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The True Vine
As far as our Wisteria is concerned, autumn has been long coming. Only in the last week have the winds been successful in pulling off the leaves and the vine can begin its dormant winter phase. When we first saw the house up for sale, the frontage was a mass of blue flowers. However, the vine had not only clambered up the wall, but it was also beginning to journey up the roof as well! Drastic thinning was needed, but this has also had the effect of stimulating new vigorous growth. Every time the windows get obscured, it gets another "hair cut"; and yes, more vigorous growth ensues! Like most vines, Wisteria flowers and fruits on old wood; and so at the moment, all we get is lots of green leaves and sadly very few blue flowers. Perhaps we need the skills of a good gardener!
John's Gospel records Jesus as identifying himself as being a vine, though without doubt, he was referring to one that produces grapes. John 15:1, 2 says: "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." As the passage develops, it becomes very evident that the followers of Jesus are seen as the branches that are expected to bear fruit.
The picture painted here was a familiar one. The Old Testament prophets had used this picture of a vine or vineyard to describe God's people, Israel. Generally, God was portrayed as the vineyard owner who came looking for fruit and found none. What resulted was often the destruction of the vineyard and the annihilation of the garden. Jesus now turns this story on its head and identifies himself as the vine.
From now on: God himself is the Vine; and God himself is the Gardener who chops the branches off!
Perhaps that thought can lead us on towards Jesus' Passion, when the Son of God himself became a curse, hanging on the tree, to remove the curse resting on the whole of humanity. It is rather tempting to see Jesus as the trunk of a tree and we as branches that grow from that trunk. However, real vines don't really grow like that. The only way a vine ever ends up with a trunk is because of the skill of the gardener. Either he rubs out the lower shoots before they can develop, or he grafts shoots onto a suitable root stock. Jesus is in fact the whole vine and if we are to bear any fruit at all, we must be found only in him.
What follows then will probably be rather painful. It's a no win situation! If there is no fruit, the branch is cut off anyway as being rather useless. If there is some fruit then the branch will most likely to be shortened to leave only two or three buds that can then produce better fruit. Either way the pruning knife goes in! From our own perspective, we might not want to have our ideas and efforts "pruned". Perhaps we want to be in a church that produces lots of leaves. "Come to St. Leafmungers and enjoy the shade and refreshment in our wild garden" could be our marketing ploy! But then again, God doesn't count leaves; he's far more interested in harvesting fruit!
Just as Jesus trusted his Father with his own life blood by hanging on the cross and that act of love and self-giving produced eternal life for all believers, perhaps we should trust God to be the gardener in our church growth, to produce a rich harvest, fit for the kingdom of God.
Would you trust the pruning knife in any body else's hands?
With love, Jim.
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