“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. - John 15: 1,2,5,6 This is the last of Jesus I am sayings in the Gospel. His allegory of the vine and the branches is at the very heart of His farewell to His disciples. The Old Testament frequently referred to the vineyard as a symbol for Israel, especially in the book of Isaiah. In this case, God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. God is continually pruning the branches to strengthen the vine and to ensure it bears more and better fruit. If the branches bear no fruit for the Lord, they will be pruned, collected and burned. Looking to the timing of Jesus original discourse, we can see one branch pruned from the vine and tossed into the fire...that being Judas Iscariot. Meditation: we can also look at this as being the pruning of our worldly actions and thoughts. There must be a painful and necessary removal of negative interests and activities in order for the remaining branches to become more fruitful. Time to do an introspective look into your life my friends. What branches need to be pruned in order to live a more fruitful life? Meditate on this and then praise the Lord!!
Posted on: Fri, 26 Dec 2014 14:00:51 +0000