When Pruning Season Comes
John 15:1-10
In the early morning, just as the sun begins to brighten the sky, a man moves silently through a vineyard. He has work to do, and he does it with determination and precision. He pauses to sharpen a pruning knife, because he knows that he will be most effective if his knife is sharp. He works with skill, reaching first here, then there, slashing a branch loose from the vine. Occasionally he will even slice through a cluster of grapes, dropping them on the ground as useless. When he has finished with that particular vine, he moves on, leaving behind a stump of where a branch used to be. The rising sun glistens on the sap as it oozes from the fresh wounds the vinedresser has just created.
Sometimes God moves in our lives in such a way that it causes us pain, and our wounds are fresh and oozing. At the time it is occurring we do not necessarily think, “Well, this hurts, and it may be God working in my life to cleanse me of what I don’t need.” But it is so necessary for us to know that much of the time, God is working a great work in our lives, even if we do not understand what is happening at the moment.
According to our fresh understanding of John 15:2, we read it this way now, Every branch in Me that bears no fruit, He lifts, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, so that it will be even more fruitful. What this means, plain and simple, is that if you are a branch in the Vine which is Christ, then you will undergo a pruning in your life. It is inevitable, inescapable, and necessary. We all go through a pruning season in our Christian lives. And since it will come to all us, when it does it is essential that we remember certain vitally important truths.
1. Remember that your Heavenly Father is the Vinedresser, v. 1
Why does Jesus speak of Himself as the “true” vine? His disciples would readily understand what He meant. The image of the vine was a vivid one for them, since the land of Israel was covered with vineyards. It even was used in the Old Testament as a symbol for Israel’s relationship with God. Isaiah spoke of the house of Israel as the vineyard of the Lord (5:7). Jeremiah said that God had planted Israel as His choice vine (2:21). The prophet Hosea pointed out that because of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, they had become like an empty vine. From beginning to end, God’s role is as the Vinedresser. Isaiah’s prophecy spoke of Israel as a vineyard that produced only wild grapes:
1Now I will sing a song for the one I love about his vineyard:
My beloved has a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. 2He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with choice vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were wild and sour.
3 “Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you have heard the case; you be the judges. What more could I have done to cultivate a rich harvest? Why did my vineyard give me wild grapes when I expected sweet ones?
5 Now this is what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will tear down its fences and let it be destroyed. I will break down its walls and let the animals trample it. 6I will make it a wild place. I will not prune the vines or hoe the ground. I will let it be overgrown with briers and thorns. I will command the clouds to drop no more rain on it.”
7 This is the story of the LORD’S people. They are the vineyard of the LORD Almighty. Israel and Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected them to yield a crop of justice, but instead he found bloodshed. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of oppression. Isa. 5:1 through Isa. 5:7 (NLT)
Down through Hebrew history, the grapevine became the symbol of Israel. At one point in their history, the symbol of the vine was even on their coins. Josephus, a Hebrew historian writing for the Romans, described Herod’s Temple (which was the one in place during the time of Jesus) as having a huge cluster of gold grapes hanging around the outside of the Temple. He wrote that “under the crown-work was spread out a golden vine, with its branches hanging down from a great height, the largeness and the workmanship of which were an astonishing sight to the spectators” (Antiquities of the Jews, 5.5.4). We are told that those who wished to honor someone would pay to have another grape added to the cluster, and it became a badge of honor to be able to afford to do so. The Jews took great pride in this, and saw it as a symbol of their nation.
So as Jesus and the disciples are making their way out of the city of Jerusalem and into the Garden of Gethsemane, imagine them passing through a vineyard. Imagine Jesus kneeling down and lifting a branch from the ground, placing it back on the trellis. He perhaps gestures toward the surrounding vines, as He says, “I am the true vine.” Perhaps He meant something like this: “You know that the vine is symbolic of Israel that is supposed to produce luscious grapes. Well, the nation has failed to do so. I, on the other hand, am the authentic Vine. I am the fulfillment of everything suggested by the symbol.”
If this had taken place here in America, Jesus would certainly have used different words. If He had been in Iowa, He would have talked about corn. Had He been in the Mississippi Delta, He would have used cotton. Here in America we think about “amber waves of grain,” but in Judea they thought of their nation as a vineyard. This being so, Jesus compares the relationship of the vine to the branches, but He also points out that the One who owns, maintains and cares for the vine is the Father.
