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Wine was more than a treat or delicacy in the ancient world – it was a necessity.  Water was unpalatable and often unsafe.  So they drank wine, which for them meant mixing wine with the water which made the water safe via the alcohol. Wine was a necessity for social occasions, a groom was liable to a lawsuit or a dissolved marriage if he couldn’t provide enough wine for his guests at a wedding feast and so Jesus’ first miracle saves some newly married man’s marriage and savings.

The fruit of the vine is…

1. The Father’s passion. (1-3)

• He cuts away dead branches.
• He prunes productive branches.
  • This really describes sanctification or purification.  He starts to cut away the parts of us that aren’t fruitful.
  • This could mean trimming away sinful habits that require the blood of Christ for forgiveness.  This could mean trimming away areas that aren’t our giftedness so that we can focus on the mission God has for us.
  • Christ tells us in verse three that it’s the word that does the pruning and it does for it certainly is the sharp double edged sword as scripture describes.
• What determines the difference?  Fruit and it’s bore in a variety of ways.
  • Fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22)
  • Fruit keeping with repentance (Luke 3:8)
  • Fruit will last (John 15:16)
  • Saved souls are considered fruit (1 Corinthians 15:23; Colossians 1:6).  It’s this last fruit I want to focus on this morning because no other fruit displays the full redeeming power of Jesus quite like this fruit.

2. The expression of the Son’s power. (4-7)

• Apart from Jesus we die – as we do not have his blood flowing into us.
  • Walk around the campus today and see the trees that had limbs pruned.  You can see the sap where the saw has been.  When you cut a branch off a tree or vine you see the sap literally bleeding out from a plant.
  • It is this sap that flows from the vine to the branch and into the fruit.
• With Jesus we thrive – living in his purpose, filled with his power.
  • How do we best do this?  Remember back to John 6 where Jesus tells his followers that those who do not eat his flesh and drink his blood have no part in him!
  • This is why communion is so important.  It puts us in constant contact with Jesus’ life giving blood.  This is what centers us then sends us out with his power!
  • We miss some of the necessity of the connection being people not plants.  If there’s no food at home then I’ll go to the store or a restaurant, but what recourse does the branch of the vine have?  None, it’s got to make things work with the vine.
  • In this light the phrase, “Ask whatever you wish” has a deeper meaning.  The branch won’t ask for anything that isn’t good for the vine.  Why?  Because to hurt the vine is to hurt the branch, but to bless the vine is to bless the branch.

3. The glory of the Father. (8)

• The connection for life and the requests granted ultimately come back as glory to God.  No vine tends itself, so a well pruned vine and a healthy plant testify to the goodness of the gardener.  The vinedresser receives praise along with the vine.
• This gives purpose to the Son’s blood – Christ’s blood symbolized by the fruit of the vine was poured out why?  So that we could bear more fruit for the vine.
• When a grape is crushed the Old Testament calls the juice the blood of the grape.  So, the blood of the grape is what brings life very literally to the ancient world by providing potable water.
  • Christ tells us that it’s the blood of the grape or the fruit of the vine that represents his own sacrifice and that every time we take communion we ought to remember that.
  • Just as the grape is crushed and pours out its life so too was Jesus who poured out his life in the cup of our hearts and fills us to overflowing so that we might in turn be crush and pour out into the lives of others.
• Jesus’ life was poured out so that we might have life connected to him and bear new life by bringing others to him.  All of this is powered by Christ’s blood and bringing glory to the Father.
• Realize we bear fruit, we don’t make it.  The vine, Jesus he makes it we bear it.
  • The problem is that so many of us are too weak to bear fruit.  We’ve neglected the call to go and make disciples.  We’ve settled for inviting people to church.
  • Yet, inviting people to church is a step in the right direction, and it could be the first step for someone to discipleship.  Our responsibility does not stop there but we are to hold them up and pour into them the life of Christ.

4. Our joy and purpose. (9-11)

• Our purpose and joy of fulfillment come from obeying Christ’s command to love.
• When was the last time you loved the world?  When was the last time you poured yourself out for the sake of sharing Christ’s love with the world?
• This isn’t easy, but what happens when you crush grapes?  Blood flows out, along with life.

“One of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.” – John 19:34

Now we understand what happened when Jesus was pierced and blood and water flowed out.  John is telling us that in Jesus death life flowed out!

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