In the Beginning: The Book of John

(John 15:1-8 [HCSB])

1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.

4 Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me. 6 If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be My disciples.

I AM the True Vine 7 Restore us, God of Hosts; look on us with favor, and we will be saved.

8 You uprooted a vine from Egypt; You drove out the nations and planted it.

9 You cleared a place for it; it took root and filled the land.

–Psalm 80:7-9

Jesus claims to be the true vine which, if He is indeed God, then He is fulfilling prophecy as the Messiah in no uncertain terms.

To that point: in over 5000 years only Jesus has fulfilled all of the prophesies required of the Son of God … the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ! The vine is Israel, and the True Vine is Jesus. Even Genesis speaks clearly in Joseph’s story about Jesus. Dreams and signs reveal Jesus as Lord in all places and at all times.

9 So the chief cupbearer told his dream to Joseph: “In my dream there was a vine in front of me. 10 On the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, its blossoms came out and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and placed the cup in Pharaoh’s hand.” –Genesis 40:9-11

Jesus is the vine and we, as believers, are the branches. As in Joseph’s interpretation of the chief cup-bearer’s dream, the true vine must be in place for budding, flowering and fruiting.

Wonderful fruit is borne of the One True Vine, while false fruit, darkened fruit, is born of the false vines; and their fruit will ultimately wither on the vines which bore them.

God is glorified when we produce spiritual fruit in the name of Jesus. This is our “branch theology.”