The Pruning Process
February 10, 2020
Commentary
Viniculture was important to the Jewish way of life. When our Lord used this illustration, He was not introducing something new. In the Old Testament, Israel is called a vine, but it’s a vine that only produced wild grapes. Christ, by contrast, is the true vine (v. 1). The Father is the owner of the vineyard, the one who takes care of it. As believers, we will be better able to relate to the Lord when we realize that we are just branches and must confess our need for His strength (vv. 2-3).
The key word is “abide” (v. 4). Christians (the branches) have a living relationship to Christ (the vine) and belong to Him (vv. 5-8). He is the vine, and we are the branches. The branch cannot produce its own life. It must draw the life from the vine. The bearing of fruit is made possible through communion with Christ. The center of this abiding relationship is the love of God (vv. 9-10). This means that we must keep in fellowship with Christ so that His life can work in and through us to produce fruit. This is accomplished through worship, meditation, prayer, and service.
Good fruit requires pruning by the vine dresser. He cuts away dead wood, and sometimes He even cuts away living tissue, to improve the fruit. Many Christians pray that God will make them more fruitful, but they do not enjoy the pruning that this requires. Sometimes He simply uses the Word to convict and cleanse us. Other times He must chasten us. Yes, pruning hurts, but it also helps. The vine dresser prunes the branches by cutting away the dead wood. The “pruners” know where to cut, how much to cut, and even at what angle to make the cut, but as the “spiritual crop” is produced we can see that He knows what He is doing. We may not enjoy it, but we need it.
Joy, the second fruit of the Spirit, is the result of abiding in Jesus (v. 11). The pruning is painful but the result is greater Joy and greater abiding.
Application
The greatest judgment God can bring to me is to leave me alone and let me have my own way. Because God loves me He prunes me and encourages me to bear more fruit for His glory.
John 15:1– 11 (NET)
1 “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 3 You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing. 6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown out like a branch, and dries up; and such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned up. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is honored by this, that you bear much fruit and show that you are my disciples.
9 “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.