Church Fathers Commentary John 15:4-7

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you." — John 15:4-7 (ASV)

St. John Chrysostom: Having said that they were clean through the word which He had spoken to them, He now taught them that they must do their part.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Abide in Me, and I in you. This does not mean they are in Him in the same way He is in them, for both aspects are for their benefit, not His. The branches do not give any advantage to the vine but receive their support from it; the vine supplies nourishment to the branches and takes nothing from them. Therefore, both abiding in Christ and having Christ abide in them are for the benefit of the disciples, not of Christ, according to what follows: As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you, except you abide in Me.

What a great display of grace! He strengthens the hearts of the humble and stops the mouths of the proud. Those who hold that God is not necessary for doing good works—the subverters, not the defenders, of free will—contradict this truth. For whoever thinks that he bears fruit of himself is not in the vine; whoever is not in the vine is not in Christ; and whoever is not in Christ is not a Christian.

Alcuin of York: All the fruit of good works proceeds from this root. He who has delivered us by His grace also carries us forward with His help, so that we bring forth more fruit. Therefore, He repeats and explains what He has said: I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, by believing, obeying, and persevering, and I in him, by enlightening, assisting, and giving perseverance, the same brings forth much fruit—and no one else.

St. Augustine of Hippo: So that no one would suppose that a branch could bear even a little fruit by itself, He adds, For without Me you can do nothing. He does not say, “you can do little.” Unless the branch abides in the vine and lives from the root, it can bear no fruit at all. Although Christ would not be the vine unless He were man, He could not give this grace to the branches unless He were also God.

St. John Chrysostom: The Son, then, contributes no less than the Father to helping the disciples. The Father prunes the branches, but the Son is the one who keeps them in Himself, which is what makes them fruitful. Again, the cleansing is attributed to the Son, while abiding in the root is attributed to the Father who begot the Root.

It is a great loss to be able to do nothing, but He goes on to say even more: If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and withers. This means he will not benefit from the care of the vinedresser; he will lose everything he draws from the root—all that sustains his life—and will die.

Alcuin of York: And men gather them—that is, by the reapers, the Angels—and cast them into the fire, the everlasting fire, and they are burned.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For the branches of the vine are as worthless when they do not abide in the vine as they are glorious when they do. The branch must be in one of two places: either in the vine or in the fire. If it is not in the vine, it will be in the fire.

St. John Chrysostom: Then He shows what it means to abide in Him: If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done for you. This abiding is shown by their works.

St. Augustine of Hippo: For His words can be said to abide in us only when we do what He has commanded and love what He has promised. When His words are in our memory but not in our life, the branch is not considered to be in the vine, because it draws no life from its root.

Insofar as we abide in the Savior, we cannot will anything that is contrary to our salvation. We have one will to the extent that we are in Christ, and another to the extent that we are still in this world. Because of our place in this world, it sometimes happens that we ignorantly ask for something that is not beneficial.

But if we abide in Christ, He will never grant it to us, for He grants only what is beneficial for us. Here we are directed to the prayer, Our Father. Let us hold to the words and meaning of this prayer in our petitions, and then whatever we ask will be done for us.