John 15:5-8, I Am the Vine

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

Jesus’ words in verse five reinforce everything he has been saying in his vine and branches analogy: “apart from me you can do nothing.” That should make every Christian pause and every non-believer reconsider the true identity of Jesus. Being away from Jesus not only takes us down a fruitless and useless path, it also leads us to death. Perhaps Jesus has Judas Iscariot (the man who will betray him) in mind when he speaks. Jesus says the nonbeliever is ultimately incinerated, an image taken from Ezekiel 15, of what will happen to Israel when she fails to follow and believe in her God. (Read Ezekiel 15 to understand how Jesus connects this image to the Old Testament and realize that Jesus is totally grounded in the Word of God.)

Next Jesus links prayer to belief: “Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” Of course this is conditional upon abiding in Christ and being in accord with his word. When we are in Christ we are in harmony with God, and what he most desires becomes our desire as well. Through God’s word and prayer the mission of God becomes central to our life. It is Jesus’ desire that his followers stay deeply and intimately connected to him through prayer and the Word of God.

Lord, help me today through your Spirit that I may pray unceasingly and read Scripture with a deep hunger to abide in you, the true vine.