I am the VINE

John 15.1-8

I AM the Vine…

Verse 1 – Jesus begins with a bold statement – read verse 1.  ‘I am the Vine…’ – this saying would not be new to the disciples.  To the Jews the term ‘Vine’ was a common description of them as the people of God.  The OT is replete with such descriptions – Psalm 80, Isaiah 5, Ezekiel 17, Jeremiah 23 and 33 and Zechariah 3 and 6.  On the majority of occasions it spoke of the unfaithfulness of Israel to the covenant with God and of the imminent judgment of God upon them.  On several occasions God speaks through his prophets to tell the people of Israel that he is about to remove his protection from the vineyard and to expose her to the dangers of other nations because she has played the harlot with his love for her.  So the disciples would immediately see the allusion to Israel and realise that Christ was replacing the nation of Israel as the Vine with himself and those who followed Him.  In a few moments we will see and I hope understand the significance of that first statement.  Christ goes on then to add that his Father is the gardener, literally ‘farmer.’ 

Verse 2 - In the junior high school which I attended on the biology labs had a greenhouse attached to the side of it.  All sorts of things were grown there but the one which fascinated us all was the vine.  We waited every year to see the grapes appear – truth is we wanted to have the opportunity to taste them.  we never did get the chance – the teacher always kept the door locked – he knew more about the nature of schoolboys than we realised.  You know there were times when that vine looked like it would never bear fruit. There were times when the teacher seemed to be utterly ruthless in cutting back branches, pruning them. As a young schoolboy I did not understand why he cut off what seemed to be healthy branches.  He knew though that without that pruning no fruit would appear the next year.  Christ tells his disciples that his Father as the gardener ‘cuts off’ some branches and ‘prunes’ others so that fruit might be produced.  Just as with a physical plant the dead wood needed to be cut out so that disease does not have a chance to take hold so the same is true of the ‘spiritual plant.’  In a vine the gardener would ‘trim’ or ‘prune’ branches so that the energy and the life of the vine was not going to grow wood but to produce fruit – the same is true of the ‘spiritual plant.’  There is a play on words in verse 2 that is not easily conveyed in the English translation.  Jesus says to his disciples that the Father ‘cuts off’ (airei) some branches whilst he ‘trims’ (katharei) other branches and it is further played upon in verse 3 when he says that the disciples are ‘clean’ (katharoi).  Jesus is saying to his disciples that fruitfulness is the mark of the true believer, the true follower of Christ and the Father will do whatever is necessary for the branches to bear fruit.

Cut off. There are some branches and they look like every other branch on the vine but the reality is that although the outward appearance is the same the inside is dead and if left they will bring death to other branches also. Such branches the Father cuts off and they are fit only for the fire.  This is good husbandry because the purpose of the branches is to bear fruit.  They are not there for decorative purposes.  This is the teaching behind the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13.6ff.  The purpose of cutting off some branches and pruning others is the same – that the plant might be healthy and bear fruit in due season. I don’t want to dwell this morning on the branches that are ‘cut off’ because that is the task of the gardener (God the Father) and it is not my task to say who will be ‘cut off’ and burned in the fire.

Pruning – I am sure many of you have pruned some plants in the past.  Maybe roses or some other plant that needs to be cut back in order for new growth to be stimulated.  The untrained and unskilled person usually does not prune vigorously enough and the new growth is a bit feeble.  In the hands of the expert though it appears drastic given time the new growth is strong and vigorous and a healthy plant is the result.  Read Hebrews 12 verses 5-6, 10 – read.  Do you understand the connection with verse 2 of John 15?  The reason the Father prunes the branches is that they might bear fruit and part of that fruit is to share in his holiness. The pruning is painful.  The pruning may even appear harsh and drastic but the purpose is to bring new life, new growth and in due season to bear much fruit in the branch.

Verse 3 Jesus then speaks a word of reassurance to his disciples.  He tells them they are already clean because of the ‘word’ he had spoken to them.  This verse is very much connected to the incident of his washing of the disciples’ feet a few hours earlier – 13.1-17.  You remember, Simon wanted Christ to wash him all over and Christ had said that Simon was clean, but that not all of them were clean – knowing that Judas would betray him.  Now, however, Christ can say that they are all clean because Judas has gone.  How are they clean – by his word.  Do you remember the incident when the four friends climbed on to the roof of the house in which Christ was teaching and lowered their friend down before Christ?  Christ told him his sins were forgiven.  On what basis were they forgiven?  The word of Christ.  He spoke and it came to be.  From creation what God spoke came to be.  So Christ tells his disciples that because he has spoken their forgiveness they are clean.  Remember this follows his teaching that he was going via the cross to prepare a place for them – via atonement for their sins.

