:3-4 NLT)
The Father would discipline them and teach them how they could get right with God. See Isaiah 58:6-11 NLT.
6 “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
7 Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
8 “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
9 Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
10 Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
giving you water when you are dry
and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like an ever-flowing spring.
The discipline of the Father might be great and you might cry out to Him for help. But if nothing seems to change, you may say, ‘He is not able to help.’ or ‘He doesn’t care.’ But He can help and care. Then, you may ask ‘Why did He not help?’ or ‘Why did He not answer me?’ To know the answer, let’s read Isaiah 59:1-2.
1 Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you,
nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
2 It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.
Because of your sins, he has turned away
and will not listen anymore.
The solution is repentance—acknowledging our sins and turning back to God.
Isaiah 59:3–15 paints a stark picture of sin: dishonesty, oppression, violence, and injustice. While this description may seem extreme or directed at “very bad people,” it reflects humanity’s collective brokenness. Romans 3:23 echoes this: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Even if we don't commit the exact sins listed, we can reflect on subtler ways we fall short—unkind words, selfish actions, or neglecting those in need. This recognition humbles us and reminds us of our need for God’s mercy.
Let us read Isaiah 59:3-15 NLT.
3 Your hands are the hands of murderers,
and your fingers are filthy with sin.
Your lips are full of lies,
and your mouth spews corruption.
4 No one cares about being fair and honest.
The people’s lawsuits are based on lies.
They conceive evil deeds
and then give birth to sin.
5 They hatch deadly snakes
and weave spiders’ webs.
Whoever eats their eggs will die;
whoever cracks them will hatch a viper.
6 Their webs can’t be made into clothing,
and nothing they do is productive.
All their activity is filled with sin,
and violence is their trademark.
7 Their feet run to do evil,
and they rush to commit murder.
They think only about sinning.
Misery and destruction always follow them.
8 They don’t know where to find peace
or what it means to be just and good.
They have mapped out crooked roads,
and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace.
9 So there is no justice among us,
and we know nothing about right living.
We look for light but find only darkness.
We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.
10 We grope like the blind along a wall,
feeling our way like people without eyes.
Even at brightest noontime,
we stumble as though it were dark.
Among the living,
we are like the dead.
11 We growl like hungry bears;
we moan like mournful doves.
We look for justice, but it never comes.
We look for rescue, but it is far away from us.
12 For our sins are piled up before God
and testify against us.
Yes, we know what sinners we are.
13 We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord.
We have turned our backs on our God.
We know how unfair and oppressive we have been,
carefully planning our deceitful lies.
14 Our courts oppose the righteous,
and justice is nowhere to be found.
Truth stumbles in the streets,
and honesty has been outlawed.
15 Yes, truth is gone,
and anyone who renounces evil is attacked.
The Lord looked and was displeased
to find there was no justice.
Optional readings and summaries: Isaiah 59:16-19 NLT shows that the Lord Himself steps in to save. Isaiah 59:20-21 NLT shows that the Lord is the Redeemer.
The good news is that God does not leave us in our sin. Isaiah 59 continues to describe how God intervenes to bring justice and salvation (Isaiah 59:16–21 NLT). His discipline is not punishment for its own sake but a call to repentance and a pathway to restoration.
In conclusion, if you repent, God will forgive you and restore your relationship with Him, as His discipline is meant to bring you closer to Him.
II. Abide In Jesus (3-8)
See v3.
3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
The disciples of Jesus are branches of the true vine, Jesus (1a, 5) and Jesus cleaned them through His word spoken to them (3).
See v4.
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Jesus asks us to abide in Him. “Abide in Me” is translated as “Remain in Me” in John 15:4 NLT. Also, “abide in My word” (John 8:31 NKJV) is translated as “remain faithful to my teachings” in John 8:31 NLT.
Remain in Him. Receive His words of wisdom and open your understanding to His will (Isaiah 50:4 NLT). Listen to what He says and don’t rebel or turn away from Him (Isaiah 50:5 NLT).
Our roles in this metaphor are
- To accept the discipline of God, quickly repent and be a better version of ourselves (2).
- To remain in Jesus (4).
Why is remaining in Jesus so important? See v5-8.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
Our remaining in Jesus and vice versa is essential to bear much fruit (5a). Otherwise, the branch will be removed from the vine and withered (6a) and end up in fire for burning (6b).
Also, if we remain in Jesus and His words remain in us, we may ask for anything we want, and it will be granted! (John 15:7 NLT). When we produce much fruit, we are His true disciples and this brings great glory to His Father (John 15:8 NLT).
References
[1] Oxford Languages, 06 Oct 2024, https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
