The Crucified Vine
15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
John 15:1-4
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The Crucified Vine
Jesus calls Himself the true Vine. Life comes only through abiding in Him, for apart from Christ we are as fruitless branches, lifeless and brittle. This abiding is not our achievement but His gift. The Father grafted us into His Son through the Word and Holy Baptism, joining us to the One who bore our sin on the tree of the cross. Pruning can hurt. The Father cuts away what chokes faith, our pride, self-reliance, and the illusion that we can produce anything by our own strength. Yet He prunes in love, shaping us to bear fruit that flows from Christ’s life, not our own effort. To abide in Jesus is to cling to the Crucified and Risen One whose wounds give life. In Him alone, we remain, grow, and bear fruit that endures.
John 15:1-4
+
The Crucified Vine
Jesus calls Himself the true Vine. Life comes only through abiding in Him, for apart from Christ we are as fruitless branches, lifeless and brittle. This abiding is not our achievement but His gift. The Father grafted us into His Son through the Word and Holy Baptism, joining us to the One who bore our sin on the tree of the cross. Pruning can hurt. The Father cuts away what chokes faith, our pride, self-reliance, and the illusion that we can produce anything by our own strength. Yet He prunes in love, shaping us to bear fruit that flows from Christ’s life, not our own effort. To abide in Jesus is to cling to the Crucified and Risen One whose wounds give life. In Him alone, we remain, grow, and bear fruit that endures.
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