John 15

John 15:1–17 (ESV): I Am the True Vine

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

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He who holds the pruning-knife!

(J.R. Miller, “Looking at the Right Side” 1888)  LISTEN to audio!  Download audio

(You will find it helpful to listen to the audio above, as you read the text below.)

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener . . . He prunes every branch that produces fruit–so that it will produce more fruit.” John 15:1-2

Our Father is the gardener; we are branches under His care. He watches over our lives. The painful afflictions which cut into our very souls, the taking from us of objects that are dear to us, as when the gardener with his sharp knife removes luxuriant branches from the vine–are our Father’s prunings! No hand but His, ever holds the knife! We are sure, then, that there is never any careless cutting, any unwise or mistaken pruning, any needless removing of rich branches or growths.

We really need to go no farther than this. A strong, abiding confidence that all the trials, sorrows and losses of our lives are parts of our Father’s prunings–ought to silence every question, quiet every fear and give peace and restful assurance to our hearts, in all their pain. We cannot know the reason for the painful strokes, but we know that He who holds the pruning-knife is our Father! That is all we need to know.

The other thought in the Lord’s parable, is scarcely less full of comfort to a Christian. Jesus says, that it is the fruitful branches which the Father prunes: “He prunes every branch that produces fruit, so that it will produce more fruit.”

Afflictions are not, then, a mark of God’s anger or disapproval; rather, they are a mark of His favor. The branches into which He cuts, from which he trims away the luxuriant growths–are fruit-bearing already. He does not prune the fruitless branches–He cuts them off altogether as useless, as mere cumberers, absorbing life and yielding nothing of blessing or good.

Some Christians have the impression that their many troubles indicate that God does not love them–that they cannot be true Christians, or they would not be so chastened. This teaching of Christ shows how mistaken they are. The much chastening shows that the Father is pruning His fruitful branch, to make it more fruitful! All whom the Father loves, He chastens!

It is the fruitless branch that is never pruned; the fruitful branch is pruned, and pruned–not by one without skill, not by an enemy, but by the wise Father! Thus we see how we may rejoice, even in our trials and afflictions! 

One who was altogether ignorant of the art and purpose of pruning, who should see a man with a sharp knife cutting off branch after branch of a luxuriant vine, would at first suppose that the pruner was ruining the vine. So at the time it seems–but by and by, it appears that the prunings have made the vine more fruitful. In the season of vintage, the grapes are more luscious, with a richer flavor in them–because of the cutting away of the superfluous branches. 

In like manner, if an angel who had never witnessed anything of human suffering, and who knew nothing of its object, were to see the Father causing pain and affliction to His children–it would seem to him that these experiences could be only destructive of happiness and blessing. But if the angel were to follow those chastened lives on to the end, he would see untold blessing coming out of the chastenings! The Father was but pruning the branches, that they might bear more and better fruit!

We should never lose sight of the divine purpose in all trials–to make our lives more fruitful.

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Abba,

How much truth there is to this.  We so often see our suffering and hardship through temporal eyes, with the eyes of flesh, of man made wisdom.  We see it through a lens that sees all suffering and pain as bad.  This is because we have elevated comfort and ease the place of god like status.  It holds a place of too great a prominence in our affections.  Comfort and ease has never been part of your plan. Holiness, righteousness, and perfection has been been.  Trinitarian style intimacy and unity with one another and with you has been. 

Abba, when I , when we, get caught up in the ideology that comfort is supreme and pain is bad, we will err every time.  When I, when we, get caught up in appeasing the whims of the fickle flesh, we will fail to appreciate and even pursue the greater joys and delights that come in the hard things. 

Remind us, your children, your bride, of the tender loving care of the cutting hand of the great pruner.  Remind us of the deep affections of the great shepherd.  Remind us of the healing and strengthening intent of the great physicians cut.  Remind us that the temporary pains of the present life are producing a weight of eternal glory that is far richer and grander than anything we can produce in our pursuit of comfort and ease.  Let us look foreword to and for the promised day when we will enter your eternal rest and find the comfort we have sought but to a degree we never could have achieved on our way.  (Hebrews 3:7-4:13). May we wait with joy and patience, with contentment and hope for that moment and embrace all the necessary pain and hardship now that will enhance and deepen our joy and delight of the rest and peace when it comes.

Give us eternal eyes, Abba, to see only that which Your Spirit can reveal so that we rest with faith and hope in you throughout the midst of suffering and hardship here.