You lift us up
“Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away…”
John 15:2 (RSV)
In the Old Testament the term ‘vine’ was used to describe Israel,1 but it was used to denote their sinfulness, not fruitfulness; they were sour grapes. In John 15, Jesus uses the picture of the vine to remind Israel of her past failures, and to indicate that he is the one faithful Israelite – the ‘true vine’ 2 – and it is only through connection with him that fruit will be produced (v.4). Additionally, in Jesus’s vine metaphor, something else is needed: a vinedresser who is the Father (v.1). He is the one who cares for the vines that are connected to Jesus.
So far so good, but the statement Jesus makes in verse 2 has led to some consternation. In the NIVUK it reads, ‘He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit’ (emphasis mine), which has led some to think that a person who does not produce fruit in their lives will be discarded by the Father. However, this could not be further from the truth. Jesus refers to these people as a ‘branch in me’ which means they are organically linked to him, sharing the life of the vine. Jesus is speaking of a Christian who is in fellowship with him, who is not yet producing fruit. In such a case, how does the Father deal with such an individual?
The Greek word, airo, translated as ‘takes away’ (RSV), or ‘cuts off’ (NIVUK), has the primary meaning ‘lifts up’. 3 It is a word that is used elsewhere in John’s gospel to refer to picking something up (John 5:8-12; 8:59; 10:18). The sense of what Jesus is saying in John 15:2 is that those branches (Christians) that are not producing fruit, the vinedresser (the Father) takes to another place by lifting them up, so they can bear fruit.
If you visit a vineyard, you will often find grapes tied to trellises. If the vinedresser doesn’t do this the grapes may never develop. A good vinedresser will prop the vines up so that they can receive the maximum amount of sunlight possible. The vinedresser does not ‘cut off’ (contrary to the NIVUK) a vine because it has no fruit, but gently lifts it up to the sun, so it has an opportunity to bear fruit in the future.
In the same way, when Christians are not bearing fruit our Father’s action is not to cut us off, rather he gently encourages us to bear fruit: he answers prayers; he performs miracles; he gives us the strength to deal with adversity. His love is unconditional as he lifts us up.
What an encouragement to know that when we go through seasons of our lives when we are not producing fruit, our Father does not reject us, but lifts us up so we can be fruitful.
Prayer
Loving Father, we want to abide in Jesus and allow him to produce the fruit of his life in us. Thank you that you don’t cut us off when there is no fruit, but patiently and gently lift us up to bear fruit, to the glory of your name. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Study by Barry Robinson
1 Isaiah 5:1-7, 27:2; Jeremiah 2:21, 12:10; Ezikiel 15:1-8, 17:1-21, 19:10-14; Hosea 10:1-2.
2 Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John. Revised edition, 1995, p 593.
3 Strongs 142, Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Strong’s #142: airo – Greek/Hebrew Definitions – Bible Tools
Barry Robinson is a minister in Grace Communion International and Regional Pastor for Southern England, the Midlands, and Wales
Local congregation:
Grace Communion West Hampstead
Sidings Community Centre
150 Brassey Road
West Hampstead
London
NW6 2BA
Meeting time:
Sunday 12.30 pm
Local congregational contact:
Gordon Brown
gordon.brown@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church