Now Are Ye Clean

Jesus uses the symbol of a grapevine to explain the relationship between the Son, Father and disciples. He says, I am the “true vine.”

What does he mean by that phrase the true vine. Keep in mind that this is being taught on the same night as the Passover and more importantly the first Lord’s Supper. What Jesus is saying that he is the genuine vine of righteousness, the true vine. He is the vine that Israel was supposed to symbolize but failed.

Isaiah 5:1-7 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.

What Israel should have been, what it should have symbolized, a vine bearing fruit for their God, Jesus was the fulfillment. He was the true vine that would not bring forth wild fruit for the vinedresser.

He also says that his Father is the vinedresser.

The vinedresser was a specialized and skilled worker. To properly dress the vine was a task that took experience and knowledge, else the vine would not flourish. Under skillful hands the vine would produce an abundance of fruit.

The figure of the vine and vinedresser is meant to show that God gave His Son to be, the source of blessings to man; that all grace, mercy and blessing would flow through Him. God the Father would care for the branches that would be connected to Jesus our vine of grace.

Two words are used here for pruning, in the Greek they form a play on words which we can’t see in the English. The Greek words airei, taketh away, and kathairei, purgeth. The play on words in English would translate as “cuts away” and “cuts back.” – Tyndale NT commentary on John pg. 176

Jesus then tells the disciples that they are now “clean” kathairei, cut back, though the word that he has spoken to them.

His teaching in the upper room, his sending away of Judas, his admonishing them for not knowing him or the place where he must go “cut back” their ignorance and “cut away” one of their own members, now are they were clean. All the words of Jesus to the disciples would cut away that which hindered them from being fit to carry His name.

The Cutting Back Of the Vineyard

If we are to be fruitful then we must understand and expect the cutting away and the cutting back of the Father’s care.

Jesus says this takes place in two ways, taking away and purging, cutting away and cutting back. If a branch does not bear any fruit, then it is taken away. A branch that is fruitful is cut back, pruned, that it may bear even more fruit. These figures picture our service, not our salvation. A believer who bears no fruit is removed. How God does this is according to His infinite wisdom. I can only guess but God will act to remove someone who says they are a believer but refuses to be fruitful.

The second dressing is for those who are fruitful. God cleans them, purges them, prunes in their life that that may be more fruitful. Jesus told the apostles that this cleaning had been done through the word that He had spoken to them. The application is easy to make, if we refuse to grow, to produce and reproduce, then Fathers sovereign, providential hand will take us away. If however, we desire to be fruitful for our Lord then Jesus tells us we will experience the Father’s hand “cutting away” that which hinders us from being all we are meant to be as branches of the vine of grace. This cleaning of our life is done today the same way it was with Jesus and the apostle, through His Word.

Paul used the our relationship with the Lord to teach Husbands how to love their wives and he added this insight in Ephesians 5:25-27 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Notice the purpose) 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

We are to be set apart for a special purpose and cleansed with the washing of water by the Word. It is the Word, especially those of Jesus that keep us fit and fruitful in our service for Him.