Verse 4 You know sometimes things are so simply stated in Scripture that we miss the depth of their meaning.  I think this is a verse which on the surface sounds so simple and straight forward, and it is, but the outworking of it in our lives is demanding but the results are such a blessing.  Read verse 4.  The first part of the verse is necessary for the second part to be a reality in the life of a Christian believer.  The continued fruitfulness of a believer depends on constant union with the source of life and fruitfulness –namely Christ Jesus.  Just as in a physical plant the branch needs the life of the vine, the nourishment which the roots draw up, to live and bear fruit so the Christian needs to remain connected to Christ to live and bear fruit.  I want to point out to you at this point that the branches cannot be different from the Vine, they cannot live separately from the vine.  They cannot bear fruit without the Vine and they can only bear the fruit of the Vine.  I also think it is crucial to point out that the branches are connected to other branches by being part of the same Vine.  There is no independence here.  The disciples are connected to one another as they are connected to Christ – hence his teaching in chapter 13 to love one another – another one of the fruits they will produce as they remain connected to the Vine.  Did you catch that?   Love for one another is one of the fruits that the branches produce when they are connected to the true Vine.  As Christ said ‘you cannot claim to love God if you hate your brother.’  There is a second thing I want each of us to notice from this verse.  Christ tells each of the disciples they will bear fruit if they remain in him. Bearing fruit is the sign of remaining in Christ – it was not an option for the disciples but a sign of the life of Christ in them. The same is true for you and I today.  Bearing fruit in the Christian life is not an option but is in fact a sign of true Christian life.  Bearing fruit in my life shows that I am in Christ and that he is in me.  Also note that nowhere does Christ say that the fruit will be uniform in quality or quantity. What is inevitable is that they will bear much fruit if they remain in him and he in them.  but let me ask a question – What is this fruit? I think Christ answers that question in the remainder of the chapter – look at verses 10-11 = obedience resulting in joy – so obedience to Christ (God’s Word) is part of this fruit bearing. Look at verse 12 –love for one another.  Look at verses 16 and 27 being witnesses to the world is part of this fruit bearing. Turn for a moment to Galatians 5 verses 22-23 – the fruit of the Spirit  - once again I want you to note that it is not a pick and mix selection – where you choose what you like and reject what you don’t.  These fruit (singular) of the Spirit will (not are to be) seen in those who remain in Christ and he in them.

Verse 6 – now here comes the stark warning to the disciples, and to all believers.  If they do not remain in Christ they are like the branches which are cut off from the Vine and without the life of the Vine they wither and die and are useless except for firewood.  Stop right there for a moment.  Think to whom Christ is here speaking.  Think at what moment he is speaking to them.  Think what is ahead of them the rest of this night and the next few days.  They are about to face his betrayal, death and burial – and the challenge in those hours will be to remain in Christ.  They are about to face the question which Judas has already answered – will I remain in Christ?  Christ warns them that without him there is no life (14 verse 6 again), in fact without him not only is there no life there is only the prospect of death and destruction.  A branch cut off from the Vine may for a while appear green and healthy but over time it dies and it will never bear fruit.  Friends, listen to God’s Word , the danger for all of us is that we are cut off because we are not remaining in Christ and he in us.  Without him we wither and die and we are cut off because the Father wants branches that bear fruit and not dead wood in his church.

Verses 7-8 – Christ then assures them of the assistance of the Father in answer to their prayers.  Please do not take verse 7 out of context and use it as a carte blanche promise that God says ‘yes’ to everything you ask for – you know that is not true and not what is meant by the text.  Verse 8 helps you understand verse 7 – it is the for the glory of the Father by the bearing of much fruit in their lives that they are to ask in prayer.  Christ wants them to ask the Father for every assistance that they might remain in Christ and in so doing bear much fruit to the glory of the Father.  What is the Father’s will for their lives?  That they, the disciples, might remain in Christ bearing fruit to his eternal glory.  What are they to ask for in prayer?  Whatever they need to bear fruit and bring glory to the Father.  Friends we would do well to learn that simple prayer lesson.  When I ask in prayer is it so that I might remain in Christ bearing much fruit to the glory of God the Father?  That would straighten some prayer lives and some prayer requests.

