In family-owned vineyards in the Texas Hill Country, we’ve seen vinedressers at work. Slowly, methodically, they fuss over each branch, cutting things off and cutting things back.
Cutting dead things off makes sense to us. Lifeless material can harbor disease or insects, so it has to be cut off. But if we know nothing of viticulture, we’re baffled why anyone would cut back living material. Even the plant seems to feel the loss, often “weeping” with sap until the pruning scars harden over.
But the vinedresser knows that it’s an essential step to optimize the quality and abundance of grapes. Think of it like plumbing. The twigs and branches that come off the main trunk are like a series of water pipes. By reducing the number of pipes that the water flows into, it increases water in the remaining pipes. The result is greater fruit.
Jesus intends us to be fruitful, and that requires pruning. In John 15, we see him on his way to Gethsemane, where he knew his betrayer was bringing soldiers to arrest him. Perhaps he passed by the Jerusalem Temple, and there he would have seen the ornate bas relief of grapevines that decorated the temple walls. If this is the setting for John 15, imagine him stopping and telling his men, “I want you to think of me like a vine and think of yourselves as the branches growing off the vine. Be prepared for the Divine Gardener to prune you so that you will be even more fruitful.”
We all go through affliction, hardship, and loss. To those who think we’re alone in the universe, life’s disappointments seem pointless and unbearable. But we’re not on our own. God carefully works even in hard times to bring out the very best in you. Isn’t it a comfort to know that God can bring some meaning to it? Isn’t it reassuring to know that a good and sovereign vinedresser can make you more fruitful as a result of it?
That’s what we’ll study as we continue our series through John’s Gospel this Sunday. See you at 10am!
--Tom
Tom Goodman serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter. If someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, sign up here to receive Tom’s weekly devotional in your email inbox.