Jesus the True Vine. By Kathy Findlay

Jesus The True Vine by Kathy Findlay

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser... I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, bears much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."

John 15:1, 5

Jesus was talking to his dear friends one last time in the Upper Room on the night we call Maundy Thursday. He knew he needed to encourage and strengthen his disciples for what was to be his last hours on earth. The shattering events of Good Friday were only hours away.

Jesus spoke of himself as the true grapevine and his Father as the gardener. The disciples were very familiar with how grapevines grew and how they are cared for. They saw the vineyards on the southern exposures of gentle sloping hillsides in Israel. The ground is a sandy or gravelly loam soil suited for grapes. Being close to the Mediterranean Sea, the climate is temperate and rainfall is sufficient for an abundant harvest of grapes.

How is it that Jesus uses this comparison of Himself to a grapevine? Grape plants are staked to a vertical pole with a horizontal wire running between the posts at about six feet off the ground. The plant is pruned so that there are two main branches that are wrapped around the wire going in opposite directions and are secured with ties to the wire. From these main branches all other fruit bearing branches come forth. Was Jesus trying to show his disciples what was going to happen to him? Is he showing us how important it is to stay in close companionship to Him?

Jesus was put on a cross with his arms stretched open wide. He was and is reaching out to us to come to Him. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16. Just as the main grapevine brings nourishment to the branches, Jesus is our life-blood, nourishing our bodies and our spirits.

If we as followers of Jesus Christ are to be the branches, what kind of fruit are we to bear? We can see part of the answer to that question in Galatians 5:22-23. "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" By remaining in a close relationship to Jesus through prayer, reading God's word, and meeting with other believers, we can grow and become Christ-like.

Our Father God is the vinedresser as stated by Jesus in John 15:1. As the good gardener that He is, He faithfully tends the vines, or us. Sometimes pruning is necessary. According to the Better Homes and Gardens Garden Book these are some reasons for pruning: to remove diseased, dead or broken branches; to renew old plants; to shape for a special purpose; to eliminate suckers and wild growth; to hold plant within bounds; to insure production of larger flowers or fruits. Pruning may seem harsh to a plant, but if done well and at the right time, the plant flourishes and becomes stronger for it.

Is there something God is asking you to cut out of your life?

How is He shaping you to be Christ-like?

What fruit of the Spirit are you producing that others can see?

As long as we each live on this earth God is moving in our lives, shaping us to be more like Jesus. The way may not always be clear or easy, but we are given a promise that we will grow and bear much fruit. "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." Romans 5:3-5