We have recently passed that time of year again where farmers are getting ready for the new growing season, and are finishing pruning their vineyards and orchards to make them ready for the up-coming crops. I wanted to take the time to relate this to our spiritual life. Jesus Himself did this as is recorded in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John.

In the short span of time between the last supper and Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, he still took the opportunity to teach his disciples. Jesus here is using agriculture, a very familiar subject for his audience, to paint an illustration of a believer’s relationship to the Lord. Jesus refers to Himself as the vine, which is most commonly referred to as the grape plant itself, and we are the branches. The Father is the farmer (known as the husbandman). Jesus said that every branch in Him that does not bear fruit, it is taken away, but every branch that bears fruit is pruned (vs. 2). My purpose in this post is to focus primarily on the live branches that are already bearing fruit.

The first and primary goal of pruning is to allow optimum sunlight into the plant, which is essential for photosynthesis to take place. This allows the plant to convert CO2, water, and the nutrients found in the soil into energy for the plant and to aid in the ripening of the fruit. Without proper pruning the plant will become overgrown, and the foliage will block out the needed sunlight for the areas of the plant that have fruit. If the lower part of the tree becomes too shaded, it can even cause the death of fruit buds and the branch itself. Lack of pruning also results in wasted energy that the plant is spending on maintaining the unnecessary branches and foliage, instead of sending it to the fruit.

This alone has great parallels to the life of the believer. Just as the sun and light are synonymous, so are the son and His Word which is pictured as light (His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths). God’s Word is our spiritual food, and is the primary mechanism by which the Lord speaks to us. If we are not careful to allow the Lord to prune us, we too can become overgrown as our own flesh becomes a barrier to us in receiving the truths of God's Word. This can result in a lower quality of fruit as the Holy Spirit is quenched in our lives, or even the loss of spiritual fruit altogether.

Young plants (usually a year old) are generally bought at a nursery, whether for personal or commercial growing, and are then planted in the spring. After planting, the plant is pruned back, removing all but one shoot. This shoot is then pruned back to three buds. This may seem a bit drastic, but out of this will grow new shoots of which one will be chosen to become the main trunk of the vine, and will last the entire life of the plant. The rest of the new growth is removed after choosing the main shoot for the trunk. All future growth and fruit production will grow out of this trunk, so it is crucial that it is done properly as to provide for the overall health of the vine. If this central vine or trunk doesn’t reach a certain height by the following spring, it is cut back again to three buds. This again, seems a bit drastic, but this is crucial to establishing a healthy trunk. So too, in the life of a believer, pruning may take place early on in their new walk with the Lord. This is to get rid of all things that may hinder them from growing, and to establish a firm foundation for which the Lord can lead them towards spiritual maturity and fruit production. This is the point at which you may see a new believer bail out on the Lord, because the trial seems to be too difficult (this isn’t what they signed up for). However, if they choose to endure, the benefits far outweigh the unpleasantness of the trial; for the Lord now has that foundation from which He can build upon. Although believers may not completely bail out on the Lord, they can resist His pruning. This only delays their growth in their walk with the Lord, and often forces the Lord to take them around the same mountain again. The Lord loves His children enough to give them what is necessary for their spiritual health.

Once the vine is well established, new canes are selected for that year’s fruit production. Grape vines will only produce fruit on shoots that grow from one-year old wood, so one or two canes from each side of the vine are selected while the rest are generally removed. This parallels the life of the believer: Just as the vine will bear fruit on one year old wood, the Lord also will bear fruit in our lives on new growth. In order to be fruitful in our walks with the Lord we must continually be growing. We cannot remain stagnant and think that the Lord will continue to use us in the way He always has. The Lord wants to bear fruit on the new work that He is doing in our lives, as well as in those around us.

Another interesting point is that there is a cycle that the plant goes through each year. There is pruning, growth, fruit production, harvest, and finally dormancy. For each event, there is a specific time that it takes place. For example, pruning a plant such as a grape vine or fruit tree in the fall can make the plant susceptible to frost damage if freezing temperatures hit before the plant heals. As a result, the best time is often in late winter after the plant has been allowed to go into dormancy and the coldest temperatures have past. As the plant begins to grow, there is both necessary and unnecessary growth that takes place. This also, as a general rule, would be an improper time to do any major pruning, since most of the growth is necessary for fruit production and health of the plant. It is generally better to leave the unnecessary growth until the crop has been harvested and again allowing the plant to go dormant.

