John 15:1-2

“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 prune so that it will be even more fruitful.

From Background Notes [BN] for March 15th & 16th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

It is interesting to note that grapevines need proper pruning during the first three years. Once they start producing fruit, annual pruning is needed to maintain the balance between vegetative growth and fruit production.

If grapevines produce too much fruit in one year, they will not produce a good crop next year and could suffer winter damage. If grapevines produce too little fruit one year, they will produce too many shoots and leaves that year. Jesus understood the spiritual equivalent of this process. During three years, Jesus taught, worked and lived his life with the disciples. As he expressed to them in 15:3, "You are already clean because of the world I have spoken to you." Jesus used similar words at the Last Supper when he washed the feet of Simon Peter (see John 13:10-11). In the Greek language, a number of words are in play in 15:1-2 which have a similarity to each other and to the word used in 15:3 for "clean."

a. "Take away" is from aireō which means "take"

b. "Prune" is from kathaireō which means "take down, put down, reduce, remove."
c. "Clean" is from kathairō which means "clear, clean, free of" and is the basis for our English word "catharsis."

The goal of each action verb is to make the vine fruitful.  [BN, 9]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am