Application

You know the one thing which struck my heart deeply when I read this passage – its context.  That at the moment Christ was moving towards betrayal and death was the moment he chose to teach this to his disciples – Why?  Why this moment?  I can only say to you that at this moment in their journey with Christ, knowing what they are going to witness over the next 24-72hours – they needed to know that remaining in Christ was the answer to it all.  Being grafted into the true Vine was the only means of life in this situation.  They would face many perils and dangers, many storms and struggles and in the face of such they needed to know that it was out of love and to bear much fruit that the Father did such ‘pruning’ in their lives.  You see the reality for the disciples, and for us, that without the pain of pruning they would never grow spiritually and never bear fruit to the glory of God the Father.  Think for a moment of Peter – without the experience of denying Christ, the pruning of his self-reliance, self-confidence and strength – he would never have become reliant upon Christ they way we witness post-resurrection and in his epistles.  Without the pruning of Thomas’ doubt he would never have learnt to walk by faith.  He would have always remained stagnant in his spirit wanting physical proof before believing and trusting Christ.

What about your life?  Are you connected to the true and living Vine – Christ Jesus?  Are you remaining in him and he in you?  Is his word still the nourishment of you soul so that you might bear fruit to the glory of the Father?   Are you now experiencing the pruning of the Father?  Yes, it is painful, but  do you know and understand it is that later in your life a rich harvest of fruit might be produced to the glory of the Father?  The turth is you in danger of God the Father cutting you off because you are dead wood?  You give the appearance of being connected to the Vine, the outward signs are the same as the living branches, but the inside is dead, spiritually dead?  You know Christ once described such people as ‘whitewashed tombs’ – all the signs of cleanliness on the outside but the inside contained only death.  Heed the warning  and become grafted on to the living Vine so that you might know the nourishment of your soul.

Finally can I share with you the significance of this for you and those you fellowship with.  We are all connected via the Vine, (Christ) to one another.  Each branch is part of the Vine and draws nourishment and strength form the same vine.  Each branch is to bear fruit, it is not an option.  Each branch is bear fruit in love for one another, in displaying to one another the fruit of the Spirit, in obeying the Word of God and in witnessing to the world.  Each branch is to bear the same fruit – yes it will be in different amounts and quality – but each must bear fruit.  There is the greatest challenge to us all  – because when it comes to bearing the fruit of service and witnessing to the world there are too few fruit bearing branches at our churches.  I believe that is the challenge from God to everyone reading this.

Spiritual maturity

Philemon


The art of letter writing is really dying today.  With all our technology, email, text messaging and twitter receiving a handwritten letter is almost as rare as ‘hen’s teeth’ or a bucket of clergy man’s sweat – as my grandfather would have said. The letter to Philemon is a very personal letter, but it is also an open letter which in all probability was brought  back  to  Colossae along with  the  letter  to  the Colossians.  Written by the apostle Paul, almost certainly whilst he was in prison in Rome, between AD56‐58 to Philemon in Colossae concerning a runaway slave called Onesimus.   We are told that not only had Onesimus runaway but he had, it appears, also stolen from his master – verses 18‐19.

So let us look at this letter together.
Verses 1‐3 the greeting is different from the other letters Paul has written.  This letter follows the ancient form of a letter of commendation. More formal but not unlike how we  would set  out  a  CV  reference for  someone today. Paul‘s opening words are calculated to suggest that his appeal for Onesimus should be looked on favourably.  In verse 1 Paul tells us he is a prisoner of Christ and in verse
9 he tells us he is a prisoner for Christ.  He was a prisoner of Christ in that Christ had bought him with his blood and now he was in prison Rome for Christ and the sake of the gospel. Paul suffered for the sake of the gospel and this is a mark of his apostleship.  This in turn adds weight to his request for clemency for Onesimus.  Paul adds Timothy’s name to the appeal.  Paul greets Philemon, the owner of Onesimus, and also Apphia who is generally accepted to be his wife and would have been responsible for the day to day running of the household, including responsibility for slaves.   The greeting is also extended to Archippus who is the elder of the church, a church which Onesimus would have to join when he goes back to Colossae.

