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John 15: 1-8 | King James Audio Bible | Daily Verses
I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
In the Old Testament, the chosen people of Israel have been compared to a vine. We may think, for example, of Isaiah’s Song of the Vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7 – Audio Bible Verses Spoken Word), in which God complains that, despite the care he has lavished upon it, his vineyard has only produced wild grapes:
NOW will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus uses this imagery of the vineyard in his parable of the tenants, who injure and murder the messengers of the lord of the vineyard, this signifying the rejection of Jesus by the Jews and the call to the Gentiles to follow Christ. Here Jesus develops our understanding of the symbolism, explaining that he is the true vine and that, to be fruitful in our lives, and to receive the gift of eternal life, we as the branches must be joined to him. In short, we can do nothing without him. Jesus is the air that we breathe. Our very existence is through Christ.
We are to abide in Christ, and to welcome and rejoice in Christ as he enters to abide in us. Through this, Christians then become part of one body. Our faith, then, goes beyond our private experience of God; it is communal, each member of Christ’s body, the Church, working for the good of others, and exhorting one another to greater faith.
The vine, Jesus tells us, is good only if it bears fruit. It is not fit for carpentry. Should a branch not bear fruit, it is then only fit to be burned. Through the parable, we are additionally taught that through pruning we may be brought to bear more fruit. Jesus speaks here of the ways in which we may suffer for our faith, and of sacrifices that may be entailed. Through this discipline of faith, we may come to full fruition in Christ Jesus.
‘Have you not heard the Master himself tell the parable of the vine and the branches? Here we find consolation. He demands much of you, for you are the branch that bears fruit. And he must prune you… to make you bear more fruit. Of course, that cutting, that pruning, hurts. But afterwards, what richness in your fruits, what maturity in your actions.’ St Josemaria Escriva
King James Audio Bible | Endnotes
I Am The Vine And Ye Are The Branches | The Word Of Jesus In The Gospels
John 15: 1-8 is a beautiful and profound passage in which Jesus uses the metaphor of a vine and its branches to describe the intimate relationship between himself and his disciples.
This metaphor of the vine and the branches is rich with meaning. One of the most important aspects of this metaphor is the idea of unity and interdependence. Just as the branches of a vine cannot survive without being connected to the main vine, so too must we be connected to Christ in order to bear spiritual fruit.
Saint Augustine wrote about the metaphor of the vine and the branches in his commentary on John’s Gospel. He emphasized the importance of staying connected to Christ, writing, ‘If we do not abide in Him, we are withered; but if we abide in Him, we bring forth much fruit.’ Saint Augustine also noted that the vine metaphor is a powerful image of the Church, in which Christ is the head and we are the members.
Martin Luther, founder of the Protestant Reformation, wrote about the vine and branches in his commentary on John’s Gospel. He highlighted the importance of faith in Christ as the means by which we are connected to the vine. Luther wrote: ‘Faith alone is the power that unites us to Christ, and this is the reason why faith is so highly praised in Scripture.’
In addition to unity and faith, the metaphor of the vine and branches also speaks to the process of spiritual growth and purification. Jesus says that every branch that bears fruit is pruned by the Father so that it may bear even more fruit. This process of pruning can be painful, but it is necessary for spiritual growth.
Catholic theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote about the idea of spiritual purification in his Summa Theologica. He argued that the process of purification is necessary for us to become more like God, writing, ‘By purifying the soul, we become more like God, who is perfectly pure.’
Abide In Me And I In You | Spiritual Commitment With Jesus
Jesus goes on to say, ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more 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 bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’
These words of Jesus speak to the importance of abiding in Jesus, of remaining in Jesus’ presence and cultivating a deep and intimate relationship with him. When we abide in Christ, we allow his life to flow through us, and we become fruitful in our spiritual lives. Without him, we can do nothing.
17th century Anglican bishop Jeremy Taylor wrote: ‘Abiding in Christ is not a single act of faith, but a continued course of holy living, begun and maintained by faith, hope, and charity.’
Catholic mystic Saint John of the Cross wrote about the importance of abiding in Christ in his book, The Ascent Of Mount Carmel. He wrote: ‘To abide in Christ means to be united to Him in such a way that one lives in Him and He lives in one. This is the essence of spiritual life.’
In order to abide in Christ, we must cultivate a relationship with him through prayer, study of his Word, and participation in the sacraments. We must also seek to live in obedience to His commands, as Jesus says in John 15:10, ‘If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.’
When we abide in Jesus, in the Word, in his words, we experience Jesus’ love, his joy and peace in our lives. We become more like Jesus and are able to bear fruit for his kingdom. As we reflect on these words of Jesus, may we be encouraged to deepen our relationship with Jesus and to abide in his love.
