July 17th, 2025
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.
The Lord Jesus was never overtly mysterious when identifying Himself to His disciples. You may recall that He would use many "I am" statements when teaching them. He said "I am the bread of life" or, "I am the resurrection and the life" or, "I am the Good Shepherd". These unique statements were the means by which Christ was revealing Himself to the world. And if you study all of these statements, you will understand that the Lord was teaching us something very specific about Himself. He was declaring Himself to be the fundamental necessity of all creation.
This point is only reaffirmed in our scripture today. Jesus, speaking with bold confidence, clearly defines both Himself and our position as we relate to Him. Christ is the true vine and we are merely the branches. The branches on their own are virtually useless without the vine. In fact, without the life-giving support of the vine, the branches would wither up and die. Jesus was not beating around the bush nor was he exaggerating for dramatic purposes. He was simply declaring the truth to all humanity. If we have not found ourselves in Christ and Christ has not immersed Himself in us, then all of us are surely on the road toward decay and decomposition. There is no survival for us if we are not fully attached to the vine. There is no life worth living unless Christ is the centre of that life.
Classic psychology teaches that there are a multitude of needs that must be met in order for humans to survive. We must have our physical needs met by eating, drinking water, and getting proper sleep. We must feel a sense of safety and security in our daily life. We must find love and belonging through friendships, family, and community. Lastly, we must have a healthy sense of self-esteem as we live in the world and relate to others. According to the secular mind, we must have all of these items checked off in order for us to live a meaningful life. However, the world has greatly forgotten the very notion that Christ is the creator of all created things, and that He sustains everything by the power of His right hand. He is before all things and in Him all things are held together (Colossians 1:16-17). In Him we move and have our being (Acts 17:28) and the life of every living thing is held in palm of His hand (Job 12:10).
Today, we are tempted to believe otherwise in our culture. We are encouraged to believe that the sustenance of our lives is in our own hands. That we ourselves have the power and ability to hold all things together. That maybe we don't need a vine to supply us anything; we can exist and thrive all on our own. As Christians we know this isn't the truth. We know that we are in fact nothing without Jesus Christ. The question today is, do you live as though this is true? Are you trying to fix everything in your life all on your own? Are you trying to leverage your own intellect and knowledge to get you farther in life? Are you relying solely on your own financial insights to create and manifest your own comfort? We can call Jesus Christ our "Lord" all we want and yet live every single day completely on our own strength. Hear His voice today, if you remain in Him and He in you, you will surely bear much fruit.
Prayer: Lord, I come to you in humility today. I recognize that I am nothing without you. Remind me of my frailty and my weaknesses. Do not allow me to boast in my own accomplishments. Rather, teach me to be grateful for all that you have given me. Help me to rely wholly and completely on you, my rock and my cornerstone. Amen.