The Vinedresser

John 15:2

“Every branch in me that does not bear not fruit he takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Your perception of your Heavenly Father colors EVERYTHING:  How you pray; How you perceive that scripture portion you just read; How you walk out your Christian life, even how and what you receive from Him.

At first glance, this English translation is a little ominous. It seems to say that if you don’t measure up, you could lose your salvation.  “God will take you away.”  That’s a scary thought!

Now, if you perceive Abba as a stern disciplinarian, this passage as translated into English fits right into your paradigm.  But I have good news for you:  HE ISN’T LIKE THAT!!  

Let’s look at this passage again, dig a little deeper and see what the Greek reveals.  Betcha it’ll kill some religious myths.

John 15:2
“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away {aireí}: and every branch that bears fruit, he prunes {kathaírō}, that it may bear more fruit.”

First part still sounds a little ominous, doesn’t it?  But in Greek, the phrase “takes away” is the word “airei,” from the root word “airó: to raise, take up; to lift.”  Ah! Now that’s 180° different!

The translation of this verse is a bit unfortunate, to say the least. It is one of many translator issues in scripture.  You need to understand something:  Though the Bible is an inspired book, IT IS ONLY THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGES THAT ARE INSPIRED.  When  you read any translation, you are actually reading a commentary.  In effect, you are seeing through the lens of a translator who may have a hard view of God.  That colors his thinking and comes across in his translation.

The way this passage is worded makes you think that, if you don’t produce fruit, you’ll be discarded, doesn’t it?  Many well-meaning preachers have even used it to try and scare their people into living holy lives.  Not only does that tactic backfire, it has the opposite effect.

There is, however, someone who would love nothing better than to trample on you and discard you: the devil!  But certainly NOT God. He is not standing over you with a big stick waiting to pounce on you for the least little infraction.

Anyone who is familiar with vineyard husbandry at all knows very well how precious and valuable each and EVERY branch is. When one is lying on the ground the Vinedresser doesn’t tear it off and throw it away.  No.  HE LIFTS IT UP {airó} and places it back up on a trellis.  If it is left lying on the ground, it CANNOT BEAR FRIUT.  But once elevated back up into it’s proper position and cared for, it can once again become fruitful. 

That’s our Heavenly Vinedresser!

The word for “prune” in Greek is “kathaírō – to make clean by purging or removing undesirable elements.” The branch is pruned, or purged by eliminating what is unfruitful by purifying, i.e. making “unmixed.”  That typifies that when grace is “mixed” with law, it makes people “dead” in some areas.  It doesn’t produce life, and God needs to remove all the debris it has caused.  Remember, Paul calls the Law, “The ministry of death, WRITTEN AND ENGRAVED ON STONES.”

The root word of kathaírō is further proof that the LAW PRODUCES DEATH

  It is “katharos,” in Greek which means “clean (adjective), pure, unstained, either literally or ceremonially or spiritually; guiltless, innocent, upright.” This, again, is a picture of a Christian who’s been beat down by the law mixed with grace, who has been made to feel unclean and unworthy.  He can easily become burdened down by bad habits he tries to shed but cannot.

The Vinedresser removes all those unproductive parts that resulted from being under this so-called “teaching;” this ugly, pseudo-doctrine that Paul preached against so vehemently to the Galatians.  He called it “another gospel,” also known as “the Galatian heresy, legalism or balance.”  God exposes the cast down branch to the freedom, fresh air and sunlight of the true gospel; GRACE.

Now the “branch” can understand that it is guiltless, it is innocent and upright.  The branch wasn’t able do all this for himself.  The Vinedresser had to clean him.

So, when you are down and out, depressed and dragging on the ground, your Heavenly Father doesn’t discard you:  NO,NO, NO.  A thousand time NO!  He lifts you up so that air, sunlight and nourishment are restored.  He nurses you back to health so that you will be able to bear beautiful, healthy, ripe grapes that make others drunk with New Wine;  the Wine of Life.  In other words, “Drunk on Jesus!  

 

That’s our Abba!  I’m glad He’s the Vinedresser!