This too has parallels for the life of a believer. Often times before the Lord can do a major work in a person’s life, He must prune them in order to prepare them for this work. This will often be some trial He allows to come their way that serves to cause them to fully lean on Him to get them through it. The Lord will use trials to reveal and remove things from a believer’s life that will inhibit further growth and the bearing of fruit. In the midst of it all it may seem unpleasant and that there is no end in sight, but as with every trial there is an end. The Lord in His sovereignty knows exactly what He is accomplishing in us, and it is up to us to trust Him. After the pruning, the believer is then ready to grow and bear fruit. Things may go relatively well without any major trials for some time while the Lord is using that individual for His purpose. However, just as the vine has necessary and unnecessary growth, so does the believer. Probably one of the most prevalent areas of unnecessary growth that takes place in a believer is in the area of pride. It is very easy when the Lord is using us, for us to begin to become self-sufficient, and start to think that we are more important than we really are. So, in order to keep us humble, the Lord will often temper our successes with trials. A perfect example of this would be the apostle, Paul. Paul was used by the Lord mightily, and the Lord had given him abundant revelation. He said that the Lord allowed a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble, which most think was some sort of eye disease that affected his vision. So, this could be pride, unbelief, or a number of things that the Lord needs to remove.

It is not uncommon for a grape vine to blossom before it is ready to actually produce fruit, but it is normally recommended to not allow it to do so until the third year. This is done to allow the root system to become strong enough that it can support the extra weight of the fruit. This is also common in other fruit trees; they will bloom before the tree is mature enough to sustain a healthy crop. To prevent this, the farmer will pinch off or use chemical thinners to thin off the blossoms and any fruit that has already set to encourage further growth and maturity. This is also true for believers: it is easy for new believers to become anxious to get involved in ministry, but time is needed for them to mature beforehand. Paul tells Timothy to not allow a novice to become a bishop or elder, so that he doesn’t become prideful and fall into the condemnation of the devil. If the doors to ministry seem to be closing prematurely, this may be a sign that we are not quite ready. Even if the Lord has called us, the Lord is waiting for a bit more spiritual maturity so we are able to handle the weight of the fruit that He wants us to bear.

There is an alternative view in verse 2 regarding the taking away and pruning that I want to discuss. The view states that the “taking away” is referring to the branches that are not bearing fruit because they are lying on the ground. They are then lifted up by laying them over a rock or placing them on a trellis. This practice makes sense from an agricultural standpoint, since if left lying on the ground, they will become more susceptible to disease and insect infestation. Also, lifting them up will give them more access to needed sunlight. However, lying on the ground in and of itself does not translate into no fruit. The original language indicates the branches are being lifted up and taken away because they are not bearing fruit. They are not bearing fruit because they are not abiding in the vine. Jesus confirms this for us in verse four, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.” So, a branch no longer abiding in the plant withers up and dies, but by the mere fact that they are a branch means they were alive at one time.

The alternative view regarding pruning is that it really means to cleanse, and refers to the practice of washing the branches. Again, this makes sense from an agricultural standpoint if the branches have been lying on the ground. However, when this word is used in an agrarian context, it means to prune. Having said this, pruning is a form of cleansing. Now, Jesus did tell them in verse three that they were clean through the word He had spoken to them, so there is a cleansing or gentle pruning, if you will, that happens as a result of reading and responding to the word of God. However, to take the alternative view of “taking away” and “Pruning” as the sole meaning of the text, is an incomplete interpretation. Pruning out dead and diseased wood and any other parts of the plant that block necessary sunlight is essential for the overall health of the plant and its fruit. Sometimes, the Lord just needs to do a deeper work in our lives that can only come through hardships.

In closing, from the context of this passage and others like it, we abide in Jesus by faith. We should not bail on the Lord when times are tough, lest we be like the branch that withers up and dies spiritually. Remember, He has saved us from Hell and given us eternal life, and it doesn’t get any better than that. We need to hang in there, because He is strengthening us for the good to come. We also should not resist His pruning. Pruning is a normal event in the Christian walk, and we should fully expect that the Lord will prune us from time to time. We need to abide in His love, and Jesus told His disciples that the way they abide in His love is to keep His commandments. The way that we know His commandments is to be reading His Word. Again, the Lord will use the Scriptures to show us the areas of our life that need to change, and we, through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit can act upon what He has shown us. It is when we resist this washing of water by the Word that the Lord may need to use more drastic measures to get our attention. If so, we should not despise or become weary of His correction, but as James says to, “count it all joy” for what the Lord is producing in us. The Lord delights in those who are His children, so whatever He is allowing to take place in our lives is for our good. Jesus said that the Father is glorified when we bear much fruit, so we know that the Lord has our best interest in mind. It is only up to us to trust and obey Him.