“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."
-John 15:1-2
As is always the case when reading scripture, we must define the terms. In this case, we need to understand what pruning is and why it is done if we are to understand what Jesus meant when He made this statement to His disciples. Pruning is the cutting off of dead, useless, or unwanted parts. Vines, plants, and trees are all pruned for the same reasons. According to professional arborists, tree pruning is critical for three reasons: health, structure, and safety. Here’s an excerpt from an article titled, Why Pruning Your Tree Is Important (3/7/17):Pruning For Health Reasons
Caring for the health of a tree is important, obviously.
Pruning For Structural Reasons
Trees need structural integrity, especially the young and still developing ones.
Pruning For Safety Reasons
Trees that are planted in residential properties often sit close to man-made structures such as a house, garage, tool shed, as well as foot paths, driveways, and walkways. In some cases, homeowners even use tree limbs to hang a swing for the kids.
With these three reasons alone, you can see just how important tree pruning is and why it should never be put off.
Caring for the health of a tree is important, obviously.
- Through the pruning process, dead and/or diseased branches can be removed safely, allowing the tree to develop stronger and healthier ones.
- There are plenty of reasons why tree branches die or suffer from diseases, but the three most common are lack of sunlight exposure, insect infestation, and storm damage.
- Exposure to extreme fluctuations in temperature is also a common reason, especially in areas that experience heavy snow storms during winter or extreme heat during the summer.
Pruning For Structural Reasons
Trees need structural integrity, especially the young and still developing ones.
- Proper pruning can help a young, newly planted tree develop a sturdier structure, stronger limbs, as well as a lush and beautiful form.
Pruning For Safety Reasons
Trees that are planted in residential properties often sit close to man-made structures such as a house, garage, tool shed, as well as foot paths, driveways, and walkways. In some cases, homeowners even use tree limbs to hang a swing for the kids.
- Moreover, trees sometimes grow so tall or so wide that they can become a fire hazard when they come in contact with power lines.
- And if a tree limb is hanging over your home or other structures, a heavy storm could cause it to break and crash into whatever is underneath it.
With these three reasons alone, you can see just how important tree pruning is and why it should never be put off.
When I read the above article, I couldn’t help but think about how God prunes us. In John 15:2, Jesus said, “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” Our Father in Heaven is the perfect Vinedresser, taking special care of those branches in His Son that bear good fruit (believers alone bear good fruit – Matthew 7:15-20; 13:1-23). The preeminent fruit portrayed in the Bible is love. Paul wrote:
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
We might say, the more we love, the more fruit we will bear from a root of said love. God is pleased and glorified by this since He is the Giver and Grower of all good fruit (James 1:17; 1 Corinthians 3:7). This begs the question, what is good fruit, according to Holy Scripture? I mean, it seems even Christians are confused about what fruit is (hold that thought). A good place to start to find the answer to this question is with the fruit of the Spirit, for it is God the Holy Spirit who empowers believers to produce good fruit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
- Galatians 5:22-23
I ask that you ponder the nine aspects of the “fruit of the spirit” in v22, 23. One thing we ought to agree on is that this fruit is internal. Might it express itself externally? Sure. Will it be compelled to do so at times? Of course! However, is it any less fruit if one doesn’t express itself the same way others might? Not at all.
I want to take a moment now to address an issue in the churches that has bothered me for years. It’s a terrible malady that I don’t want you to partake in, either as a purveyor or as a victim…
According to God, fruit of the Spirit is borne inside a person. God is satisfied with His own work because “the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7b). In other words, let God be the judge of your fruit. Please never forget this singular truth. No one in this world has the right to challenge what the Word and the Spirit tells you is good fruit. Different doesn’t imply bad.
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.
- 1 Corinthians 4:3-4
Let me give you a perfect example of this by sharing what’s been bothering me all of these years. I am friends with a lot of introverts. God made each and every one of them this way. By definition, an introvert is drained by large crowds or social interactions. I know this because I am one and so is every member of my immediate family. We are all both believers and introverts. This doesn’t bother me at all, so please don’t get me wrong. To the contrary, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14). What bothers me is when extroverts attempt to impose their own ideas about fruit-bearing on introverts.
What I’ve seen over the years is a type of social shaming of introverts, where extroverts accuse them of somehow bearing bad and/or lesser fruit because they aren’t interested in social gatherings the way extroverts and their group of friends are. This is ridiculous and incredibly arrogant, not to mention damaging to the Body of Christ, which is comprised of all sorts of personalities. Instead of embracing the diversity in the Church, these people are seeking to destroy it. It’s ugly, self-serving, and ironically, bad fruit.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
- Romans 14:4
So, let’s get back to Jesus’ words, “every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2). Now that we understand what the Bible has to say about good fruit, what about pruning? God our Father will prune anything unhealthy in the life of a fruit-bearing branch. The question is, what might that mean for you? Well, for example, in keeping with the above issue between introverts and extroverts, that might mean that God will prune toxic people out of your life (or maybe He prunes their bad habits out of theirs and so saves your friendship). Whatever God chooses to do, He will do so for the betterment of His vineyard.
My encouragement to you is simple. God doesn’t want you to be ashamed of how He made you. The shame falls on those who attempt to shame you. Pray for their insecurities and weaknesses, for that’s what is at the root of their bad fruit (it’s certainly not love). The Word of God states that the fruit of the Spirit will manifest itself in a variety of ways, socially and spiritually. Don’t apologize for being yourself!
For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
- Romans 12:4-5
The next time someone condescendingly suggests you bear fruit more like their own, turn the tables on them and ask, “Why would I want to do that? It seems if I did, I’d become more like you. To tell you the truth, given your fruit in this moment, I’m not sure that’s a very good thing. You do you and I’ll do me. Deal?” That’s what pruning looks like. God delivers you from unholy, poisonous influences in your life, improving your “health, structure, and safety” so that you may continue being sanctified and bearing good fruit that brings glory to Him.
Love in Christ,
Ed Collins
