The Importance of Christ — The true Vine (v. 1)
Jesus plainly states that He is the Vine. Because of passages like Psalm 80:8–9, Isaiah 5:2 and Jeremiah 2:21, He would have been immediately understood. However, Jesus was making the case that Israel had failed in its responsibility. Although it had been pictured as a vine, it had not produced fruit and had failed to be faithful to the plan God had for the nation. It was a wild root in many ways and Jesus urged His listeners to understand that He is the true Vine, the One the Father had planted and was now working through. Jesus wanted us to understand He would be the source of fruit because life would be found through Him.
The Importance of a Caregiver — The Father is the Gardener (v. 1)
Jesus then tells us His Father is the Vinedresser. The care we receive from our heavenly Father is not like that of a farmer. They plant, fertilize, harvest and repeat over and over. A vinedresser is much more attentive to his plants. He cares for the same vines year after year, becoming intimately acquainted with their needs, personalities and how best to protect them. A vinedresser’s greatest concern is for the health of the vine and the fruit it produces.
The Importance of Cutting — Pruning is necessary (v. 2)
We are told the Father prunes or trims every branch which bears no fruit. This is for our benefit. When He does see fruit, pruning may be necessary so more can grow. Gardeners are familiar with “deadheading” plants or removing superfluous growth that would hinder greater growth. C.S. Lewis wrote in his book “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” about Eustace Scrubb who — as a result of his own vanity, pride and selfishness — transforms into a dragon.
While he makes efforts at cutting away his scales, he finds he is unable to make a difference. Aslan alone could make a difference.
Lewis wrote, “This is what the lion said, but I don’t know if he spoke. ‘You will have to let me undress you.’ I was afraid of his claws I can tell you but I was pretty nearly desperate, so I just lay flat on my back and let him do it. The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right to my heart and when he began pulling the skin off it hurt worse than anything I had ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off.”
Sometimes things need to be removed from our lives. God alone knows us so intimately and He alone possesses the skills to cut them away.
That the Father cuts off that which bears no fruit is a challenging proposition. Some believe this was a reference to the Jews since Israel was not being faithful in her role and God was now moving from a focus on Israel to focus on the Church as His people.
Others have suggested this referred to Judas. However, when taken in light of verse 5, all those who are in Christ will indeed bear fruit. Stated simply, those who only appear to be in Christ will be cut away. If we are truly His, we cannot lose our salvation and we cannot help but bear fruit. If there is no fruit then there must be no faith.
The Importance of Connection — We can do nothing apart from Jesus (v. 4)
At the risk of sounding heretical I must affirm there are a great many things we can do apart from Christ. We can make very poor decisions. We can choose whom we wish to date and marry. We can choose careers. We determine how our money is spent. Each of us can do many things apart from Christ but we will never do anything of real significance or eternal importance apart from Him. This passage makes it painfully clear we will never produce any spiritual fruit apart from Jesus.
The Importance of the Commands — We are to love (v. 12, 17)
These verses command us to love one another. It is almost sad Jesus had to give this command but, knowing our hearts, Jesus reminds us that we should love others. He even sets His love on the pedestal as our example. Sadly in the Church today we need to be reminded of this message because too often we are not known by our love.
In 1997 the 132-year-old promise was fulfilled when the nine-mile long Confederation Bridge was completed. For the first time Prince Edward Island would be connected to the Canadian mainland. However, those on the island were not happy. They liked their isolated life on the island described by one as “two huge beaches separated by potato fields.” But then Anne of Green Gables sprung to life and the entire world seemed to want to see what life was like on the island. Once the bridge was open, island life was never the same.
Unfortunately, churches can become like island dwellers if we are not careful. We grow so comfortable with the way we are and we fail to remember we are called to be bridge builders using love as our building material. Love doesn’t allow barriers to remain. Love removes anger and heals hurts. Love won’t allow anyone to remain as they are.
Love makes us do odd things that, looking back over time, seem surprising to us. Those who are connected to Christ have had the ugliness of sin cut away by a loving Caregiver.
The Church is made up of those who are grafted into the true Vine. We grow so we can reach out in love to a world that needs to know the One in whom we have found life. And this world needs to know life is offered to them as well.
May we, the Church, be found faithful in building bridges of love between this world and the life that is found in Christ alone.
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Pruett has been pastor of Gilliam Springs Baptist Church, Arab, since August 2011. He is a graduate of Mobile College (now University of Mobile) and Beeson Divinity School at Samford University in Birmingham. He and his wife, Ashleigh, have three sons.
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