“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:1-5).

For many Christians, growing spiritual fruit is unnerving. Its uncomfortable partly because we do not see enough of it in our own lives, nor in the lives of others. We are people who want to get things done. In this matter, we want a spiritual harvest. When the fruit does not mature according to our schedule, we take over as farmer. We attempt to force love, peace, patience, etc. It does not work. We end up damaging the fruit that is growing. Then we just give up.

If you find yourself frustrated in the department of fruit growing, our text has deep encouragement. Jesus says, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.” We often focus on the first part of this, even though it is the second half that grounds us and makes the first half possible. I think Jesus brings together several Old Testament themes here.

God to Joshua: “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you…Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7-9).

The priests blessed Israel with these words, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” God summed up what this meant, “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:24-27).

To the Israelite exiles, God promised this, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

When Jesus says, “as I remain in you”, he is bringing these themes together. In teaching about his kingdom, he uses this picture, “A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (Mark 4:26-27). The writer of Hebrews offers us this, “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (12:1-2).

In summary, we are to run with perseverance, confident that Jesus will complete what he began, making us glorious fruit bearers. We are not farmers, we are farmed. We do not control the process. The fruit is God’s to produce. Because Jesus is now in us, it will happen.

Considering this, hear Jesus’ declaration, “I am making everything new! (Revelation 21:5). That includes us. This is why Paul can offer us these words of encouragement, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

As you stay connected to the vine:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever he may send you. May he guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm. May he bring you home rejoicing; at the wonders he has shown you. May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.