John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 2. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit , etc.] There are two sorts of branches in Christ the vine; the one sort are such who have only an historical faith in him, believe but for a time, and are removed; they are such who only profess to believe in him, as Simon Magus did; are in him by profession only; they submit to outward ordinances, become church members, and so are reckoned to be in Christ, being in a church state, as the churches of Judea and Thessalonica, and others, are said, in general, to he in Christ; though it is not to be thought that every individual person in these churches were truly and savingly in him. These branches are unfruitful ones; what fruit they seemed to have, withers away, and proves not to be genuine fruit; what fruit they bring forth is to themselves, and not to the glory of God, being none of the fruits of his Spirit and grace: and such branches the husbandman taketh away ; removes them from that sort of being which they had in Christ. By some means or another he discovers them to the saints to be what they are; sometimes he suffers persecution to arise because of the word, and these men are quickly offended, and depart of their own accord; or they fall into erroneous principles, and set up for themselves, and separate from the churches of Christ; or they become guilty of scandalous enormities, and so are removed from their fellowship by excommunication; or if neither of these should be the case, but these tares should grow together with the wheat till the harvest, the angels will be sent forth, who will gather out of the kingdom of God all that offend and do iniquity, and cast them into a furnace of fire, as branches withered, and fit to be burnt. And every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit . These are the other sort of branches, who are truly and savingly in Christ; such as are rooted in him; to whom he is the green fir tree, from whom all their fruit is found; who are filled by him with all the fruits of his Spirit, grace, and righteousness. These are purged or pruned, chiefly by afflictions and temptations, which are as needful for their growth and fruitfulness, as the pruning and cutting of the vines are for theirs; and though these are sometimes sharp, and never joyous, but grievous, yet they are attended with the peaceable fruits of righteousness, and so the end of bringing forth more fruit is answered; for it is not enough that a believer exercise grace, and perform good works for the present, but these must remain; or he must be constant herein, and still bring forth fruit, and add one virtue to another, that it may appear he is not barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of Christ, in whom he is implanted. These different acts of the vinedresser taking away some branches, and purging others, are expressed by the Misnic doctors by hlwsyp , and hdwryz . The former, the commentators say, signifies to cut off the branches that are withered and perished, and are good for nothing; and the latter signifies the pruning of the vine when it has a superfluity of branches, or these extend themselves too far; when some are left, and others taken off.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-8 - Jesus Christ is the Vine, the true Vine. The union of the human an Divine natures, and the fulness of the Spirit that is in him, resembl the root of the vine made fruitful by the moisture from a rich soil Believers are branches of this Vine. The root is unseen, and our lif is hid with Christ; the root bears the tree, diffuses sap to it, and in Christ are all supports and supplies. The branches of the vine ar many, yet, meeting in the root, are all but one vine; thus all tru Christians, though in place and opinion distant from each other, mee in Christ. Believers, like the branches of the vine, are weak, an unable to stand but as they are borne up. The Father is the Husbandman Never was any husbandman so wise, so watchful, about his vineyard, a God is about his church, which therefore must prosper. We must be fruitful. From a vine we look for grapes, and from a Christian we loo for a Christian temper, disposition, and life. We must honour God, an do good; this is bearing fruit. The unfruitful are taken away. And eve fruitful branches need pruning; for the best have notions, passions and humours, that require to be taken away, which Christ has promise to forward the sanctification of believers, they will be thankful, for them. The word of Christ is spoken to all believers; and there is cleansing virtue in that word, as it works grace, and works ou corruption. And the more fruit we bring forth, the more we abound i what is good, the more our Lord is glorified. In order to fruitfulness we must abide in Christ, must have union with him by faith. It is the great concern of all Christ's disciples, constantly to keep u dependence upon Christ, and communion with him. True Christians find by experience, that any interruption in the exercise of their faith causes holy affections to decline, their corruptions to revive, an their comforts to droop. Those who abide not in Christ, though they ma flourish for awhile in outward profession, yet come to nothing. The fire is the fittest place for withered branches; they are good for nothing else. Let us seek to live more simply on the fulness of Christ and to grow more fruitful in every good word and work, so may our jo in Him and in his salvation be full.
Greek Textus Receptus
παν 3956 A-ASN κλημα 2814 N-ASN εν 1722 PREP εμοι 1698 P-1DS μη 3361 PRT-N φερον 5342 5723 V-PAP-ASN καρπον 2590 N-ASM αιρει 142 5719 V-PAI-3S αυτο 846 P-ASN και 2532 CONJ παν 3956 A-ASN το 3588 T-ASN καρπον 2590 N-ASM φερον 5342 5723 V-PAP-ASN καθαιρει 2508 5719 V-PAI-3S αυτο 846 P-ASN ινα 2443 CONJ πλειονα 4119 A-ASM-C καρπον 2590 N-ASM φερη 5342 5725 V-PAS-3S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
2. Branch (klhma). Occurring only in this chapter. Both this and kladov, branch (see on Matt. xxiv. 32; Mark xi. 8) are derived from klaw, to break. The word emphasizes the ideas of tenderness and flexibility.Purgeth (kaqairei). Cleanseth, Rev.
