Abide.

November 26, 2012

“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 ^[a]prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already ^[b]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 ^[c]of itself unless it abides in the vine, so 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, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. ⁶ 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. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so ^[d]prove to be My disciples.⁹ Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ 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

I broke two “usuals” today, which is good because I have a tendency to stick with the same routine. The first is that I decided to go with the New American Standard (NAS) translation of the scripture instead of the New International Version (NIV), which I usually use. The second is that I decided that Oswald Chambers was a little much for me today. Both of these exceptions are important as I reflect on this passage.

I have heard one particular word more lately in my heart and head than any other word: abide. (This explains why the switch to the NAS instead of the NIV.) And, as I am learning, there is always a reason why certain words or people or scriptures or songs come to mind- particularly as you try to remain in the Spirit. I’m not saying a big booming voice from Heaven has been calling out this word to me. But something has, and at this point in my life, I am willing to listen.

Which is interesting because as I was just writing, “Particularly as you try to remain in the Spirit,” I realized that this, in itself, is an example of what Jesus is calling us to do – to abide.

Jesus uses the word “abide” (or NIV, “remain”) ten times in those eleven verses, placing pretty clear emphasis, in my opinion, on the need to be in relationship with Him. And he does a very good job of outlining what that relationship is.

1.     Jesus is the “true vine,” the vine from which all growth originates. You don’t have to have an understanding of a grape vine to know how vines operate. A general understanding of a vine works well enough to demonstrate that one vine roots into the ground – the source of all nourishment for the entire plant- and from this “true vine” stretch a seemingly infinite number of “tendrils” branching off toward sunlight and grabbing hold of whatever structure they can in order to provide the support for their own growth. But regardless of how thick or long these branches grow, the ultimate source of water and nutrients for them comes from this original “true vine,” to which Jesus stakes the claim.

2.     God the Father is the “vine dresser,” the one who ultimately determines which part of the vine stays and which part goes. I’m not a master vine dresser, but I saw a show once on what it takes to produce grapes that are of the highest quality to turn into wine, and the vines were so selective to temperature, soil composition, sunlight, moisture, and a handful of other variables that it required an expert to be able to produce grapes in abundance. Sure, anyone could probably make a grape grow here or there just by kicking some dirt around and sprinkling water from time to time. But only an expert vine dresser can sort through each branch of each vine to ensure the maximum production from the vine itself. I’m grateful I discovered lately that I do not have the ability to do so, but God does.

3.      We are the branches. The fruit does not come forth from the “true vine” in and of itself, which is interesting because writing that makes it seem like I am limiting Jesus in His ability. Rather, the branches that stem from the vine are what bear fruit. And a branch is only able to bear fruit to the extent that it receives nourishment through the true vine.

So, in a perfect picture for those of us needing a visual, Jesus points out the good and the bad for those of us branches:

Good: abide (“remain”) in Him – keep His commandments - and we will receive every good thing from God. Though it might come with some pruning along the way, it will result in an abundance of fruit… for God’s glory (always so easily forgotten by me!)

Bad: don’t abide in Him and be cut off from the vine entirely and thrown into the fire (I am assuming this is one of the many direct or indirect references to “Hell,” whether that be a place of fire and brimstone or of darkness and “weeping and gnashing of teeth”). The point being, regardless of the fruit we bear, we should seek to bear fruit, lest we are cut off from the source of all Goodness.

So, I have been in a place lately where I have been troubled by the concept of bearing fruit. And there are so many mixed analogies and parables that I know only one thing remains to ask myself: and I abiding?

I can’t worry about measuring the fruit. I have a reflection on that in which case God revealed to me how that is not my concern. Nor can I determine what any other “branch” is doing, comparing my holiness to theirs, or whether I am more or less nourished or mature in my faith.

The only thing I can worry about is the one thing Jesus commands in this example: am I abiding in Him? Am I seeking my nourishment, my growth, my every need from the true vine, which is tended to in every way from God himself?

Or am I trying to, in some way, transport my own nutrients and water from the soil directly to myself and thus bypassing Jesus along the way?

It’s hard, especially for men like Peter and me who are so passionate about our calling, to simply abide. No matter how you define the word, or which translation of the New Testament you use, the simple facts remain: abiding means being less dependent on myself and more dependent on the Source, and this all takes trust and time.

I want to bear fruit for the Kingdom, but at what cost? Is Jesus calling me to bypass the pruning process, the growing and nourishing and developing strength process, and immediately bear fruit? No, He is simply calling me to abide, to remain, in Him.

So, as stubborn as I am, I think I’ll try and do my best to take Him at His word in this.