Cutting Back

W

hile living in the south of France during my junior year of college, I had several occasions to travel around the countryside, to visit and see things I had only read about but never thought I would actually experience in my lifetime.  I remember passing through the French countryside with rolling hills, valleys, and lush, fertile fields.  I also distinctly remember the first time I saw a vineyard from the window of a train.  It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen.

As the train rolled through open country, it passed through what seemed to be endless rows of grape vines.  As far as the eye could see in every direction there was nothing but grapes.  It was the harvest season and hundreds of workers were in the fields cutting off the ripened bunches by hand and placing them into baskets which were then transferred to trucks or carts. These luscious clusters were bound for the winery where they would be milked of their precious juice and turned into wine destined for tables the world over.

However, one of the most fascinating things about these vineyards was not the number of grapes they produced, nor their size, nor even the number of workers in the field. What was truly amazing was the care given to the vines. They were protected, guarded, and tended to with the same affection that a father has for his children.  They wanted for nothing and were given every opportunity to grow and mature into healthy, grape-producing plants.

But on occasion, the head of the vineyard would come along, take a pair of shears, and cut whole branches from the vine.  In some instances he would cut the vine back to the stalk, meaning it would not produce any fruit for several years.  This seemed odd; almost like cutting one’s nose off to spite one’s face.  These vineyards were the source of income and livelihood for several families.  Cutting back to the vine seemed to be counterproductive.  But the husbandman knew his vines much better than I did.  He knew that to get perfect fruit--and lots of it--sometimes the vine had to be cut back to the very stalk and allowed to grow newer, stronger branches that would produce more fruit.

Jesus knew a lot about grapes.  His first miracle, at the wedding in Canaan, was turning water into wine.  But Jesus also understood the role of the husbandman, or vinedresser, in relation to the production of good grapes which led to the making of excellent wine.  Jesus used the example of the vinedresser to teach one of his greatest lessons about being one of his disciples. While the job of the vine is to produce fruit, it is the job of the husbandman to ensure the branches are fit to produce perfect grapes and lots of them.  Sometimes this means the branches have to be pruned, cut back, in order to grow stronger and more productive.

We read these words from Jesus in John 15:1-2, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.”  Notice the three distinct roles in this brief statement.  First, Jesus is the vine. The vine produces everything the branches need. It is their source of life, of food, of strength, of water, and as long as they are attached to the vine, they grow, they live, and they produce fruit.

Second, there are the branches.  These represent the believers and followers of Christ. The job of the branches is to produce fruit and lots of it.  As Christian believers, we are to produce fruit that is pleasing to the eye and wonderful to the taste. People should see our lives and want to know Jesus simply based on the way we represent him.  The type and quantity of fruit we produce speaks volumes about our relationship with Jesus and our willingness to give a strong witness for him based on our words, actions, and deeds.

The third role is that of the vine dresser.  His job is to prune the branches, to cut them back so they will produce more fruit.  God often works in our lives with a pair of shears.  He cuts, breaks, and removes any part of our branches that are not producing fruit for the vine.  A branch that does not produce fruit is sapping nourishment and strength from the vine and its fellow branches.  God works lovingly to remove these branches so that all our efforts, all our thoughts, all our words, and all our actions will produce more fruit for Jesus Christ.  The painful process of pruning the branches serves as a reminder that the vine dresser loves the branches.  He knows the type and quantity of fruit they are capable of producing and He works to ensure they bring forth the best fruit possible.

T

oday, you may find yourself under God’s pruning shears.  He may be cutting away areas of your life that have provided comfort and security for so long.  He may be removing people from your life that have been life-long companions and friends.  He does not do this as punishment or to be cruel.  God knows you and He knows what it takes to make you the most productive vine you can be.  Only the best grapes get chosen for the choicest wines.  What kind of fruit are you producing today?