Verses 4‐7 we have a section of thanksgiving and prayer. Verses 4‐5 are very typical of Christian letters of the day. The greeting was followed by thanksgiving and prayer. This is a full thanksgiving – Paul tells them that he always gives thanks for them and he does so in his prayers.  He thanks God for them.   He tells them why he gives such thanks – verse 5 – because of their faith and love for Christ and his people.  In verse 4 we should note that the ‘you’ is singular not plural.   The ‘you’ that Paul is giving thanks for is Philemon.  Whereas the ‘you’ and ‘yours’ of the greeting and the ending of the letter are plural.   So although this is letter is addressed to Philemon it is also to be read in the church.
Verse 6 Paul prays that Philemon’s participation in the faith will be made effective because he has a full understanding of the gospel and of God’s love and goodness in Christ towards them both.  Paul throughout his letters makes it clear that knowledge precedes good works – Colossians 1.9‐10.

Verse 7 Paul knows all about the love that Philemon has for Christ expressed through his love for Paul.   Paul is alluding to the spiritual maturity that is found in Philemon because his faith is expressed in love towards others. The implication is that the love that he has shown to Paul and others will now be shown to the runaway slave Onesimus. How he treats Onesimus upon his return is Paul’s concern because it will be a reflection of Philemon’s Christian maturity.

Let us linger here for a moment.  There is an important lesson for us to learn here concerning Christian maturity.


How we love one another is a sign of our Christian maturity.  More importantly how we love someone who has wronged us, repented of the wrong they have done, and  sought  to  be  reconciled is  a  sign  of  our  Christian maturity.   We can do nothing about their part – the repentance and desire for reconciliation but are answerable for our expression of love when genuine repentance has occurred and loving reconciliation is desired.  I want you to note as well that Paul never told Philemon it  would be easy and he never seeks in this letter to justify any of Onesimus’ actions.   To our 21st century ears the very thought of slavery is horrific but Paul does not discuss the morality of slavery either.  Paul has written on behalf of one brother in Christ to another brother in Christ who has been wronged to bring about reconciliation for the sake of the gospel and the glory of Christ.   Remember the context and the purpose of the letter and don’t get sidetracked with other issues.





Verse 8‐22 the Plea for Onesimus. This is the heart of this letter and it is important for us not only to understand Onesimus’ situation but also to understand where Paul is at this moment.   Paul’s circumstances are significant. Because Paul is in prison he cannot do the things a free man could do to help a slave.  All he can do is write this letter of appeal to Philemon, asking for clemency for this new brother in Christ.   If Paul was a free man he could have applied to the officials to have Onesimus assigned into his care for a time. This was not uncommon at that time.   Onesimus was in a very vulnerable situation.   A runaway slave was protected by no laws and he was open to all manner of abuse.  In Rome he could be anonymous but if caught he could be beaten unmercifully and their life expectancy was short.   By asking Philemon to show mercy towards Onesimus Paul was asking Philemon to go against all the cultural norms of the day and by this request Paul is in fact giving rights and dignity to a class of people who no one thought worthy of even life.

Verse 8 Paul begins his plea for clemency by reminding Philemon that he (Paul) is an apostle.  Paul had authority in the church and he reminds Philemon that he was not afraid to exercise that authority but on this occasion he will not command Philemon to obey but will appeal for ‘love’s  sake’  that  Philemon agree  with  his  request  for clemency.



Verse 9 in the ANE ‘old age’ also conveyed authority on you and Paul mentions this second level of authority in his life.  Wisdom and authority were assumed to go with old
age but Paul here emphasises his feeble condition and situation.

Verse 10 now Paul pleads with Philemon for Onesimus. He calls the slave his son – this depicts the relationship of a teacher and a student in the faith. Verse 11 Paul now uses a play on words in this verse. Onesimus =  profitable or  useful  –  Paul  uses  ‘chrestos’ which  meant  useless  and  ‘euchrestos’  which  means useful.    ‘Chrestos’  in  turn  sounds  like  ‘Christos’  –  the name of Christ.  We miss the humour and the subtlety of such a play on words.   It would not have been lost on Philemon.  Paul is showing how sensitive this situation is for everyone and he is showing tact in dealing with it.  It would seem that Paul introduces some humour into the letter at this point because what he is about to ask of Philemon is so radical that it may just provoke laughter.

