Sunday’s Blessing – 04/06/2025 – 5th Sunday of Lent – I AM the Vine
This Fifth Week of Lent brings us to I AM the Vine. A predominant theme in the teachings of Jesus is that of “sabbath”. Jesus proclaimed Himself to be Lord of the Sabbath. If you remember the Ten Commandments, you recall one said, “Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8 ESV) In giving Moses the Law, God commanded His people to set aside one day a week and do no work. It was for the purpose of remembering that God provides everything for them. The Sabbath (the 7th day, or Saturday) was to be considered holy (sacred, set apart).
Jesus came along in the New Testament with a totally new look at this very old tradition.
“And he said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.’” (Mark 2:27-28 ESV)
This shocked the religious leaders of the day. It was considered blasphemy. But what was Jesus trying to communicate? Was He going against the Law of God? No. Keep in mind Jesus was “The Word made flesh.” (John 1) He WAS the Law of God. Jesus was presenting Himself as not only the incarnate Word, but the fulfillment of all God was, is, and will be. God created the sabbath for man so he could learn to rest. Jesus declared that He IS the sabbath.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29 ESV
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. Hebrews 4:11 ESV
The only “work” we are to do is to find the way into the Rest provided by God, which is in Jesus Christ. So, why are we spending time looking at “rest” when the topic of the day is “vine”? Let’s look at this now.
The fifth I AM to consider is found in John 15:5
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. (ESV)
Picture a grape vine. If you’ve never seen one in person, Google it. The vine is the part planted in the ground, which is the source of nourishment and life for the whole vine. The branches are where the fruit is grown. The cluster of grapes do not labor draw nourishment from the soil. They simply rest, firmly attached to the vine, receiving all they have need of to produce their fruit.
This is the image Jesus uses to describe more fully the relationship He desires to have with us. “I AM the Vine. You are the branch.” Our complete identity is found in being part of The Vine. Apart from the Vine, we are nothing. Attached to the Vine, we are fruit-yielding parts of God’s Kingdom in the earth. The more fully we receive what Jesus has to offer us, the more fruitful we will be, allowing others to feast on our fruit so they may live. Simply stated, the Vine is Rest.
Now for this week’s blessing:
May you find complete rest, wholy relying on Jesus to sustain you
As He brings life from the Father through Himself, the Vine
To provide water (the Word) and nutrients (the Spirit)
While basking in the Sonlight of God’s love
May you allow the Master Vinedresser, the Holy Spirit
To prune you of anything which will prevent a bounteous harvest
Making you bear much fruit for the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth
A blessing to all those you encounter
May the sweetness of the fruit of your life draw others
And the fragrant aroma of Jesus’ reflection in your life
Be a living testimony of the Rest of God
As you remain content in The Vine