John 15:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For this enables us to be continually in God and to be in communion with Him, according to the word of the Psalmist: “My soul has cleaved to Thee” (Ps 62:9). Therefore, for complete blessedness, that is, for sanctification accomplished by Christ who sanctifies us, it will not be enough for us to be received as branches.

In addition to this, I say, sincere following through perfect and unceasing love is also necessary. For in this chiefly consists and is preserved the power of union or communion understood in the Spirit.

Thus, when Christ said to His disciples, “Already you are clean because of the word which I have spoken to you,” He considered it useful to add the instruction that they must abide in Him. He did this lest anyone once cleansed should think that he can remain without falling, even if he applies no care for his own well-being.

And what should this mean? In my judgment, nothing other than what Paul clearly and beautifully said: “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor 10:12). For thousands of falls may lie before those who think they already stand firmly, but do not apply greater care to holding fast the condition in which they are.

I think we must have every concern and care for ourselves, even if someone should seem to stand firmly because of progress already shown in the practice of good. And He necessarily indicated what kind of harm, and how great, each one suffers when he is cut off from communion with God by turning aside through negligence to what is improper. He added: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides on the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

For if a branch does not receive from the vine, as from a mother, the life-giving moisture communicated to it, can it produce a cluster? What fruit will it produce, and whence? You must understand this saying in a similar way concerning ourselves.

No fruit of virtue will ever grow in us if we fall away from communion with Christ. But for those who are in union with Him who has power to fill and nourish unto piety, as with life-giving water, and with the gift and grace of the Spirit, the power of fruit-bearing will already be easy.

Knowing this, the Only-begotten said in the Gospels: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink” (Jn 7:37). The Spirit-bearing Evangelist, interpreting this very beautifully for us, testified in these words: “This He said concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him were to receive” (Jn 7:39).

Moreover, blessed David himself prayed to God the Father in these words: “For with Thee is the fountain of life,” and, “Thou shalt give them drink from the torrent of Thy delight” (Ps 35:10, 9).

By the fountain of divine and spiritual life, and by the torrent of delight, whom else can one understand except the Son? He feeds and waters our souls with the life-giving and radiant grace of the Spirit, as souls joined to Him like branches through love and faith.

Jesus called Himself the vine, His disciples the branches, and the Father the husbandman, as we have already explained as far as we were able. In this passage, still speaking of Himself as the vine and of the disciples as the branches, He said: “Abide in Me, and I in you.” They are not in Him as He is in them. But both are useful not for Him, but for them.

Certainly branches are so connected with the vine that they bring nothing to the vine, but receive from it what enables them to live. In turn, the vine is so connected with the branches that it supplies them with living nourishment and does not receive it from them.

Therefore both to have Christ abiding in them and to abide themselves in Christ are equally important for the disciples, not for Christ. For when a branch is cut off, a new one can sprout from the living root. But once cut off, it cannot live without the root.

Then He continues and says: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides on the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” This is a great testimony to grace, my brethren. It strengthens the hearts of the humble and closes the mouths of the proud.

Let those answer this, if they can, who, not understanding the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God (Rom 10:3). Let the self-loving answer this, who think they do not need God for doing good works.

Do not those men oppose this truth, corrupted in mind and ignorant in the faith (2 Tim 3:8), who answer and speak impiously, saying, “Thanks to God we are men, but thanks to ourselves we are righteous”? What are you saying, deceiving yourselves? You are not defending free will, but casting it down from the heights of arrogance, through the voids of prejudice, into the depths of the abyss.

For when you say that man of himself can work righteousness, this is the height of your arrogance. But Truth answers you and says: “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides on the vine.”

Now you are walking above an abyss, with nothing on which to stand, boasting and throwing words to the wind. These are the voids of your prejudice. But see what follows after you, and if there is any sense in you, tremble.

For whoever imagines that he bears fruit by himself does not abide on the vine. Whoever does not abide on the vine does not abide in Christ. Whoever does not abide in Christ is not a Christian. This is the depth of your abyss.

Let those who look upon Thee praise Thee. Let them marvel at the multitude gathered into the Church like dense rows of vine branches.

Let each of the faithful gaze with delight upon the pearls of souls. Let them rejoice in the ripeness of wisdom, the splendor of faith, the charm of confession, the beauty of righteousness, and the fruitfulness of compassion.

Then it may be said: “Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in your house” (Ps 127:3). For by your generous giving you imitate the abundant fruit-bearing of the grapevine.

In spring many shoots, or branches, grow from this vine. Yet not all of them are fruitful. Therefore, so that unfruitful branches may not exhaust the root, the vinedresser cuts them off.

He cleanses the fruitful branches of excess side shoots, so that all the sap may be directed into the forming clusters. Thus their size and weight increase, and more fruit is obtained.

If such pruning and cleansing is not done, either no berries are produced at all, or they are small and unripe.

Comparing the life of the grapevine with the life of the Apostles and of all members of the Kingdom of God, Jesus said that a vine branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it is nourished by the vine.

So also His followers cannot do anything good unless they are in constant union with Him. And as a vine branch is cleansed of everything hindering its fruitfulness, so His disciples, members of the Kingdom of God, are sent various trials.

These trials compel them to cast away everything that prevents them from bearing the fruits that Christ has the right to expect from them, and that He requires of them.

Our life must correspond to the desires of the Spirit who gives us life. Or, as St. John said, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked” (1 Jn 2:6).

By the words “and I in you,” the Savior expresses the action of grace, which is necessary for the will to do works pleasing to God. Likewise, by the words “abide in Me,” activity is prescribed for the will.

The Lord says: take care that you abide in Me and I in you. Use everything so that the mystical bond may be preserved unbroken.

How can we abide in Him? “Abide in Me” means: preserve communion with your Lord by living faith, a faith that is revealed in works, or that works through love (Gal 5:6).

The Apostle Jude writes: “Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 1:21).

“As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches.”

A vine branch, in order to be fruitful, must be united to the vine’s trunk. Then it receives the nourishing sap by which both the branch’s life and its fruitfulness are sustained.

In exactly the same way, the disciples of Christ Jesus cannot bear spiritual fruits, truly good works, unless they are united by faith with their Lord.

The words of the Lord are truth. It is within everyone’s will to test them by experience, and experience will justify them.

Suppose you suffer from the passion of anger. If you think you can acquire freedom from anger without Christ’s help, you will see how great your success will be.

Spiritual disorder has penetrated our nature too deeply. Our nature cannot heal itself from this disorder.

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.” This is the voice of apostolic experience (2 Cor 3:5).

“The minding of the flesh,” that is, of man left to himself without grace, “is enmity against God. For it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” This is the apostolic judgment concerning man (Rom 8:7).