Vine

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener."  (John 15:1 TNIV)

We have begun to do a little gardening lately.  We have built a couple of planter boxes, filled them with dirt, and planted things like tomatoes, lettuce, squash, etc.  Now I say that we have done this; however, it is really true to say that I have built the boxes, filled the dirt and my wife is the gardener.  It's interesting to watch her go from day to day caring for this garden.  She waters it regularly.  Every day looking for weeds and making sure the plants look healthy. Part of the process is pruning.  The plants will grow in random ways and the various branches that grow always present the possibility for fruit.  However, just because they grow out doesn't mean they will produce.  When she sees this she cuts the branches away to make sure that more water and nutrients get to the branches that will produce fruit.  Even at times, she must trim back the healthy branches to make sure they will produce even better.

What is true of our current situation is true of Jesus and His Father.  Jesus makes it clear that He is the vine from which the branches grow.  He possesses all of the nutrients required to produce fruit. He distributes water throughout the plant so that all of the branches are able to succeed.  However, producing fruit can be a painful process and this requires the branches to "remain" on the stalk to produce.  The idea that a branch not connected to the vine could produce fruit in keeping with the vine makes no sense.  Instead, if the branch is to produce it must be attached to the vine.

Sometimes followers of Christ will forget this simple truth:  Without Jesus, we cannot produce fruit.

You can do all of the civil work you want to, but it really doesn't produce fruit.We can study the Bible and understand the deep riches of its context, but apart from Jesus it is simply pages turning in the wind.  I can go to church on Sunday, Saturday, Wednesday, online, in a big church, small church, volunteer to teach children or lead worship, but without Jesus I am simply play-acting.

 And lest we get consumed with being in Jesus and not have community, we cannot forget that Jesus says to be in him means we live in community with others.  So on the flip side, I cannot have Jesus and neglect the company of believers.  I cannot simply live as if having fellowship with other believers is not essential, while proclaiming the message of Jesus.  It must come together.  If the branches are to truly bear fruit, they must be together on the vine.

Everyday my wife goes out to the garden to see what is yet to be done. Each day she finds that some of her plants are growing and that some are not.  As the gardener, she must make the decision - which stay and which go.  Funny thing about the plants, when they really are healthy they produce fruit naturally.  When they are not it is almost always because they are not really connected to the source.