“I AM the True Vine” (John 15:1-8) - The God We Can Know V -

“I AM the True Vine” (John 15:1-8)

- The God We Can Know V -

Into the Storm

When I was a little boy, one of my favorite things to do was to ride on a motorbike, of course as a passenger. At that time, my grandfather was a pastor and did lots of visitations on his motorbike. When he had free time, he used to give me a ride and take a round to downtown. When he did speed up or turn the corner, he always said to me, “Hold fast to me!” On his motorbike I just felt like I was flying. I felt literally on top of the world. In today’s scripture Jesus says the same thing to his disciples. “Hold fast to me! Remain in me!” When we read John 15, normally what comes to our mind is a typical idyllic, relaxed, romantic scene. But actually, Jesus was saying this on the very night when he was betrayed. It was his farewell speech. We can imagine the atmosphere of the upper room might be like the calm before the storm. The disciples now know trouble is coming, but they don’t know what to do. They are afraid. Jesus says to them, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled (John 14:1). Remain in me!” Then, what does it mean by “Remain in Christ”? How do we remain in him? In today’s text Jesus tells us how we should remain in him.

Remain “Vitally” (v.2)

First, Jesus says, “Remain vitally.” According to verse 2, there are two kinds of branches: one is a fruitful branch and the other is a fruitless branch. The difference between the two is that one is connected to the vine, but the other is not. On the surface, it is hard to tell the difference. Both of them look the same. But, if we take a closer look, smell them, and touch them, we can easily tell which one is real. The fake branch has no life. It has no connection with the vine. So, it bears no fruit. In Jesus’ time there were lots of fake branches, including the Pharisees and religious leaders. On the surface, they looked like vital branches. They worshipped. They gave tithes. They gave to the poor. They even fasted twice a week. So, they thought, ‘I am a good believer. I am a Spirit-filled person.’ But, Jesus said to them, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean” (Mt 23:27). What’s wrong with them? They worshipped, but they had never stood before “the throne, high and lifted up.” They fasted, but they had never cried out in despair because of their sins. They gave to the poor, but they had never received God’s forgiveness and mercy. They were not connected to the Vine.

What is the cure? The best cure is our absolute honesty. In Mark 10 there was a blind man, named, Bartimaeus. He was sitting beside the road and begging people. He was not satisfied about his life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. One day he heard that Jesus was nearby. He didn’t pretend to be ok. Instead, he began to shout desperately, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many people rebuked him, “Be quiet!” But he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then, Jesus called him and asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man knew exactly what he needed most. He answered, “Rabbi, I am blind. But, I want to see!” Jesus said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight, and since that time he became a follower of Jesus. Our response must be the same. If you are not satisfied about your spiritual life, do not pretend to be ok. Instead, come to Jesus, come to the his throne of grace and cry out to him, “Lord, have mercy on me. I am blind. But, I want to see.” Are you personally connected to the Vine, Jesus Christ? Do you really receive your nourishment and life from him? That is the first question we need to answer as we read today’s passage.

Remain “Actively” (v. 4)

Secondly, Jesus says, “Remain actively.” We as the branches need to cling to the vine with all our hearts and with all our strength. In verse 4, Jesus says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you.” Jesus is Almighty God, but he always treats us respectfully. He never forces us. In Revelation 3:20, Jesus beautifully describes how he invites us and waits for each of us. He says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Only when we are willing to open the door for him and remain in him, then he will come in and remain in us through the Person of the Holy Spirit.

When a storm is coming, all we have to do is to hold fast to Christ with all our strength. In Ephesians 5:18 Paul says, “Be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Then, he expounds how to be filled with the Spirit. He says, “You can be filled with the Spirit by worshipping the Lord, by singing praises, by giving thanks, and by serving others!” When we are filled with the Spirit, we like to pray. But, the same is true in reverse. Sometimes, we are not in the mood to pray, but when we pray by the act of will, we come to be filled with the Spirit. When we are filled with the Spirit, we love to read the Bible. But, the same is true in reverse. When we read the Bible by the act of will, we come to be filled with the Spirit. In his early ministry John Wesley learned a lot from the Moravian brothers and sisters. But, Philipp Molther, one of the Moravian leaders, began to teach a doctrine of “stillness.” He told people to be still and do nothing until they were born again. He insisted that we should stop trying to do good and abandon all the rites of the church until faith comes. Unfortunately, the Moravians fell into unhealthy mysticism and disappeared in history. But Wesley did encourage people to practice “Means of Grace.” He commended them to pray, attend worship service, receive the Communion, do good works, and give to the poor, whether they are in the mood or not. We cannot make the wind, but we can hoist a sail to receive it. When trouble comes, when spiritual depression comes, do not shrink back in stillness. Instead, come to Christ all the more. Stay connected to Christ and his body, the Church all the more, and you will be restored and filled with the Spirit again!

Remain “Faithfully” (v.5)

Thirdly, Jesus says, “Remain faithfully” until bearing fruit. This is the hardest part for many of us. Each tree has its own purpose of existence. Some trees provide habitat and furniture. Some supply firewood. In verse 5 Jesus says, “I am the vine. You are the branches.” The grapevine exists solely for bearing fruit. But it takes time to bear fruit even if a branch is well connected to the vine. We don’t know how long it may take, but only the Gardner, our Heavenly Father, does know when. So, it is very important for us to remain faithfully and trust in Christ until we bear fruit. One day, Henri Nouwen, a Catholic priest and writer, had a chance to see circus. He was very impressed by the performance of the trapeze artist. After the circus, he met the flyer. He shared how impressed he was. But then, the flyer said, “The public might think that I am the great star of the trapeze, but the real star is my catcher. He has to be there for me with split-second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump.” Henri asked, “How does it work?” The man said, “The secret is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When I fly to the catcher, I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me.” The man continued, “The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. I am not supposed to catch him. It's his task to catch me. If I grabbed his wrists, I might break them, or he might break mine, and that would be the end for both of us. A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.” God is the Catcher, and we are the flyer. As the flyer, all we have to do is to stretch out our arms and trust and wait for the catcher. Then, God, the Catcher, will be there for us and grab us in his perfect time.

One Thing

How do we abide in Christ? Jesus offers a vivid image – be a branch! Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. Jesus is the driver, and we are the passengers. Jesus is the catcher, and we are the flyers. Jesus is the treasure, and we are the jars of clay. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and power and strength and life! (Col 2:3; Rev 5:12) In 2 Corinthians 13:5 Apostle Paul says, “Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it” (MSG). When storms are coming, we need to examine one thing that we have Jesus. If we have Jesus and hold fast to him and remain in him vitally, actively, faithfully, there is nothing to fear. Jesus promised, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b) Lastly, I want you to sing with me the song, “I’d rather have Jesus.” My prayer is that this song will be our confession of faith all the days of our lives.

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands;
I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway;
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.