I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

We hate thinking of ourselves as being so needy, don’t we? The stark but saving realization of the Christian life is that, in and of ourselves, we don’t possess “the stuff.” We are fragile, feeble, and unfaithful creatures who only took a breath this morning because God graciously decided to provide another moment’s worth of oxygen for our lungs. It’s hard for us to think we are this incapable, this unable, this weak and dependant. Perhaps you’ve had a very “capable” year. You hit some of your marks, achieved some of your goals, and finally got around to checking off a bucket list item or two. That’s certainly not a year to look back and be ashamed of, but it may be one that requires you to pause and ask yourself how just how much self-assurance these achievements may have instilled in you as you face down the new year. 

Here’s what we know about the graciousness of Jesus Christ. He doesn’t want us to have an opinion of ourselves that is ultimately going to disappoint, and independence will ultimately disappoint because it can never be counted on to sustain or maintain. Life will eventually turn ugly on us and illustrate the independence that society (American society to be sure) has held up as the ideal to be a myth. 

But Jesus tells us something about Himself that is so good for ourselves. We are branches. We need connection to a life-sustaining vine. We are not self-sustaining, self-propelling machines. On a physical level, none of us can survive for long without food, water and shelter of some kind. From rich to poor, famous to anonymous, all need these basics to survive. On a spiritual level, we are no less needy. We need the life-line of Jesus Christ to produce the fruit we were meant to produce. Apart from Christ, we can produce something that will resemble fruit, but will be found to be rotten on the inside. Hear the words of Jesus whispering softly to you right now

“Apart from me you can do nothing.”

If it was anybody else, you might react with “Hey, you must think pretty highly of yourself if you think I’m that dependent on you!” And yet, because this is Jesus, we know His words are meant to tell us something about our reality so that His reality becomes more real to us. Think of how different the new year might be if you prayed for abiding in Jesus to be your single greatest pursuit? Think of what the fruit of your life might taste like as you ended next year? How the people around you would be affected if you were so affected by this gracious and merciful truth. 

Reflect

How have you tried to sustain yourself this year apart from Jesus Christ? Recall the times when these efforts made you feel exhausted or hopeless. Pray that the Lord would teach you what it means abide in Christ, and be dependent on him for all things.