Matthew Henry Commentary John 15:1-8

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every [branch] that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit. Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you. 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. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and [so] shall ye be my disciples." — John 15:1-8 (ASV)

Jesus Christ is the Vine, the true Vine. The union of the human and Divine natures, and the fullness of the Spirit that is in Him, resemble the root of the vine made fruitful by the moisture from a rich soil. Believers are branches of this Vine. The root is unseen, and our life is hidden with Christ; the root bears the tree, diffuses sap to it, and in Christ are all supports and supplies.

The branches of the vine are many, yet, meeting in the root, are all but one vine; thus all true Christians, though in place and opinion distant from each other, meet in Christ. Believers, like the branches of the vine, are weak, and unable to stand but as they are supported. The Father is the Husbandman. Never was any husbandman so wise, so watchful, about his vineyard, as God is about His church, which therefore must prosper.

We must be fruitful. From a vine we look for grapes, and from a Christian we look for a Christian temper, disposition, and life. We must honor God, and do good; this is bearing fruit. The unfruitful are taken away. And even fruitful branches need pruning; for the best have notions, passions, and ill humors that require to be taken away. Christ has promised to advance the sanctification of believers through this process, and they will be thankful for it.

The word of Christ is spoken to all believers; and there is a cleansing virtue in that word, as it produces grace and expels corruption. And the more fruit we bear, the more we abound in what is good, the more our Lord is glorified. To be fruitful, we must abide in Christ, must have union with Him by faith. It is the great concern of all Christ's disciples to constantly maintain dependence upon Christ and communion with Him.

True Christians find by experience that any interruption in the exercise of their faith causes holy affections to decline, their corruptions to revive, and their comforts to droop. Those who do not abide in Christ, though they may flourish for a while in outward profession, yet come to nothing. The fire is the fittest place for withered branches; they are good for nothing else.

Let us seek to live more simply on the fullness of Christ and to grow more fruitful in every good word and work, so that our joy in Him and in His salvation may be full.