I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:5 (NKJV)
It is seventh and the last “I Am” statement by Jesus in John’s gospel. Lord Jesus Christ emphasized His connection with the word ‘Yahweh’, the Hebrew name for God which means “I Am”.
Lord Jesus Christ is sharing this with His closest disciples who already thought they knew Him and had been watching everything Jesus has been doing. Lord Jesus Christ is bringing their attention to another side of who He is and inviting them to stay connected to His heart.
Does our focus also needs to shift from things around us, negative situations to who our God is?
On the grapevine, the vine is the core of the plant, comparative to the trunk of the tree. It is the strength by which the plant grows and the strength by which it support its fruit.
Jesus is the life and strength by which we grow and supports our fruit.
We cannot grow outside of Him, and we cannot produce fruit unless we are wholly connected to Him. Verse four says “abide in me and I in you”. The word abide means – to say, remain, wait.
Lord Jesus is saying, “stay connected to me, wait on me, and I will stay connected to you and wait on you.” Sometimes we think we’re waiting on God when He’s actually waiting on us to be the person He called us to be.
Lord help us to bear much fruit in every season as You prune and purify us.
