Sunday 06 May 2012
- Bible Book:
- John
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower." (v. 1)
Background
Until I visited my first vineyard I had never realised howlabour intensive growing vines could be! There's the right type ofsoil, the best shoots, the pruning and the tying to frames toencourage growth and to position the ripening grapes to best catchthe sunlight. And don't forget the weeding, the checking, thewatering and the insect control. But most of all the pruning - adelicate and persistent task.
I determined never to attempt vine growing in my own garden - Imuch prefer the 'bung it in and hope for the best' approach!
The idea of the vine as a symbol of God's people is an old onereaching back into the Old Testament.
Jesus here is calling himself the "true vine" - the embodiment ofthe people and the kingdom.
A grape vine left to its own devices will run riot, growing intoits own light, developing extra shoots and branches in a haphazardway and basically killing itself off. Without the sometime brutalintervention of a caring and knowledgeable gardener the vine willturn into useless dead branches with no harvest.
Jesus encourages his listeners to focus their living, to beprepared to be guided into the best places and best position forthem to provide good, clean and useful fruits for the glory of Godand the service of their communities. It is appealing to seeourselves rooted into God's garden and even to envisage ourselvesas bringing out a good harvest for God but less appealing to seethe gardener standing there with the secateurs at the ready!
Pruning, when it comes, may be brutal and painful cutting away ourworthless traits and habits. But it allows the light to comethrough the excess and shine - so promoting healthy growth, newshoots and a good harvest.
To Ponder
- Examine yourself honestly before answering the question: Howprepared am I to be pruned for and by God?
- What fruit is apparent to others in the way you live yourlife?
- How can you make better use of the fruit that you have beengiven?