Branches—We Must Stay (15:1-11) - part 3 of 4

​#3 The Vinedresser. The vinedresser’s responsibility is to tend the vines, and Jesus said that this is His Father’s business. It is He who “prunes” or purges the branches so they will bear more fruit. Note the progression here: no fruit (John 15:2), fruit, more fruit, and much fruit (John 15:5, 8). Most Christians pray for God to make them more fruitful, but they dislike the pruning that comes with it!

The vinedresser prunes the branches in two ways: he cuts away dead wood that can breed disease and insects, and he cuts away living tissue so that the life of the vine will not be so dissipated as to compromise the quality of the crop. In fact, the vinedresser will cut off whole bunches of grapes so that the rest of the crop will be of better quality. God cares about quantity and quality.

The pruning process is the most important part of the whole enterprise, and those who do it must be carefully trained, or they can destroy an entire crop. Some vineyards spend two or three years training the “primers” so they know where to cut, how much to cut, and even at what angle to make a cut.

The worst judgment God could send upon a believer was to let him alone, to let him have his own way. God loves us, so He “prunes” us and encourages us to bear more fruit for His glory. If the branches could talk, they would say pruning hurts, but they would also be glad they will be able to produce more and better fruit.

When God is pruning you, your heavenly Father is never closer to you. Sometimes He cuts away the dead wood that might cause trouble, but often He cuts off the living tissue that is robbing you of spiritual vigor. Pruning is not only spiritual surgery that removes what is detrimental. It can also mean cutting away the good and the better so that we can enjoy the best. Yes, pruning hurts. But it helps. We may not like it, but we need it.

How does the Father trim us? Occasionally He just convicts and cleanses us through the Word. (The same Greek word translated “purge” in John 15:2 is translated “clean” in John 13:10. (See Eph. 5:26-27.) Occasionally He must chasten us. (Heb. 12:1-11). It hurt at that time. He takes something precious from us, but as the “spiritual crop” is produced, we see that the Father knew what He was doing.

The more we abide in Christ, the more fruit we bear; and the more fruit we bear, the more the Father has to prune us so that the quality keeps up with the quantity. The branch may be left to itself, and it may produce many clusters, but they will be of inferior quality. A bigger crop as well as a better crop glorifies God.