John 15:1-4 The start of a series

¹Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή, καὶ ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστιν. ²πᾶν κλῆμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μὴ φέρον καρπόν, αἴρει αὐτό, καὶ πᾶν τὸ καρπὸν φέρον καθαίρει αὐτὸ ἵνα καρπὸν πλείονα φέρῃ. ³ἤδη ὑμεῖς καθαροί ἐστε διὰ τὸν λόγον ὃν λελάληκα ὑμῖν: ⁴μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί, κἀγὼ ἐν ὑμῖν. καθὼς τὸ κλῆμα οὐ δύναται καρπὸν φέρειν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐὰν μὴ μένῃ ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ, οὕτως οὐδὲ ὑμεῖς ἐὰν μὴ ἐν ἐμοὶ μένητε. 

I am the true vine and my father is the farmer.  Every branch in me not producing fruit, he [God] takes it away, and every one producing fruit, he [God] prunes it so that it may produce more [or larger] fruit.  You are already pruned because of the word which I have spoken to you: Remain in me and I will remain in you.  As the branch is not able to produce fruit from itself if it does not remain in the vine, so neither can you produce fruit if you don’t remain in me.  John 15:1-4

ὁ γεωργός 

Farmer.  Some translations render it vine-dresser.  Vine-dressing is just one thing that a farmer does to make things grow.  What else would a farmer do?

λελάληκα

I have spoken.  This verb is in the perfect tense.  The perfect tense verb describes an action that was completed in the past, but still has affects at the time of the speaker speaking the words.  In this case, the verb most likely is focusing on the continuing effects of that action.

καθαροί

Most translations render this word as “clean”.  The word can mean both.  I chose “pruned” because it fits the context better.  In verse 2, God “prunes” the branch.  That word also can mean “clean” or “prune”.  It is a verb in that verse.

μείνατε

Remain!  This verb in an imperative so it is a demand.  It could also be a plea which may make since in this passage as Jesus loves his disciples.

“As the branch is not able to produce fruit from itself if it does not remain in the vine, so neither can you produce fruit if you don’t remain in me.”

Jesus is setting up something here.  More to come.