Perhaps one of the most important concepts within the Christian life is that of abiding in Jesus. He brought this concept to our attention near the end of His life, when He imparted His final teachings to His disciples in the upper room before leaving for the garden of Gethsemane.

Let’s remind ourselves of what He said.

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 

(John 15:1-8)


There’s a special beauty that lies in abiding in Jesus. If He is the Vine and we are the branches, then we cannot truly live without being connected to Him. We can only be fruitful when we nurture our connection with the Vine. 

Grapevines contain two major types of vascular tissue [1]:

  • Xylem, which conveys water and minerals
  • Phloem, which relays nourishment

Structure of a grape vine [1]

Even as we consider these vascular systems, we begin to see some beautiful overlays with Jesus’ other teachings.

If Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, then the “sap” running through our spiritual veins also runs through His. Though the mechanisms differ between plants and mammals, the xylem and phloem vascular systems convey fluids, like blood vessels. As the body of Christ, we might conceptualize this as the blood of Jesus running through our spiritual veins. That blood removes the toxins of sin and washes us clean. That blood is the blood of our Passover Lamb—not only painted over the doorposts of our hearts, but literally pumping through our spiritual hearts and veins as we remain connected with Jesus!

And what does this blood convey? Not only does it convey nutrients, brought to us through the gentle instruction of the Holy Spirit, but it conveys water and minerals. 

Jesus first talked about living water with the Samaritan woman [2]. Later, He would shout to the crowds, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”[3]  And His living water does indeed flow from our innermost being, when we remain connected with our Vine.

Salt is a crystalline mineral essential for life. Jesus also taught that we are the salt of the earth [4] and that we should have the qualities of salt, leading to peace, in our interactions with each other [5]. Once more, it is our connection with the Vine that enables us to be salty in the first place. It is the mineral transfer from our Source that provides us with the very resources we require to obey Jesus’ commands.

Praise be to the One who is the Source and Supply of all that we need!


Lord Jesus, thank You that I don’t have to live the Christian life alone. That You provide every resource required for me to love and follow You. Thank You that You have made a way for me to remain connected with You, to be nourished by You, to have the toxins of sin continuously flushed out from my spiritual system, and to continuously replenish me with the salt and water that I need not only to live but to obey You in spreading Your message of hope to those around me. In the strong and powerful name of Jesus I pray, amen.


NOTES

[1]  Mary Retallack, Grapevine Biology, accessed March 13, 2024, https://www.viti.com.au/pdf/MVWGG%20Fact%20Sheet%20-%20Grapevine%20Biology.pdf. 

[2] See John 4:10.

[3] John 7:37-38.

[4] See Matthew 5:13.

[5] See Mark 9:50.


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