“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:1-4
Since Lent, I have been reading through the gospels. I am taking a slow, prayerful, and intentional journey instead of racing through. I am journaling and writing verses that speak to my soul. I started with Matthew and then was led to read John instead of going in order.
There are so many well-known Bible verses in the Book of John. Actually, it has the most recognizable and quoted verse in of all of scripture. It is one that is on signs at sporting events and sometimes the athletes themselves have written it on their faces. It is the one that is seen on posters of people who walk the streets evangelizing. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16 It packs a punch for sure, and with very few words it clearly lays out the road to salvation.
For me, the book of John also has some confusing areas. Ones that I can imagine the people that were there actually listening to Jesus thinking...huh? I have often put myself in those scenes, as it were, to try to identify with how those around Jesus may have reacted. This is new for me, I must admit. I have even thought about the reaction of the Jewish leaders, and how it is easy to understand why they would have been intimidated by and afraid of Jesus. Sadly, most never moved past their fear and mistrust to really listen to Him. Much like our society today; we fear what we do not understand.
One of the parts of John that really drew me in is the vine and the branches found in John 15:1-17. It is a lovely analogy that Jesus uses about God being the master gardener and Him being the vine. We, as believers are all branches off of the central vine - Jesus. It states God cuts off every vine that does not bear fruit and those that do he prunes so it becomes more fruitful.
Pruning, of course, requires a cutting away even of heathy growth. It is not an easy process for a plant, and it certainly is not an easy process for the believer. It is all done to make our individual part of the vine stronger to have us produce more fruit. Maybe I am well-intentioned and seeking but going to a church that does not have scripturally sound doctrine. Maybe I am trying to serve God but doing that under my own steam and not the leading of the Holy Spirit. Maybe I am involved in activities that are not edifying or heathy to my spiritual walk. God gives me free will, but do I ever actively ask Him to prune my life? Do I complain and wince when the pruning comes, or am I grateful?
Something else leapt to me when I was reading this section, there is one vine, Jesus, and if we belong to Him, we are all part of the same living organism. When we are disciples of the living Christ, no matter what church we belong to or liturgy we ascribe to, we are all a part of the whole. We are the ones that make the distinctions and separations in our faith. As long as it is Biblically sound, does it really matter where or how we worship if we are worshiping the risen Christ?
Isn't there strength in numbers? What if we finally could break down those walls and bring the harvest into a place of submission to God?