John 15:5-10 (NIV)
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
The key theme of this section is the word “remain.” If a branch remains in the grapevine, firmly connected so that the nourishing sap flows through it, it will produce fruit – it won’t be able to help it. But if the branch doesn’t remain in the vine, if the connection is severed so that the sap can’t flow, the branch dies; it dries up and can produce no fruit and is thrown into the fire.
It is the same with those who want to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. If they remain in Jesus, firmly connected so that the power and purity of the Holy Spirit flow through them, they will produce fruit – they won’t be able to help it. But if those disciples do not remain in Jesus, if the connection is severed so that the power and purity of the Holy Spirit can’t flow, their spiritual lives will dry up and will produce no fruit and, according to Jesus’ explicit word, are thrown into the fire.
Only those who remain in Jesus can claim the promise that they can ask whatever they wish and receive it. That is because only those who remain in Jesus are actually His disicples. And only they, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit flowing through them, are able to ask for those things that are perfectly in line with the Father’s will. So, they will ask, just like Jesus did, and they will receive from God’s hand whatever is needed, just like Jesus did.
Verse 10 contains the secret to remaining in Jesus: obedience to all of Jesus ‘commands. This is one of the big reasons why part of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is to teach those that we make disicples of to obey everything that Jesus commanded. And Jesus gave many commands to His disciples over the course of His earthly ministry that were captured by the gospel writers.
Jesus Himself was perfectly obedient to all of the Father’s commands, thus remaining in His love. And He requires that same obedience of His followers to his commands if they are to remain in His love and experience the power that will enable them to be effective witnesses to the reality of God’s kingdom in the world.
Father, Jesus’ illustration couldn’t be clearer. If we want to remain in Him and bear fruit, we must obey His commands. And that makes sense. To live in rebellion against what He commanded would distance us from Him and from the only source of our power and purity. Lord, help me to learn all of Jesus’ commands well, to internalize them so that they move me throughout my day. And give me all the strength that I need to obey those commands every day of my life. Amen.
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