The Vine and the Branches

Today's Reflections

      

The Vine and the Branches

Jn 15:1-8

[Jesus said to his disciples,] ¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. ²He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. ³You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. ⁴Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. ⁶Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. ⁷If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. ⁸By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

He prunes so that it bears more fruit. Pruning is necessarily practiced in the agricultural world so as to guarantee a good fruit-bearing season for all trees in the orchard. It is such a tedious work that requires a lot of patience, diligence, and knowledge about the environment and the ever-changing weather conditions.

God is presented in Scriptures as the owner of the vineyard that is Israel (cf Is 5:1-7). God meticulously does the pruning even of the fruitful branches so that these may bear more fruit. He removes and cuts the unfruitful branches as well for being useless to the vine. Faithfulness here is the key to fruitfulness.

As the Letter to the Hebrews declares, “Son though he was, he [Jesus] learned obedience from what he suffered; and when he was made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him” (Heb 5:8-9).

What parts of you have to be pruned

that you may bear fruits pleasing to the Lord?