Fruit Or Fake? (John 15:1-8)

FRUIT OR FAKE? (JOHN 15:1-8)

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A church moving into the neighborhood made the following announcement:

“Has the heaviness of you old fashioned church got you weighted down? Try us! We are the New and Improved Lite Church of the Valley. Studies have shown we have 24% fewer commitments than other churches. We guarantee to trim off guilt, because we are Low-Cal. Low Calvin, that is. We are the home of the 7.5% tithe. We promise 40-minute worship services, with 10-minute sermons. Next Sunday’s exciting text is the story of the Feeding of the 3,000. We have only Eight Commandments -- You choose which ones apply each week. We use just three gospels in our contemporary New Testament Good Sound Bites for Modern Human Beings We take the offering every other week, all major credit cards accepted of course or use our easy payment plan. We are closed the first week of hunting season. Yes, the New and Improved Lite Church of the Valley could be just what you are looking for. We are everything you want in a church... and less!

Chapter 15 is a part of Jesus’ farewell discourse in chapters 14-17 to the disciples after the Last Supper but before His crucifixion. Chapter 13 ended with the prediction of Peter’s denial, so the message was given with poignancy, patience and purpose. It was the last words of Jesus the last night before his death. In the Old Testament, Israel was the vine, but she failed terribly and totally, producing wild and worthless grapes (Isa 5:4, 7). She was a noble vine, a seed of highest quality that turned into the degenerate plant of an alien vine (NKJV).

What does God expect from believers in their conversion and commitment? How would you describe your relationship with Christ? Why is discipleship the first and final step in meaningful Christian living?

Be Fruitful: Never Lack Growth

1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 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. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. (John 15:1-3)

At one time in the States climbing vines have taken over the corner part of one side of our tall house in Walnut. Because of its height and lack of space in the corner the task was beyond me, so I had to ask my gardener to take care of it. Believe me, most single home owners cannot live without their gardeners. Left by themselves, the climbing vines would attract the insects, rot the walls and darken the house. Cling vines are known to have damaged rooftops, gutters and chimneys. Within two hours he was able to pull them down, chop them up and clean the place. All within the regular US$50 monthly in the 1990s.

John 15 is the last of Jesus’ famous seven I AM sayings (John 6:41 bread, 8:12 light, 10:7 door, 10:11 good shepherd, 11:25 resurrection, 14:6 way, truth and life, 15:1 vine). Out of the seven I AM sayings three of the metaphors reappear again as true light (John 1:9), true bread (6:32) and true vine (15:1).

A vine is a climbing plant that produces grapes and grapes are the most widely grown fruit in the world. Vines are grown for their fruit, their landscape, and for longevity. With proper care, grapevines can live for 50 to 100 years or more. The upper limit of longevity is 150 years. Grapes can be clusters of 15 to 300 (Wikipedia). The early settlers in America grew grapes because grapes grow just about anywhere. Pruning each spring is a must! Without pruning, vines run out of control. It begins in the early winter when the leaves are off and growth has stopped. All they need is two buds left. It is almost impossible to kill a grape vine. Pruning to shorten the branches and keep a few stems to fill your space because too much fruit can lessen taste and to cut down thin flower clusters that look misshapen and cut off fruit clusters that develop poorly. Pruning means removing 75-90% of the previous year’s growth. Not pruning leads to lower yields and improper ripening. Grapes are vigorous growers, and with the proper pruning, they will produce fruit with ease and can last longer than 30 years. (Almanc.com)

God is the gardener or “husbandmen” in KJV – the owner, planter and expert. His job is twofold: to take away fruitless trees or plants and to prune the fruitful to bear more fruit. The verb “cuts off/take away” (airo) is basically lifted or raised, but is translated as bear up (Matt 4:6), take up (Matt 9:6), remove (Matt 21:21, take away (Mark 2:21) and lift up (Rev 10:5). It has the implication of cut off (NIV), to remove, be discarded, doomed, and dealt with.