Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. 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. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. (John 15: 6-11)
If the realm of God is the source of the vine, and Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches of the vine how are we to understand these seed parables?
In particular, what does this tell me of the resurrection and its application to my life?
The purpose of the branches is to produce fruit. "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
Pruning the branches is essential to producing the best fruit. The mid-winter or early spring clipping stimulates new growth. "He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit." (John 15:2)
Jesus explains that his words have already done the pruning. We are branches prepared for bearing fine fruit.
In the vineyard there is an inverse relationship between vigor and quality. The more vigorous the vine – well fed and well watered – the less flavorful the grape. Studies of the very best Bordeaux wines have found that the most common feature is a "relative poverty in soil nutrients." The finest wines are products of near starvation and drought.
The fruit with greatest potential is the result of branch and vine drawing from the deepest possible source. In the greatest vineyards rain is quickly drained away. The vine and branches draw their sustenance almost exclusively from far below.
In each grape – the seed of vine and branch – we taste the character of a particular time and place. Temperature, rainfall, and sunlight are influential. But the most important is the depth of the vine’s source.
If I am a branch, Jesus is the vine, and the source of the vine is the realm of God – then I can draw on very deep resources.
If the realm of God is the source of the vine, and Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches of the vine how are we to understand these seed parables?
In particular, what does this tell me of the resurrection and its application to my life?
The purpose of the branches is to produce fruit. "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
Pruning the branches is essential to producing the best fruit. The mid-winter or early spring clipping stimulates new growth. "He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit." (John 15:2)
Jesus explains that his words have already done the pruning. We are branches prepared for bearing fine fruit.
In the vineyard there is an inverse relationship between vigor and quality. The more vigorous the vine – well fed and well watered – the less flavorful the grape. Studies of the very best Bordeaux wines have found that the most common feature is a "relative poverty in soil nutrients." The finest wines are products of near starvation and drought.
The fruit with greatest potential is the result of branch and vine drawing from the deepest possible source. In the greatest vineyards rain is quickly drained away. The vine and branches draw their sustenance almost exclusively from far below.
In each grape – the seed of vine and branch – we taste the character of a particular time and place. Temperature, rainfall, and sunlight are influential. But the most important is the depth of the vine’s source.
If I am a branch, Jesus is the vine, and the source of the vine is the realm of God – then I can draw on very deep resources.
posted by Didymus | 4:57 AM
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