I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
—John 15:5
It is not unusual for the Bible, and even Jesus, to approach a point from the
negative in order to state a positive truth. It is clearly implied here that without Jesus we can do nothing. However, we are not without Him; therefore, we can do all things!
At the time of this conversation, Jesus was closing in on the cross. John 14
through 16 records His final words of instruction before He prayed the high
priestly prayer in John 17. Then, in John 18, we read about Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Logic tells us, therefore, that Jesus’ words in our verse for today must have been vital information, since they were His last words of instruction to the disciples before the cross.
The word abide means to “stay in” or, as the illustration implies, “stay
attached to” Him. Jesus is the vine, and it is impossible for us, the branches, to bear fruit unless we remain attached to the vine. These words must have created a bit of confusion in the minds of the apostles, since moments earlier Jesus had told them He was going to prepare a place for them. He was leaving them, He had just said, so how could they stay connected to Him?
John 15:26 says, “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” The Helper is obviously the Holy Spirit, and testifying of Jesus is the fruit we are to bear. We have talked much of the Holy Spirit in our daily devotionals, but it is good to remember that nothing keeps us attached to divine power like testifying of Jesus. This is what Jesus was telling the eleven here (Judas had already left to betray Jesus): “Stay connected to what I came to do. Testify of this, and your life will be fruitful. Cut yourself off from this, and your life will wither away; and in the end, when it is tested by fire (1 Cor. 3:13–15), it will be burned.”
As the body of Christ, we must remain attached to His purpose, which is to
save sinners. We do this through the power of the Holy Spirit, who provides our attachment to the vine for the purpose of bearing the fruit of lost souls for the glory of His name and the reward of His suffering. So stay connected to sharing your faith. It is the reason you have been given the power of the Holy Spirit.
Tell someone Jesus loves them today!
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