Sunday's Message: I AM - Jesus in Seven Words (“I am the true vine.” (John 15:1-8))

In the Gospel of John, Jesus makes seven statements beginning with the words I am. Each of these “I am” proclamations furthers our understanding of Jesus’ ministry in the world. They also link Jesus to the Old Testament revelation of God. 

In the Old Testament, God revealed His name to Moses: “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14). Thus, in Judaism, “I AM” is unquestionably understood as a name for God. Whenever Jesus made an “I am” statement in which He claimed attributes of deity, He was identifying Himself as God. 

During seven messages, we’ll consider the following “I am” statements found in John’s gospel:

• June 12 – “I am the bread that gives life!” (John 6:35, 41-51)
• June 19 – “I am the light for the world!” (John 8:12-20)
• June 26 – “I am the gate for the sheep.” (John 10:1-10)
• July 3  – “I am the good shepherd.” (John 10:11-18)
• July 10  – “I am the one who raises the dead to life!” (John 11:1-44)
• July 17  – “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” (John 14:1-14)
• July 24  – “I am the true vine.” (John 15:1-8)

In this last message, we considered the statement, “I am the true vine.” The sermon text and podcast is below:

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Well, here we are, finishing up a series we started last month, one entitled I Am: Jesus in Seven Words. And as y’all know, over the last six weeks, we’ve focused on the first six times Jesus used the words “I am” in describing himself. And during those messages, we’ve talked about him saying, “I am the bread that gives life” [John 6:35b, CEV] and “I am the light for the world” [John 8:12c, CEV], “I am the gate for the sheep” [John 10:7b, CEV] and “I am the good shepherd” [John 10:14a, CEV], “I am the one who raises the dead to life!” [John 11:25b, CEV] and “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” [John 14:6, CEV] Now that’s what we’ve already covered. And for each one, we looked at what Jesus meant when he said it, how we can respond and why our response is important. And as I’ve said before, if you missed any of these messages or would like to hear one of them again, they’re all on our YouTube channel and our Facebook page and our church blog. Now this is where we’ve been.

And this morning, we’re going to discuss the last of these “I am” statements, and I’m talking about the one Jesus used as he was giving some final instructions to his disciples right before he glorified his Father by being lifted up on the cross. You see, right now, we’re going to focus on Jesus saying, “I am the true vine...” [John 15:1b, CEV] And I’ll tell you, personally I think that’s really appropriate today. You see, I think I’m safe in saying that we’re really entering a season of fruity vines. I mean, not only have I gotten my first zucchinis, thank you Craig and Jodie, every morning, when Coco and I are taking our daily walk, we pass by a fairly big garden behind a fence that we’ve seen change from pretty much nothing to a really nice spread. But I’ll tell you, what we find most interesting is this one vine growing outside the garden and really close to a dumpster. Now, I don’t know if it was intentionally planted or not, but yesterday, I noticed that there were all these little green melons just hanging on. And next week this time, I expect them to be a little bigger, and the next week, a little bigger, and the next week, well, you know what I’m getting at. But even though I grew up in the city, I know that’s only going to happen if those melons stay connected to the vine. 

And I’ll tell you, that’s going to be our focus this morning. And as we’ve done six times before, we’re going to approach it by asking and answering three questions: first, what did Jesus mean when he said, “I am the true vine...” [John 15:1b, CEV], and second, how can we respond, and then third, why is this response important. Of course, that really shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody. But there will be a little change of pace this morning. Instead of reading the whole passage right at the beginning and then reading it again during our discussion, we’re going to sort of break it up a little bit, so that we use what Jesus said to understand the “what” and the “how” and the “why.” 

