VINEYARD

 “He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

          Throughout the biblical period, the vineyard was a part of everyday life for many Israelites. It was their main source of food and income. Often vineyard refers to the chosen people of God. In Matthew 20, Jesus told a parable in which church is compared to a vineyard. 

          In John chapter 15, we see Jesus preached saying, ‘I am the vine and you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” Here, Jesus reveals Himself as the True Vine and His disciples as its branches. He teaches us that, as the branches cannot bear fruits by itself, so do we, without abiding in Christ Jesus it is impossible for us to lead a fruitful life, pleasing to God. To abide in Jesus, is not just a belief, but an intentional action to be made by us, to depend on Him all the time. J.C. Ryle in his book explains, ‘To abide in Christ means to keep up a habit of constant close communion with Him - to be always leaning on Him, resting on Him, pouring out our hearts to Him, and using Him as our Fountain of Life and Strength and as our chief Companion and best Friend. To have His words abiding in us, is to keep His sayings and precepts continually before our memories and minds, and to make them the guide of our actions and the rule of our daily conduct and behavior.’ 

          In a nutshell, to abide in Jesus is to completely rely on Him, as He is the source of life. Jesus ends His teaching saying, ‘I will send the Helper to you’; the Helper is the Holy Spirit, Who leads us everyday and helps us to lean on Christ. One day, we’ll have the Vinedresser have His way through His vineyard; and if we are stuck to the True Vine and yield fruits, we would please Him. Else, we would be dead branches that would be plucked and thrown into fire.  

          Let us commit our ways to the Holy Spirit, Who guides our pathway in Christ Jesus to yield good fruits in the Kingdom of God. Amen!