What does the Bible say about vines and branches?
As we read the Bible, we encounter many references to farming and agriculture. That’s because the original audience to whom the Bible was written lived and worked the land to produce food. Farms often grew grapes for wine-making and fresh fruit. Other common crops at that time were wheat, figs, barley, legumes, and olives.
A fruitful harvest often showed God’s blessing and care for his people. The land promised by God to Israel when they fled Egyptian slavery was a land that flowed with milk and honey. This sweet analogy provided hope and motivation to them to keep going in the desert. Even though we may not live on a farm today, the Bible provides agricultural imagery to help us understand God’s words. Let’s examine what the Bible says specifically about vines and branches.
Christian quotes about vines and branches
“By a matchless parable our Lord there taught us that all believers are branches of the Living Vine, and that, apart from Him we are nothing and can do nothing because we have in us no life.” A.T. Pierson
“Let man choose Life; let him daily nourish his soul; let him forever starve the old life; let him abide continuously as a living branch in the Vine, and the True-Vine Life will flow into his soul, assimilating, renewing, conforming to Type, till Christ, pledged by His own law, be formed in him.” Henry Drummond
“Like the cellar-growing vine is the Christian who lives in the darkness and bondage of fear. But let him go forth, with the liberty of God, into the light of love, and he will be like the plant in the field, healthy, robust, and joyful.” Henry Ward Beecher
The purpose is His, He will carry it out; the fruit is His, He will bring it forth; the abiding is His, He will maintain it.” Andrew Murray,
What do vines symbolize in the Bible?
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NLT)
In the Old Testament, Israel was often described as a vine or a vineyard. They were often called out for not bearing fruit because of their lack of obedience to the Lord.
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you udrove out the nations and planted it.
You vcleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches.
It sent out its branches to wthe sea
and its shoots to wthe River.
Why then have you xbroken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
Turn again, O God of hosts!
Look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine, the stock that your right hand planted,
and for the son whom you made strong for yourself.
They have burned it with fire; they have cut it down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your face! (Psalm 80:8-16 ESV)
I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up and cleared it of stones
and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.
“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?
Now I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled.
I will make it a wasteland,
neither pruned nor cultivated,
and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain on it.”
The vineyard of the Lord Almighty
is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress. (Isaiah 5:1-7 NIV)
In Scripture, the farming imagery points to the future and the true vine.
How is Jesus the True vine?
In the New Testament, Jesus often used farming imagery to talk about himself and his followers.
John 15: 1-5
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already [b]clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
Jesus’ words warn us to make sure we live for him. Jesus, the true vine, is our salvation and redemption. He gives us the strength to live each day for his glory. We can’t bear fruit or live in obedience without staying connected to him. We grow in our relationship with Jesus through
- Reading scripture
- Praying
- Having fellowship with other believers
- Hearing the preaching of God’s word
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.(James 1:22-25 KJV)
What is the relationship between a branch and a vine?
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5 NLT)
When Jesus says this to his followers, he tells them they need to stay connected to him. The word “abide” means to stay or endure. Just like a tree branch doesn’t exist independently but needs the tree to give it food and water, we must stay connected to Jesus to grow as Christians. If we try to live our lives without him, we’ll find ourselves “dead” spiritually. If we trust and obey him, seeking him in all we do, we abide in him. He is our source of strength and grace to live a God-glorifying life.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33 NKJV)
In addition to staying connected to Jesus, we must stay in fellowship with other believers. We aren’t alone in our spiritual journey but need other Christians to help us along the way. Having fellowship with others is important.
- We get encouragement from other believer’s example
- We confess our sins to others and seek forgiveness
- We get to serve others
- Others serve and help us
As we stay connected to others in our church family, we abide in Christ. He gives us others to walk with us on our journey towards heaven.
This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. (John 15:12 NLT)
Abiding in Christ
But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. John 15:7-8 NLT)
The imagery of a branch staying connected to the vine helps us understand how we abide in Christ. It would be strange if we saw a branch hanging by itself that was not connected to the tree. There would be no hope of the branch bearing any leaves or fruit. Eventually, the branch would die because it couldn’t receive food or water if it wasn’t connected to the vine. The main point of Jesus telling us to abide in him is to warn us that we can’t make it ourselves. We need him. He’s our source of life. Without him, we can’t
- Have a productive spiritual life.
- Grow in our faith
- Serve others
- Face life’s challenges
Abiding in Christ means we look to him daily for strength and grace to get through life. As we pray and read God’s word, we find hope and help for each day. Plus, as we abide in Christ, we will produce fruit. What types of fruit will we produce as we abide in Christ? The list is long, but here are some.
- Love for others
- Serve for others
- Patience
- Kindness
- Peace
- Joy
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV)
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13 NIV)
It’s Not What We Do
As we abide in Christ, we must remember it’s not about what we do but what Christ has done for us. We aren’t saved because we obey him or because we’re fruitful. We are saved because Christ took upon himself the punishment we deserved for our sins. We were separated from God because of our sins, but Christ made a way for us. He paid the debt we owed and gave us access to God.
Abiding in Christ is staying connected to him as our source of strength, hope, and grace in life. When we abide in Christ, we trust that he loves us.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Galatians 1:3-5 NIV)
For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. (Hebrews 10:10 NLT)
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, (2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV)
How to know if you’re bearing fruit as a Christian
It’s sometimes difficult to know if we are being fruitful in our walk with the Lord. There are some common characteristics of those who are bearing fruit as Christians.
A desire to share the gospel with others-
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20 NASB)
If you are a fruitful Christian growing in your relationship with Christ, you will desire to tell others about what Christ is doing in your life as an overflow of your relationship with him. As you read scripture and pray, you will want to tell others what you are learning and how Christ helps you.
Desire to inspire other believers-
Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1:28 ESV)
As we bear fruit in our lives, we will want to help other Christians grow in their relationship with Christ.
Desire to be generous-
Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. (Matthew 6:1-4 NLT)
Generosity is evidence of our spiritual growth in Christ. Following Christ makes us desire to share our time, money,, and resources with others in need.
These are just a few evidences of fruitfulness in our lives. If you are unsure, ask others to help you see areas of your life where you produce fruit. There may be areas where you need to grow. That’s okay. It’s a journey and Christ will lead you through his Holy Spirit to continue to live for his glory.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, you also were put to death in regard to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might belong to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. (Romans 7:4 NASB)
Building your prayer life
As a branch stays connected to the vine, we must stay connected to Christ daily. Building your prayer life involves seeking God through reading scripture and praying. During our times with God, we can,
- Confess our sins
- Seek forgiveness
- Thank him for his help and grace
- Ask for help to serve others
- Find strength to live for his glory
- Pray for others who don’t know Christ
- Pray for believers who need help or healing
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. (Matthew 21:22 NIV)
…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 4:6-7 ESV)
And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14: 13-15 NASB)
Conclusion
Scripture’s analogy of a branch staying connected to the vine is helpful in our understanding of our need to stay connected to Christ. Just as a branch can’t live without staying connected to a tree, we can’t expect to grow if we don’t abide by or stay connected to Christ. We will grow in our love for him as we abide in him.
