Acts 15:1-6; John 15:1-8 The metaphor of the vine and the branches emphasizes the intimate union we have with Christ because of baptism, which makes us members of his body.

As Christ says in the Gospel of St. John, “I am the vine; you the branches: he that abides in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit: for without me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Christians often hear that Jesus refers to himself as the vine and that God is the cultivator. Yet many are not sure what the meaning of the passage found in the 15th chapter of John truly is.