John 15:1-17

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.^[1]

To whom are you connected? The question is answered through the observation of what we do, what we say, how we do it, and how we say it. It is not a complex concept to grasp. One can see it manifested in a variety of relationships. Children take on the characteristics and mannerisms of their parents. Spouses become more like one another over time. Even close friends find themselves saying the same or similar things they hear from each other. One cannot really spend time and claim connection with someone without there being some tangible evidence of that connection. So it is with our relationship with our Savior and Lord.

Jesus says that He is the vine and His Father is the vine dresser, those who are connected to Him are the branches and they bear fruit or they are cut off. They are cut off because they cannot bear fruit unless they are connected to Him, so if there is no fruit there is no connection and the branch is good for nothing. Therefore, one cannot say they are connected to Jesus unless they bear much fruit, and the particular fruit is love, which is different from any other type of love the world has known. It is selfless and sacrificial. We have a command to love one another. To whom are you connected? “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love!”

Gracious loving Father, thank You for loving us so much that You sent Your Son to die for us. Thank You for an unparalleled demonstration of love so selfless we struggle to comprehend it. Help us to overcome our tendency to seek after our own welfare and love our sisters and brothers as You love us. Amen.

^[1] New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Jn 15:1–17.