Knowing that, let us take cheer! Let’s be encouraged! This is not some mere traveler passing by who does not have an interest in the vineyard. This is not a vandal whose intention is only to destroy. This is our Heavenly Father, and we can trust Him! He owns us, He loves us, and He sent His Son to die for us. We can trust Him.
2. Remember that your Heavenly Father has a purpose for your life, vv. 2, 5, 8.
When the vinedresser goes through his vineyard with his pruning knife, he has a definite purpose. He does not indiscriminately cut and slice without regard. He has a purpose, and that purpose is to produce the best fruit possible from his vineyard. Modern-day vinedressers fall into two main categories. There is first the one that is concerned with producing as much as he can, and the second is the one who is interested only in producing the best fruit he can. Both kinds of vinedressers know what the purpose is before the season starts, and they maintain their respective vineyards accordingly.
Ultimately, however, the purpose of a vineyard is to bear grapes, and that is exactly the whole emphasis of what Jesus is saying here. God had expected Israel to bear luscious, rich, beautiful, tasty grapes, but the only grapes He got from them were sour, rotten, stinking, tasteless. When He looks at your life and mine, He has certain expectations. I believe the Scriptures teach that He expects to see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, longsuffering – the fruit of the Spirit as outlined for us in Galatians. When our Heavenly Vinedresser picks up His Pruning Knife, He does so with that purpose in view. For instance, if there is something in my life that is preventing me from producing love, He will work in me until I have fulfilled that purpose. What in your life is preventing you from producing the fruit of joy, or peace, or kindness?
Our Heavenly Father has a purpose when He begins to cut and prune and cleanse. He does not do it indiscriminately, but with a sharp focus. He knows exactly what He is doing, and He always follows a plan. Remember Jeremiah 29:11? It fits in well here: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11 (NIV) When we read John 15, we begin to understand a little more of His purpose for us. Quite simply, it is that we bear fruit! Fruit, and more fruit! Look at it: in verse two, Jesus mentions “fruit” then “more fruit.” In verse five, He says, “much fruit,” and then repeats that phrase in verse 8.
Rest assured, brother and sister in Christ, that when the Pruning Knife from our Heavenly Father comes upon your life, it comes with a purpose in mind. You and I may not always understand what that purpose is, but since it is Him who holds the Knife, we may know that everything is as it should be. Nothing happens without His approval or direct involvement. He is working to make us more like Christ. He is working to remove from us those things that do not help us fulfill that purpose.
3. Remember that the Vinedresser’s pruning knife is sharp, v. 3
The vinedresser’s knife must be extremely sharp if the pruning is to be effective. A dull pruning knife may cut the branch off, but it will damage the wood. So the vinedresser makes sure that his knife is sharpened just before he goes into the vineyard, even pausing periodically during the day to once again sharpen the blade. He knows that the most effective pruning knife is one that is as sharp as it can be.
Our Heavenly Father’s pruning knife is sharp. And what does He use? He uses all kinds of things. He is God, after all; He can and does use whatever He desires. Circumstances, relationships, illnesses, trials – they all qualify as pruning knives. I have experienced each of those in my life – and more – and I am sure you have, too. But there is one very important thing God uses as a pruning knife in our lives – His own Word. In fact, even when the circumstances are troubling and painful, even then God is using those circumstances to make us pay attention to His Word.
How do we know this? For one thing, Ephesians 6:17 tells us to “Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Then we are told in Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”(NIV)
Listen to that same verse, Hebrews 4:12, from The New Living Translation: “For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are.” That gets right to the heart of it, doesn’t it?
In Revelation 1, John described his first glimpse of Christ in his vision: “In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword.” Remember that much of what we read in the Book of Revelation is symbolic, and the fact that this “sword” was “sharp” and that it was coming from his “mouth” refers of course to His own Word.
All this is true, of course, but it comes “sharply” into focus (pardon the pun) when we look at John 15:3, “You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.” It becomes clear, then, that our Heavenly Father uses His own Word to cleanse our lives and hearts from those things that should not be there, those things that prevent us from our ultimate, intended fruitfulness. This is yet another reason why it is necessary that we believers immerse ourselves in the Word of God. We must read it, study it, understand it, practice it, share it. When there is a painful pruning process going on in our lives, that should be a signal to us that it is time to return once again to the dedicated, concentrated, focused study of the Word of God. When there is pruning going on, that means He is trying to get our attention, and He draws us to His own Word for the answers.
