John 15:1-5

In the gospel of John, Jesus says: "Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit unless it remains part of the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

Isaiah seared into the memory of Israel the image of Judah as a vineyard gone wild that God destroys. (Is. 5:1-5) Jeremiah returned to the same image to depict the apostasy of the chosen people (Jer. 2:21), and Ezekiel also used this metaphor in his lamentation for the princes of Israel (Ezekiel 19:10-14).

The author of the gospel of John has these passages in mind when he presents Jesus as "the true vine" of God that bears fruit. Of course, the image is powerful even if the reader is unaware of the way the major writing prophets of ancient Israel used it to express the judgment of God against Israel for breaking the covenant. But for those who know the scriptures of Israel, the teaching is about promise as well as  judgment. For the gospel witness is that all those abiding in the Son, like branches on the vine, will flourish, whereas all those not abiding in the Son will wither and be burned in the fire.

The first three gospels in the New Testament do not record these words, which are attributed to Jesus by the author of the gospel of John.  These words reflect the faith of the church for which the gospel of John was written, a Jewish church that because of its witness to Jesus as the Messiah is being criticized by the Jews of a synagogue. The first-century Christians proclaiming this gospel teach that Jews who do not confess Jesus as the Christ (Messiah) will be condemned by God. However, this teaching is contradicted by the witness of Paul in chapters 9-11 of Romans. Paul argues that the opposition of some Jews to the church is part of God's plan, because it spreads the gospel to the Gentiles. And Paul asserts that, as God is just, the Jews who rejected Jesus cannot be condemned but will be saved with Christians on the last day.

Grace and peace...Bob