Pages

Thursday, June 7, 2018

"Life Vine"

My husband is an avid gardener. I truly appreciate how hard he works during the spring to prepare the soil. After planting the seeds, he needs to water the garden regularly and pull out any weeds that may stunt the growth of the crops. All of his efforts pay off in the late summer and early fall when what he has planted springs up and we have the pleasure of partaking of the harvest as well as sharing the fruits of his labors with friends and family. I was recently meditating on John 15:1-17. Jesus tells His disciples, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener." (John 15:1 NIV) 


The Vine Is The Life Giver

When I think about a vine, it is the life giver to the branches. It nourishes the branches so they may grow to their full potential. The property of a vine is to spread out and in some cases wrap themselves around an object. A vine can easily take over a garden. When my husband plants certain vegetables such as butternut squash, it emerges as a series of vines which flower. Those flowers in turn become the squash. He always plants the butternut squash in an area of the garden where it has plenty of room to spread out and grow. Jesus, as the "true vine" nourishes those of us who are His followers as we are connected to Him. In the Old Testament, the imagery of the vine was frequently used as a symbol of Israel (i.e. Psalm 80:8-16; Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 2:21) Many times when this imagery is used Israel is often shown as lacking in some way. However, Jesus is never lacking in any way, thus the representation of the "true vine." God the Father is represented as the gardener. Gardeners are responsible for overseeing the vine and the fruit it is producing. The gardener cares for and protects the vine from attack or damage so it will ultimately produce good fruit.


We Need To Remain In The Vine 

I was also struck in this passage at the number of times Jesus tells His disciples to remain in Him and His love. In the first 10 verses of John 15, the word "remain" is repeated 10 times. The Greek word for "remain" carries the idea of abiding; sojourning; staying present. Jesus is obviously trying to make a point. The point is like in a garden, we need to be attached to the life giving, life nourishing vine of Jesus in order to grow and be fruitful. The Father in Christ has "planted" an eternal seed that will never perish because God is sovereign over it. Anything else we attach ourselves to will ultimately wither and die, leaving us less fruitful than the potential we could experience in Christ. The greatest and most enduring "fruit" that we can produce through Christ is love, "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love." (John 15:9 NIV) Jesus makes it possible for us to bear fruit and as a result our prayers are aimed at carrying forth the work that Jesus did, prayer that the Father will answer because the prayers are rooted in His will and in love. (John 15:16-17) How about you? To what are you attached? Does whatever we are attached to bring life? What happens after that object or person fails to hold up over time? Despite the loving care that my husband gives to the garden the reality is that the vegetables his garden produces every year do not last forever. If they are not consumed in a short amount of time they will go bad and ultimately rot. What an awesome blessing to be connected to the "Life Vine" and as a result we will be able to produce fruit that will not only be attractive but will not perish. 
All Glory To God,
Pastor Sheree



Postscript: If you would like to dig deeper into this passage, please visit my friend's website JeanneDoyon.com and follow the link to her Youtube videos.