4. Remember that the Vinedresser only removes what is unnecessary
Pruning is necessary in order that the branches of the vine produce the best fruit. When the vinedresser comes through with his pruning knife, he operates under two key principles: one, all dead wood must be removed; and two, the live wood must be cut back drastically. Dead wood harbors insects and disease, and if rot sets in, it can easily be spread to the entire vine. A grapevine grows so rapidly that live wood is cut back drastically to force the vine into producing fruit rather than just wood. Left to itself, the vine produces all kinds of growth, but not the kind which bears fruit.
In the same way, our Heavenly Father moves among us, cutting out the dead wood from our lives. He cannot allow disease or rot to settle in us. He also cuts back the live wood so drastically that sometimes it even seems cruel. But He knows exactly what He is doing. His goal is to cut, and cut, and cut, until He sees fruit in us! Left to ourselves, our flesh will always produce rotten fruit. He moves among us with His Pruning Knife to remove those dead things from our hearts, such as bitterness, resentment, selfishness, anger, self-centeredness, arrogance, pride.
So how does this play out in our daily living? Let’s set up a scenario for a moment. Let’s say that you have been maintaining a particular habit, or harboring an attitude towards someone in your life. Let’s say that this has been going on for quite some time. Then suddenly, one day, you are confronted with a verse of Scripture that flies in the face of what you previously felt justified in doing or feeling.
Perhaps you tried not to pay attention to what that Word from God was saying to your heart. So you ignore that Word, even though ignoring it meant that you continued to hurt yourself and hurt others. But one day your resistance falls, and you are confronted with what you were doing to yourself and to others by your stubborn sinfulness. That, my friends, is the Father’s Pruning Knife at work. I admit, it is sharp, and sometimes it is quite painful. Coming face to face with who we really are can hurt. When we came to Christ, we brought a lot of stuff with us from our old lives – old habits, old attitudes, old ways of thinking about others and ourselves. Our Father the Vinedresser sets to work to cut out anything that doesn’t look like Christ.
The pruning process doesn’t just last for one day, or for one week, or one year. It is not something of which we can say, “Well, I’ve been through that, and I’m glad that’s over.” No, this pruning process in our lives doesn’t happen all at once, or once for all. It takes an entire lifetime. Our Heavenly Vinedresser prunes us repeatedly. He prunes us constantly. He is removing from us what we do not need. He is removing from us what hinders our growth and our witness. It may be painful for a time, but we need to remember that these are things that may prevent us from enjoying a full life in Christ.
5. Remember that it is vital that we stay connected to the Vine, v. 4
When the pruning season comes in our lives, we have a natural tendency to moan and complain. We ask “Why is this happening to me?” If we do not deal with that in our hearts, we will become bitter. You know what happens with bitterness in our hearts over time, don’t you? It grows and grows, silently, unnoticed. It hardens and calcifies, and becomes even more difficult to cleanse from our lives. When that happens, it is because we have failed to recognize that the pruning, the cleansing, of our lives has come from the hand of our Heavenly Father, the Vinedresser, who loves us too much to leave us to our own sinful ways.
You see, the single most important thing for us as Christians is to maintain our vital connection to Jesus, the Vine. Jesus said it this way, Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me. The King James Version (and others) use the word “abide” rather than “remain,” but it really doesn’t make a lot of difference. The word means “to maintain a union, to maintain an unbroken connection.” It is an important concept: John used the word (or a derivative) over 50 times in his writings in the New Testament, and eleven times in John 15 alone!
We can produce the fruit of the Spirit only as we remain attached to Jesus and draw our life from Him. At no time is this more important than when we are under the Pruning Knife of our Heavenly Father.
So, dear believer, in what areas of your life is God’s Pruning Knife active right now? Is it some active growth of resentment? Is there a wild shoot of bitterness sprouting out from your life? Is there a cluster of sickly, tasteless grapes in your life that needs to come off? Remember:
1. Your Heavenly Father is the Vinedresser, and it is His hand which holds the Pruning Knife.
2. Your Heavenly Father has a purpose for your life.
3. The Vinedresser’s knife is sharp.
4. The Vinedresser removes only what is unnecessary.
5. It is vital that we stay connected to the Vine.
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