The true vine
1 "I am the vine, the true one,There is emphasis on "true", which implies a contrast with the false one. I suppose that Jesus may have been referring to Jeremiah 2:21: "Yet I had planted you [Israel, see verse 4] a noble vine, a seed of highest quality. How then have you turned before Me into the degenerate plant of an alien vine?" For a similar idea see Isaiah 5:1-7. and my Father is the vinedresser. 4 Abide in me and I in you.From the way this is stated I conclude that although this ‘abiding’ is a two-way street, it actually depends on us. That is, as we abide in Him He will abide in us—He won’t stop first; only if we stop abiding in Him will He stop abiding in us. Just as a branch is incapable of producing fruit by itself, except it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me.
5 "I am the vine, and you are the branches. The one who abides in me and I in him, he is the one who produces much fruit, because apart from me you are incapable of doing anything.We seem to have a hard time getting this through our heads, but our Lord is very clear—all our activism is fruitless. If we wish to produce fruit for Christ’s Kingdom we MUST abide in Him. 7 If you abide in me and my sayingsThe Greek word is ρημα not λογος; if a distinction is intended I suppose the emphasis here would be on the content of what He taught. This is how we abide in Him, by obeying His Word. abide in you, you will ask whatever you desire and it will happen for you.
16 It was not you who chose me but I who chose you, and I appointed you so that you should go and produce fruit, and that your fruit should endure, so that whatever you may ask the Father in my name He may give you.