Verse 12 – I don’t think Paul can make it any clearer how fond he is of Onesimus.  Paul also reminds Philemon that Onesimus had served Paul whilst he was in prison and Paul credits this to Philemon – verse 13.  Paul desires to keep Onesimus with him for the comfort and help that he brought him but he shows deference to Philemon, how could Philemon now refuse Paul’s request for clemency?

Verses 15‐120  –  Paul  shows how  he  understands that God’s hand was in control of this situation right from the very start.  Paul does not refer to Onesimus as a runaway but of their temporary separation which would lead to a permanent reunion.  Please don’t take that verse out of
context and use it for relationship counselling – as I heard some people do in the past.   Similarly he refers to Onesimus as a ‘slave’ which is a temporary situation and then as a ‘brother’ which is an eternal condition in Christ. Paul goes even further in verse 17, referring to Philemon in business terms as a ‘partner’, an equal with the apostle in the work of the kingdom of God.   Philemon was to receive Onesimus as if he was receiving Paul, his partner in the gospel.  Paul then commits himself to pay (verses18‐19)  any  financial  loss  incurred  by  the  actions  of Onesimus.  This shows Paul’s love for Onesimus and for Philemon.   He does not want Philemon to  suffer as  a consequence of his request but he also wants to make it clear that repentance and reconciliation also requires restitution.   Paul reminds Philemon of the debt that he owes Paul which should more than cover the debt owed by  Onesimus  but  never‐the‐less  Paul  will  pay  what  is owed.  Paul tells Philemon that in obeying this request he will refresh Paul’s heart in Christ – because the act of love in Christ will be seen by all.

Verses 21‐22 – Paul knows that Philemon will obey out of love for the Lord and for Paul.  In fact he is so confident of the Christian maturity of Philemon that he knows Philemon will do more than he has asked of him.   Paul knows that Philemon, because of the gospel, will treat Onesimus fairly and graciously.   He is confident of this because he knows Philemon’s heart and life are rotted in the gospel.

Verses 23‐25 Paul finishes his letter to Philemon with a standard  ending,  followed  in  many  of  his  letters.    He mentions those with him and commits Philemon to the grace of Christ Jesus.


Application


We might well be appalled at the thought of slavery.  It is not something we encounter or would even countenance today.  Yet in the first century to suggest doing away with slaves would be akin to suggesting we get rid of all electrical appliances and any transportation that required oil, diesel or petrol to power it.  Society of the day never really gave the owning of slaves a second thought.  Yet, a careful reading of Philemon shows us that Paul expected a radical change in the relationship between master and slave, slave and master within the Christian church.   In Christ  relationships  are  dramatically  and  radically changed. Paul asked two men, in Christ, to do an amazing and courageous thing.  He asked Onesimus to go back to the master he had run away from and he asked Philemon to accept Onesimus back into his household without punishment.  In fact Paul hints in the letter that Philemon should even consider giving Onesimus his freedom (verse21).  We don’t own slaves and so the immediate context of this letter is removed from our everyday lives.   Yet, what of the principles taught here.

1.  When we come to Christ Jesus our relationships are changed – for the better.
2.  When we have wronged someone God asks us to repent, to return and to seek reconciliation with them.
3.  If we have been wronged and the person who has offended  us  repents  and  comes  back  we  are  to forgive and restore the relationship.  That may be a painful experience for us but it is what Paul teaches here.
4.  Sometimes we are called by God to stand against the way the world deals with broken relationships and in so doing we may place ourselves in a place of ridicule, outside our social circles and be misunderstood but we know we do it because God has called us to obey his word.  This is a sign of our Christian maturity – remember that.
5.  Authority – finally we need to take seriously the spiritual authorities that God has placed over us in Christ.  Those whom God has made overseers of his flock and who through the Word of God, not their own authority or position, but teaching the Word of God point out to us how God has called us to live
– we are to obey them.


Today you may have such a broken relationship in your life – you may be an Onesimus who has run away and right now God is calling you to repent and go back. Or, you may be a Philemon and God is saying when that person comes back – show Christian maturity for the sake of the gospel of love.  Show clemency, the world may not understand and  may  even balk  at  what  you  do  –  but receive them as you would receive me.  Take a moment now and examine your heart and see if you are in the place of Onesimus, or Philemen – or even Paul where you have to exhort someone to do a radically difficult and counter‐cultural act of reconciliation in order that they might be spiritually mature.

Amen.