The true grapevine
Jesus said: “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” John 15:1-2
I often drive past a large vineyard. When the vines are not in leaf there are few sights more unattractive. Just lines of contorted branches looking completely dead and useless. But then, in the spring, they burst into life and gradually produce the fruit for which they have been carefully cultivated.
The whole purpose of a vine is to produce grapes, and a gardener will be absolutely decisive in the way in which they prune it to ensure the best possible crop. In the growing season, dead branches must go, and good branches are carefully pruned to encourage even more growth.
The picture of the vine is often used in the Old Testament. It was God’s intention that Israel should be his vine. Psalm 80: 8-11 describes the way in which God brought the people out of Egypt as transplanting a grapevine, clearing the ground for it to take root and fill the promised land. They would have room to spread their branches all the way to the Mediterranean in the west, and to the Euphrates river in the east. That was the plan, at least. But it all went horribly wrong. Israel failed to produce the fruit that God was looking for. Isaiah speaks of the way in which God “waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter” (Isaiah 5:2).
Here in John’s gospel, Jesus describes himself as the true and authentic grapevine. He is the one who will produce a good crop of grapes, and he does it through the community of people who are committed to him. The Church that he came to establish is the environment in which sweet grapes grow. That’s our awesome role in the world as we allow the life of Christ to flow through us.
QUESTION
In what ways do you think God prunes the Church today?
PRAYER
Lord God, thank you that I part of the grapevine through which you produce fruit. Help me to stay so close to you that I will constantly be fruitful. Amen