And so, with that in mind, let’s look at question number one: What did Jesus mean when he said, “I am the true vine...”? [John 15:1b, CEV] And I’ll tell you, to do that, we’re going to focus on three images that he used at the beginning of this passage we haven’t read yet, you know, before he started his explanation a little bit later, which we also haven’t read yet. For example, I think we can find the first image in the statement itself: “Jesus said to his disciples: I am the true vine...” [John 15:1a, CEV] Now I think this is important, because not only did he compare himself with the vine, the true vine, this image of grape vines was a big deal in the Old Testament. I mean, even though this was the only time the word “vine” is found in the Gospel of John, it certainly was used by the prophet Jeremiah when he wrote this about Israel: You were a choice grapevine, but you have become a wild, useless vine. [Jeremiah 2:21, CEV] And if that wasn’t clear enough, it’s even more dramatic in the Book of Ezekiel:

Some time later, the Lord said:

Ezekiel, son of man, what happens to the wood of a grapevine after the grapes have been picked? It isn't like other trees in the forest, because the wood of a grapevine can't be used to make anything, not even a small peg to hang things on. It can only be used as firewood. But after its ends are burnt and its middle is charred, it can't be used for anything. The wood is useless before it is burned, and afterwards, it is completely worthless.

I, the Lord God, promise that just as the wood of a grapevine is burned as firewood, I will punish the people of Jerusalem with fire. [Ezekiel 15:1-7a, CEV]

And so, with this in the background, it would seem that Jesus was now saying that he was sort of assuming the role Israel had played unsuccessfully in the past, in other words, that he was not only the vine, but the true vine, and that’s the first image.

And the second, well, as he built his allegory, Jesus mentioned the gardener. He said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts away every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit. But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit, so that it will produce even more fruit. You are already clean because of what I have said to you.” [John 15:1b-3, CEV] You see, if Jesus was the vine, his Father was the gardener. And as a good gardener, he wanted the vine to be as productive as possible, even if that meant doing a little pruning on the good and cutting away branches that just weren’t bearing grapes. You see, the gardener would do what was necessary to produce as much as possible, the second image.

And then, third, we have the branches, something that was alluded to when he talked about the gardener but that Jesus clearly defined when he said this:

Stay joined to me, and I will stay joined to you. Just as a branch cannot produce fruit unless it stays joined to the vine, you cannot produce fruit unless you stay joined to me. I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I stay joined to you, then you will produce lots of fruit. But you cannot do anything without me. If you don't stay joined to me, you will be thrown away. You will be like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire. [John 15:4-6, CEV] 

And so, if Jesus was the vine and his Father was the gardener, the disciples were the branches, you know, the place where the grape actually hung. And if those branches, and I’m talking about those men and women whom Jesus was about to leave behind when he returned to his Father, if they remained in the vine and put to use everything the vine offered, they would be fruitful, producing all those things they were intended to produce. And life would be great. But if they didn’t remain in the vine, if they refused to receive its strength and vitality, they could expect to be removed by the gardener. And since, as Ezekiel wrote, detached grape vine branches weren’t good for much, they would be treated “...like dry branches that are gathered up and burned in a fire,” [John 15:6b, CEV] the third image.

And so, when we bring this allegory together, Jesus is the vine. And we, the branches, are connected to the vine for one purpose, to bear fruit. And if we do, all is well and good, even though we might have to face some pruning. But if we don’t bear fruit, the Father will remove the dead wood so the whole plant can be stronger and more productive. And even though we still have a few loose ends, you know, like what should the branches actually produce, something we’ll talk about in a minute, in spite of that, I believe this is what Jesus meant when he said “I am the true vine...” [John 15:1b, CEV], the answer to the first question.

And as to question number two, how can we respond to the true vine, well, I think that comes down two making three decisions that Christ offered in the passage that follows, one that I believe explains what he’d just said. For example, if we want to remain in the true vine, I think we need to claim the teachings of Jesus. In my opinion, that’s the first decision for us to make. You see, Jesus said, 

Stay joined to me and let my teachings become part of you. Then you can pray for whatever you want, and your prayer will be answered. When you become fruitful disciples of mine, my Father will be honored. I have loved you, just as my Father has loved me. So remain faithful to my love for you. If you obey me, I will keep loving you, just as my Father keeps loving me, because I have obeyed him.” [John 15:7-10, CEV] 

In other words, if we’re serious about being productive and remaining in the vine, man, I think we really need to claim and to read and to study and to apply the teachings of Jesus Christ, don’t we? And I’ll tell you, we know where those teachings are. As the Evangelist John wrote:

Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life. [John 20:30-31, CEV]

You see, that’s the first decision we can make, to claim the teachings of Jesus. 

