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.
Today’s verse is a restatement of verses one and four. Whenever God repeats Himself, it is wise to pay extra attention. It is also good communication. Communication is not just making noises that sound like words, but conveying ideas. Repeating what you have said is a good way to emphasize your meaning. Jesus goes one step farther. He shakes up his words and pours out the same meaning in a different combination. That tends to make us think about what he said.
In this version of what he has said before, he promises that those who remain in him will bear much fruit. Then he adds an interesting twist: “… apart from me you can do nothing.”
If we do not remain in Jesus, we are effectively sidelined. We are not just weakened, or unable to do much. Instead, Jesus says we can do nothing. (The context here suggests he means nothing good or of value to God. Nothing that qualifies as the kind of fruit he talks about.)
Jesus wants us to understand that not only is he the source of life (the vine) but also the source of our ability to do God’s will and bring him glory. Scripture makes it clear that we cannot do this on our own. Jesus bluntly echoes this truth. Apart from him, we can do nothing.
Let’s Discuss: What is it that you see yourself doing when you remain in Jesus that you could not do without him?
Anything of value. Whether that refers to work, as a husband, as a father, etc. Anything of value in God’s eyes must be done in His power or it will not lead to lasting value from a spiritual perspective.
Without Christ even “good deeds” are evil, because they are done in rebellion and selfishness against the sovereign Lord who defines what is good. It is like when the intimacy of marriage is taken out of context from the relationship – adultery, rape, pornography, and lust are the corruption of something good that God established.
So I see myself doing good in it’s proper context – one of submission, obedience, love, and humility to Christ.