1. What would a sketch of your dream house look like? What style would it be (Tudor, craftsman, colonial, mid-century, modern)? Any specific color? What would be some of the unique features (pool, garage, air conditioning, theater)?

We can dream all day long about our dream houses because having a home is paramount to our existence. We spend thousands of dollars decorating and rearranging our homes each year so that we feel “at home” when we walk in the front door. The desire to be “at home” is an image of what Jesus speaks about in John chapter 15. Our desire to put down roots and cultivate an abode where our bodies and souls can rest is a spiritual desire, too.

We pick up the story in the springtime when the night air is simultaneously humid and cool as Jesus and His closest friends walk together after sharing their last meal together. They are headed to the Garden of Gethsemane. The world as they know it is about to change. These are some of Jesus’ last words to them.

Read John 15:1-6.

Jesus describes Himself as a vine and His Father as the vinedresser. For us, that may sound like an awkward idea out of left-field, but for the disciples who grew up reading the Hebrew Bible, this would have set off little alarm bells in their heads.

2. In the past, what/who did “the vine or vineyard” refer to? (Psalm 80:7-11)

3. Why might Jesus refer to Himself as the “true vine?” (Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 2:21; Ezekiel 15:1-8)

In this organic metaphor, Jesus declares that we are the branches connected to the vine, intended to bear fruit. However, in verses 2-12, Jesus unpacks the consequences of whether we (the branches) are currently bearing fruit or not.

4. What are the two responses of the Father (the vinedresser) to the two types of branches in verse 2? Why?

The purpose of the vinedresser pruning the vine is to ensure that the branch remains healthy and can properly produce large sweet grapes. As it relates to viticulture, pruning includes pinching off little “sucker shoots” (springs that draw away resources from the production of big, juicy grapes) from the branch. Left to itself, the branch will favor more leafy growth over more fruit, so the vinedresser has to prune or clear away unnecessary shoots to promote even greater fruitfulness.

As mentioned, it is springtime when Jesus speaks these words to His disciples. Springtime was a time of cleaning; autumn was the time for harvesting. In the days and weeks surrounding this event, vinedressers would have been cleansing the branch of insects and parasites and pruning their vines.

5. As it relates to our life, have you ever felt that God the Father was cleansing and trimming you as a branch to bear more fruit? How did it feel? What was the result?

6. Besides life’s circumstances, what is the primary tool God uses to cleanse and prune us (verse 3)?

We have talked a lot about the vinedresser’s actions and response to our fruitfulness or unfruitfulness. However, we have not discussed yet what we are supposed to do as branches.

7. Are we meant to focus on trying to produce good fruit in our lives? If so, how do we do that? If not, what is the one thing we are supposed to focus on?

In my home growing up, my family was notoriously known for keeping our Christmas tree up for far longer than needed. Have you ever kept your Christmas tree up way past Christmas time? The longest we kept the tree up was until mid-March due to the busyness of life. In the evenings, the tree still looked good with the lights on as the ornaments sparkled in the light. However, with the lights on, you could easily see the brown sagging branches and the needles all over the floor. “Real” Christmas trees will only ever last a few weeks from the time they are cut off from their roots. Even though they are dying and shriveling underneath, it can be easy to cover them up with more ornaments and lights.

Similarly, we can sometimes cultivate a “Christmas tree” faith where our response to a shriveling soul is to put more ornaments (fruit) on display to convince ourselves and the rest of the world that we are actually healthy and full of life.

8. Have there been times when you have been tempted to show off your ornaments (fruit) to yourself, God, or the church to cover up a lacking spiritual life? What was that like? How did it make you feel?

The branches’ responsibility is not to produce the fruit they bear. Their responsibility is to abide, remain, and make a home in the vine. Jesus directs us to this one priority for our lives: abiding in Him. The fruit comes when we are focused on abiding and nothing else.

9. What does it look like to “abide” in Jesus? What does it look like to not abide in Jesus?

10. What have you found helpful for remaining or abiding in Jesus? Any rhythms or practices?

11. When we do abide or make a home in Jesus, we see in verses 5-12 that multiple promises are given for our life. What are these promises?

Jesus gives His disciples the reason behind these words and command to abide in Him in verse 11, “That my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Far too often we can fall into the trap of thinking of living a holy life of good fruit as a necessary part of following Jesus which is tiring and often too demanding. However, Jesus’ call to abide in Him and thus produce fruit is a call to find peace and joy in a world of adversity and exhaustion.

12. How does this purpose reframe Jesus’ command to “abide” in your life? How does abiding in Jesus lead to a life full of joy?