Christian Art | A Boy At Prayer With Jesus | Eucharist Office Of Readings | Eastertide Week 3, Sunday | A Reading From The First Apology Of Saint Justin Martyr In Defence Of The Christians | Celebration Of The Eucharist ‘Celebration of the eucharist.’ Saint Justin Martyr: Celebration of the Eucharist Saint Justin Martyr’s account of Christian Eucharistic worship, written around 155 AD, is one of the earliest and most significant descriptions of the liturgy outside of the New Testament. Composed as part of his First Apology—a formal defense of Christianity addressed to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius—this passage reveals not only the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the early Church but also the theological, communal, and sacrificial dimensions of Christian worship as it was practised just a few generations after the apostles. Faith, Baptism And The Moral Life As Prerequisites Justin opens by affirming that no one may partake of the Eucharist unless they believe the Church’s teachings, have been baptized (‘washed in the regenerating waters’), and live according to Christ’s commands. This threefold requirement—orthodoxy (right belief), sacramental initiation (baptism), and orthopraxy (right living)—highlights the deeply integrated nature of early Christian identity. Eucharistic communion was not a casual or symbolic act; it was a profound participation in the mystery of Christ, accessible only to those who were fully incorporated into his Body, the Church. Real Presence And Eucharistic Transformation Justin’s teaching on the Eucharist is unmistakably clear: the bread and wine, through the ‘prayer of thanksgiving’ (Greek: eucharistia), become the body and blood of the incarnate Jesus Christ. This is not metaphorical language. Drawing on the Incarnation itself as an analogy, Justin explains that just as Christ became flesh by the power of the Word, so the Eucharistic elements become his flesh and blood by the power of the same Word, invoked in prayer. This theological reasoning lays a foundation for later doctrinal developments such as the Church’s formal teaching on the Real Presence and transubstantiation. Notably, this passage predates the formalization of these doctrines by centuries, yet the essential belief is already fully formed—a powerful testimony to the apostolic origin of the Church’s sacramental theology. The Apostolic Command And Continuity Justin grounds the Eucharistic rite in the direct command of Jesus: Do this in memory of me. He attributes this tradition to the apostles’ ‘recollections’ (anamneses), which are equated with the Gospels. This demonstrates the early Church’s consciousness of its liturgical life being not a novel invention but the faithful continuation of Christ’s instruction, carried on through apostolic succession. The fact that this teaching is described in a public defence of Christianity underscores Justin’s desire to correct Roman misunderstandings about Christian worship, which had been accused of cannibalism due to misinterpretations of Eucharistic language. Sunday Worship And Scriptural Proclamation Justin describes the Sunday assembly (koinē synaxis) as a weekly gathering of Christians from both city and countryside, centered around the reading of Scripture—first the writings of the prophets (the Old Testament), then the apostolic writings (what we now call the New Testament). After the readings, the presider (likely a bishop or priest) offers a homily, encouraging moral and spiritual growth. This structure is clearly recognizable in the Mass today: the Liturgy of the Word followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Importantly, Justin situates this practice within the broader theological framework of the Lord’s Day—the first day of creation and the day of the Resurrection. Thus, Sunday worship is simultaneously eschatological and cosmological: it celebrates not only the new creation in Christ but also the re-creation of the world through his rising from the dead. The Eucharistic Prayer And Communion Justin’s account continues with the presentation of bread, wine, and water, followed by a Eucharistic Prayer during which the president offers thanks ‘to the best of his ability’, and the people respond with ‘Amen.’ This prayer is the epicentre of the liturgy, paralleling the Canon of the Mass. The Eucharist is then distributed to those present, and deacons carry it to those absent—perhaps the sick or imprisoned. This detail reveals the strong pastoral and communal dimension of the Eucharist. It is not a private devotion but a gift of Christ shared with the whole body, particularly the vulnerable. Charity And Ecclesial Responsibility The offering of gifts by the wealthy, administered by the president and used for the support of the poor, widows, orphans, and the imprisoned, reflects how closely the Eucharist was tied to practical charity. The Eucharist made real the communion of the faithful with Christ and with one another. It was not only a mystical participation in Christ’s body but also a lived expression of solidarity and sacrificial love. This aspect finds resonance in Acts 2:42–47 and remains central to Catholic social teaching. Apostolic Tradition In Action Justin’s testimony, written a mere century after the Resurrection, powerfully confirms that the early Church’s Eucharistic worship—centred on the Word, Sacrament, community, and charity—was already well-developed and firmly grounded in apostolic tradition. His witness is critical not only for understanding the historical roots of the Mass but also for deepening modern appreciation of the Eucharist’s enduring meaning. In our own time, when the mystery of the Eucharist is often misunderstood, taken for granted, or even rejected, Justin’s words remind us that the Church has always confessed the true and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist. His account also reinforces the communal, sacrificial, and transformative nature of this sacrament, which, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, is the ‘source and summit of the Christian life’ (CCC 1324). A Reading From The First Apology Of Saint Justin Martyr In Defence Of The Christians | Celebration Of The Eucharist No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ. We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as […]
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