Sunday Morning Podcast | The Moody Church

Here in John 15, Jesus teaches his disciples and us about the secret to a fruitful life is abiding in Him. At the heart of this discourse is an extended metaphor 1-8 which Jesus then expounds upon in 9-17. The Vine: “I am the true vine” is the 7th and final “I AM” statement in John. The vine is used as a symbol for God’s covenant people, Israel. And whenever this comparison is made, the emphasis is always on Israel’s failure to produce the fruit that God desired. Now we have Jesus applying this metaphor to himself. Jesus is saying that He is the “true” vine, and the fruit Israel failed to bear He will bear in Himself when he is crucified. He provides true access to the living, pulsating, abundant life of God. When we try to find life in everything else, it never really satisfies. The Vinedresser: God the Father is caring and tending for the vine through pruning. If Jesus is the vine, and his disciples are the branches, He’s letting them know that a cutting is coming. They will feel the Vinedresser’s knif