By J.R. Miller
It is a great privilege to be a branch. It is to share the best there is in the vine. A branch is really part of the vine, not something separate and distinct, living merely in its shadow, under its influence, receiving gifts and favors from it; it is the vine itself, with all the vine's richness and fullness of life.
When we think of this as an illustration of the relation of the believer to Christ, we have a suggestion of the closeness and intimacy of that relation. The Christian does not merely receive blessing from Christ, does not merely enjoy his friendship, have his help, and live under his protection. This would be a high privilege, even if it were all. To have the Son of God for Friend, Helper, Keeper, and Guide--brings into a sinful, frail, imperiled human life unspeakable good. But the believer is a branch of Christ--one with him. Christ's life is his life. Christ's fullness flows into his heart. Christ's joy and peace and strength are his. Apart from Christ, he can do nothing--but in Christ he can do all things.
There is, however, another side of this illustration of the branch. The test of true union with the vine, is fruitfulness. The branch which does not bear fruit is cut off and cast away as useless. The vine itself bears no fruit--all the fruit must grow on the branches. This suggests the responsibility of being a branch. If a branch is fruitless, with nothing but leaves, it makes the vine a failure at the point where it grows. The hungry come to it seeking for fruit--but find none and are disappointed and Christ is disappointed too. And it is not the fault of the vine, whose life is full all the while, and ready to produce abundant fruit--but the fault of the branch, which for some reason does not avail itself of the rich resources of life at its disposal; that is, does not do its full duty as a branch.
The figure holds true in spiritual life. Christ is the vine--and we are the branches. Christ himself does not bear the fruit with which he desires to feed the world's hunger--it must grow in the lives of his followers. Once, for a time, he was himself in the world as a Branch, and as such he was wondrously fruitful. Every possibility of his nature was developed. In him all the fruits of the Spirit grew to their ripest and best. Love reached its perfection in his life. He went about doing good. Everywhere he went--he carried blessing.
We have accounts of a few miracles wrought by Christ and condensed records of many others; but besides these supernatural acts of mercy--his days and hours were crowded with deeds of common kindness which far surpassed in sum of blessing, his supernatural words. Then all the fruits of disposition and character reached their best in his life. Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, meekness, goodness--were found in him in perfectness. While Jesus Christ remained on the earth in human form--he was indeed a fruitful branch and thousands of hungry ones were fed with the fruits which dropped from his rich life. No one ever came to him hungry, desiring to be fed--only to be disappointed.
But when he went away into heaven--he became the great Vine. All who are attached to him by faith and love--are now branches of him. Through them his life flows, and they are to bear fruit in his name. We cannot put this truth too clearly--nor emphasize it too strongly. It is upon our human lives, that the fruit must grow with which Christ would feed the hunger of men. He is not here anymore in the flesh--but we are here in his place. We represent him, and the blessings which he would give to the world--must be given through us. There is no other way in which they can be given. Angels would gladly come to earth to do our work--but they could not do it. We are the body of Christ--our hands are his hands, our feet are his feet, and our lips are his lips. During his incarnation, he lived in one human body; now his body is the whole company of believers.
It is Christ's will, that the ministry of love which he began in person, shall be continued. "The works that I do--shall you do also; and greater works than these shall you do." The world is full of sorrow--which needs comfort; of bruised and broken lives--which need healing; of weary and heavy laden ones--who need hope and cheer. If Jesus were here again--he would himself give out blessings which would meet all these needs and cravings. He is here in the lives of his followers. And if we who bear Christ's name fail to give to men in our measure--what Christ would give if he were here again in person--we fail Christ and disappoint him. His heart yearns to give out comfort, cheer, love, and strength to all who need, it--and if we are not fruitful branches ministering to earth's hungry ones, what he would pass through us to them--we grieve him and those go hungry still, uncomforted, unhelped, unblessed; who might have been made to rejoice if we had done our part.
The responsibility of being a branch, has its application to every individual Christian. Each branch has its own place on the vine, its own space to fill. Though all the branches but one hang full of fruit, the one that is empty makes the vine a failure--in the place where it hangs. Those who come to this particular branch, hungry, expecting to find fruit, are disappointed. Though a hundred Christian lives in a community are full of love, sympathy, and helpfulness and one lacks the power or the willingness to bless and serve--that one makes the love and grace of Christ in vain, to those to whom that one was sent to be the bearer of these divine gifts.
If one star among all the stars of the sky should fail to shine some night, its light would be missed and there would be a blank in the sky. If one lighthouse lamp on all the coasts should not be lighted tonight, who can tell what disasters might happen before morning? This is an individual matter. The faithfulness of the multitude, will not excuse the failure of one--the least and the lowliest one. When in the great orchestra, the little piccolo did not do its part in the rehearsal, the leader stopped everything till the lack was supplied. Not only does Christ in heaven miss the part of one of his who fails to live out his life in the world--but the hungry ones miss the food they crave, and those in darkness miss the light that is not shining, and sorrowing ones miss the comfort they should have received.
We should make this a personal matter. We are in danger of supposing that it is Christ's work alone--to bless the world, to save it, to do good to those who are in need of help. We talk about the Holy Spirit who was given after Christ had made his great sacrifice, and we are in danger of concluding that the work of Christ in the world--is to be done altogether by the Spirit. We fall into the habit of praying God to send comfort and blessing to those who are in need or in sorrow, supposing that he will answer our prayers in some direct way. We do not realize that God is in some way, dependent upon us for the things we ask him to do, that with all his omnipotence he has so ordered, that he needs our work and needs it well done so that his great work shall be made effective.
It would be vain and absurd for the branches to hang empty through the summer, asking the vine, meanwhile, to feed the hungry people who will come by and by, looking for fruit. The vine is dependent on the branches for the fruit which it is eager to bear. It bears no clusters itself--they all grow on the branches. No less unreasonable is it for the followers of Christ to pray their Master to send blessing to the world--while they themselves, with their empty and unfruitful lives--do nothing to make others happier or better!
It is the will of Christ that each individual Christian shall be a branch full of fruit. If people turn to us in their need, sorrow, and despair, hoping to get from us a little help, and find nothing--we have not only disappointed them--but we have also disappointed Christ, for if we were indeed living branches in full union with him--we should bear fruit which would satisfy the cravings of those who turn to us.
We should see to it therefore, that we are not only Christians by profession--but that we are really attached to Christ in close union, as branches are to the vine. Then Christ himself will live in us--we shall be literally and truly branches of Christ. Then our lives will abound in the fruits of righteousness and of love, and all who turn to us for sympathy, for comfort, for strength, for guidance--will find what their hearts seek!