And second, if we want to remain in the true vine, I think we also need to love one another. And isn’t this what Jesus was getting at when he said,

I have told you this to make you as completely happy as I am. Now I tell you to love each other, as I have loved you. The greatest way to show love for friends is to die for them. And you are my friends, if you obey me. Servants don't know what their master is doing, and so I don't speak to you as my servants. I speak to you as my friends, and I have told you everything my Father has told me. [John 15:11-15, CEV] 

Now that’s what he said; therefore, we know what it means to be productive. It means following the example of Jesus Christ and loving those around us. You see, this we know, but more than that, we even know how to do it. As Jesus said a little bit earlier in this same conversation with his disciples, 

My children, I will be with you for only a little while longer. Then you will look for me, but you won't find me. I tell you just as I told the people, “You cannot go where I am going.” But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples. [John 13:33-35, CEV]

You see, we can love one another, and that’s the second decision we can make.

And third, if we’re serious about remaining in the true vine, I think we need to recognize that we have a job to do. In fact, when you get right down to it, it’s the reason God has made us part of the vine in the first place. Jesus said, 

You did not choose me. I chose you and sent you out to produce fruit, the kind of fruit that will last. Then my Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name. So I command you to love each other. [John 15:16-17, CEV]

Now that’s what we’ve called to do. We are here to produce fruit, in other words, to demonstrate God’s love for us through our love for others. This is our job as branches. But we’re not doing it alone. We know that God is with us every step of the way. As a matter of fact, it’s like what John wrote in his first letter:

Dear friends, if we feel at ease in the presence of God, we will have the courage to come near him. He will give us whatever we ask, because we obey him and do what pleases him. God wants us to have faith in his Son Jesus Christ and to love each other. This is also what Jesus taught us to do. [1 John 3:21-23, CEV]

How can we respond to the one who is the true vine? Man, that’s easy. We can decide to claim to the teachings of Jesus and to love one another and to recognize that we have a job to do. You see, that’s how we can respond, and for me, that’s the answer to the second question.

And finally, question number three, why is our response important? Well, I think we can answer that in two ways. For example, on one hand, I believe understanding and responding to the true vine can really enhance our own lives. I mean, just knowing that we’re connected to something far greater than ourselves, man, that can offer all kinds of comfort when life becomes challenging and things aren’t falling into place like we expected. But I think it can also give us courage as we move into the future. My gosh, just think about it. Jesus Christ is the source of our strength. And we know he’s going to be right there as we go out into our world with the intention of loving others just as much as Christ has loved us. You see, on one hand, I believe our lives will be enhanced.

And on the other hand, so will the lives of those around us. I mean, let’s get real, we live in a pretty harsh and hostile world, one in which people now feel as though they have the right and responsibility to direct vile and demeaning and unspeakably juvenile names at anyone who’s different. It’s as though manners and common courtesy have collapsed and our darkest sides have been released. Now that’s our world. But instead of buying into this perversion, suppose we responded with love. I mean, suppose we willingly sacrificed our right to be nasty and confronted names and abuse with kindness and prayers. How do you think that might change those around us, and I’m talking not only about our abusers but those who feel as though they have no choice but to wallow in the base crudeness that’s become part of modern life? The God reflected through us just might set them free. And along with enhancing our own lives, I believe this is why our response is important.

And now, we’re done. Next week, we’ll talk about a rich fool. The following week, I’ll be helping Maggie move to her new apartment in Morgantown and Jess Quinn will be preaching. And then, in keeping with our VBS theme, we’ll start looking at the Fruits of the Spirit that the Apostle Paul listed in the fifth chapter of Galatians. But today, as we prepare to go about our business, let’s remember that Jesus said, “I am the bread that gives life” [John 6:35b, CEV] and “I am the light for the world” [John 8:12c, CEV], “I am the gate for the sheep” [John 10:7b, CEV] and “I am the good shepherd” [John 10:14a, CEV], “I am the one who raises the dead to life!” [John 11:25b, CEV] and “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” [John 14:6, CEV] and of course, “I am the true vine...” [John 15:1b, CEV] And then, let’s remember what he meant and how we can respond and why that response is important. In other words, before those melons that Coco and I passed this morning get any bigger, let’s remember those “I am” statements found in the Gospel of John, because they really do define who Jesus is, in seven words.