Why prune? It seems unnecessary. A vine rooted in a good environment should grow by itself. That’s natural. Under normal circumstances, it gets bigger, spreads out, and produces grapes over time.
This is what growth in the wild looks like. If you have the necessary resources, you’ll make it; you could even thrive.
Many of us Christians live this way. When we come to Jesus, God equips us from within so we can grow in our relationship with Him.
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” – Ezekiel 36:26-27
But the Lord also deals with our outward conditions.
“Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” – Ezekiel 36:28
To grow in full measure requires this extra work of the Lord. Rather than getting by in the wild, we have the privilege of flourishing in God’s vineyard.
There are benefits to growing in a vineyard.
- Enriched soil
- Managed irrigation
- Pest-control
- Pruning
The first three make sense to us. We realize that plants do best when they get adequate nutrition and water and when critters that would eat them get removed. But the last one? Why pruning? What’s the benefit?
Jesus refers to the practice when He describes life in God’s vineyard.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He 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. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” – John 15:1-8
There are two kinds of pruning.
- Clipping away dead branches
- Clipping away live branches
The first option is reasonable; you’d expect a vinedresser to remove dead branches because they can’t add fruit to the vine. If they’re dead, they’re taking up space; best to clear them to make room for healthy branches.
But the second approach is surprising. If the branches are fruitful, why get rid of them? Aren’t they doing what the owner of the vineyard wanted?
In the short-term, pruning results in fewer grapes. Living branches, capable of bearing fruit, are sheared off. This conflicts with the way plants grow in the wild. But God knows what He’s doing.
The long-term results of pruning are worth it.
- Bigger grapes
- Specialized flavors
- Recognition for the vinedresser
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we can count on God to prune us. He’ll clear away useless and spent branches from our lives, but He’ll trim or remove a few robust ones, too. This might frighten us, but not to worry–God is making us more fruitful than we could imagine. He works in us in such a way that we bear better fruit. And with this, God receives glory.
“Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” – John 2:10
So don’t fight the Father! Allow Him to reduce what you think you have. In time, you’ll discover that you’ve gained even more!
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