“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. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him [or her], he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5)
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)
Most of us are familiar with the parable Jesus taught of the vine and the branches, but I suspect few if any of us understand the full implications of it. The vital importance of having a better understanding is highlighted by the parable’s punchline: “… apart from me you can do nothing.”
“Meno” is the Greek word in this parable we translate into English as “abide”. “Meno” means “abide”, “remain”, “dwell”, “stay” or “be continuously joined with and connected to”. Just as a branch must remain joined to the grapevine to receive essential nutrients, stay alive, and produce grapes, so we must stay joined with Christ to have everlasting life and “bear fruit” for His Kingdom on the earth. And just as a grapevine needs branches to produce grapes, so Jesus needs His disciples to bring forth His fruit on earth.
This fruit we are to produce is elsewhere called the good works God prepared for us to do after we became new creations in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17). As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us. (John 20:21) We prove ourselves to be His disciples by producing much fruit (John 15:5, 8). And this fruit is not limited to church work or those other times we feel we are overtly serving the Christian faith. As disciples, our call to good works includes everything we do and say – in our marriage, our parenting, our workplace and elsewhere (Colossians 3:17-24). Everything is to be in the name of the Lord.
Does this sound difficult? Of course it is! That is why we can only accomplish it by staying joined with Jesus. And who is the greatest example of this parable? That same Jesus, whose whole life on earth was a model for what our lives are to be. (1 John 2:6)
Jesus emptied Himself of divine power when He descended from heaven and became one of us. (Philippians 2:5-8) Then, at His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven upon Jesus, and “remained” (John 1:32). “Meno”, the Greek word from our vine and branches parable, is used here to describe what happened to Jesus.
As a result, Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and power so He could begin His ministry on earth (Luke 4:1, 14). Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus became fully rejoined with the Father – “with Him” in power and purpose (Acts 10:38). Jesus was in the Father and the Father was in Him (John 14:10). They were “one”, and from that time on, Jesus spoke what the Father directed Him to speak and only did what He saw His Father doing (John 5:19-20; 10:30; 12:49-50).
Now the same Holy Spirit that filled Jesus lives in His disciples so that we can be in Jesus and He can be in us (John 14:15-20). His teachings and commandments can abide in us through faithful study of the Bible, and His more specific directions for our lives can come through prayer and the leading of His Spirit (Matthew 4:1; John 15:7-8; Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Just like Jesus with the Father, we become empowered to join the Lord in what we see Him doing.
Do we want to have much fruit in our marriage, parenting, workplace, friendships, and other endeavors? Then we need to join with Jesus in all those efforts, remembering that the Lord who loves everyone is living inside us to direct and empower us.
Do we want to have much fruit in our Christian outreach and discipleship both as individuals and the Body of Christ? Then we need to stop focusing on our own agendas and join Jesus in what He is doing, always remembering the vine and all His branches are together one plant – one Lord, one Body, one Spirit, one faith, one hope of our calling, and one Father who is over all, through all, and in all (Ephesians 4:1-6). As we become more one with Jesus, we become more one with each other, and together we will finally be the witness the world needs to see (John 17:20-23).
God bless you and God bless our community.