Unpruned

I recently moved into a home with an established but neglected garden. In my efforts to keep everything alive in the hot summer days, I discovered that I had an old & beautiful grapevine. I say discovered because it looks like a massive leafy bush with no appearance of what I thought a grapevine should look like in a vineyard. As I was getting help to address the issues of my garden, my friend seemed half jealous of the grapevine in my yard because it was so old and large — that is, once we lifted all the branches to look at the vine — told me something shocking. When I saw the vine and heard his reaction, I asked him why there appeared to be no fruit on the branches except for one tiny clump of grapes. He replied, “Well, it hasn’t been pruned or supported, so it will produce little to no fruit.” That hit me like a ton of bricks as John 15 came to my heart.

I thought, why has no one ever said this to me, or have I never read anyone making that point in the context of John 15? I guess pastors and theologians rarely cultivate grapes any longer. A healthy branch, abiding in a well-established vine, does not produce fruit without a vinedresser. We often think that it’s on us to make some initial fruit and ignore that Jesus says we can do nothing apart from him (John 15:5). Once we’ve produced some on our own, then the vinedresser will prune us that we may produce more. However, a branch cannot produce fruit apart from the vine or without a caretaker. That is, even if I just abide, fruit will not be produced unless the vinedresser, the Father, does some pruning and supporting. There are a few points we should build upon this thought.

One, we shouldn’t fear the Father shaping us to be branches that produce fruit through his pruning, cleaning, and support. A vinedresser prunes the branches so that they will produce fruit. Another reason to give thanks in all circumstances is that we can trust that God will prune and clip us in a way not to just discipline but to flourish. As we abide, we can trust to boldly ask God to do whatever it takes to make us a fruitful branch. Asking for patience in our life shouldn’t be a fearful request. We can trust the Father who loves us just as he loves his Son. A good and restful thought in the ambition to abide in Christ’s love and word.

Second, God only throws away branches that do not abide after he has pruned and supported the branch long before the “disposal.” Judas is a perfect example, and he is the context for Jesus’ comments in John 15:6. After God has poured out his love, pruned and shaped us by it, and if the branch doesn’t respond positively, he will have the final pruning of being cleaned or removed from the vine. But do you see the critical point? Even the initial fruit production has everything to do with abiding and pruning — the branch is always passive. We can do nothing without the vine or the vinedresser caring for his vineyard. To produce any fruit is to have already been pruned or cleaned (the same word in Greek). There’s no trying to produce fruit. There’s only abiding and being shaped by the vinedresser.

Lastly, and to be slightly repetitive, we don’t need to fear God’s pruning, cutting, and discipline, for he does it for our good and to produce more fruit. Therefore we can safely pray, “Father, whatever you want to do, make me a fruitful branch. Please do it because I trust you want me to be fruitful!” Don’t try to make yourself fruitful. Just abide in his word, abide in his love, and the Father by the Spirit in Christ will make you a fruitful branch.