John 15:1-17: Cut Prune

‘I am the vine you are the branches’, Jesus says, ‘remain in me and bear fruit’; how are the disciples able to do this? By keeping his commands. And what are his commands? Verse 9 that they abide in his love; Verse 10, that they remain in his love; and Verse 12, that they love one another. Love God and love your neighbour (Luke 10:27) and what is the greatest way to show that you love someone else? It is, Verse 13, to lay down your life for your friends. And that is what his disciples did for him. And that is what Christ first does for them.

Jesus asked his disciples to remain in him and as they did they produced the fruit of love. He produced love in his friends while they were being imprisoned, tortured and killed. During their most difficult times, when many people instead choose to hurt themselves by hating others, Jesus’ love grows in his followers.

We too can have that fruit of love in our lives. As we turn to Jesus, as we remain in him, we will obey his commandments, we will love one another and he will produce his fruit of love in us.

There is one more thing though: In Verse 2 is recorded that Jesus says those who remain in Him, he will prune. What is pruning? It is cutting. Jesus says he will cut those who leave him and prune those who love him. So what’s the difference if you get cut either way?

This is something I have often wondered about. It is a play on words in Greek between the branch that is cut and removed and the branch that is pruned. The key difference is that the pruned branch, though it is cut, it is not completely cut off, it remains. The pruned branch, it blossoms and it bears fruit.

We all must go through tough times in life when life brings the shears to us. Sad things happen; bad things happen; mad things happen. The key is to not give into hate and fear. If we give into hate and fear, we will inevitably cut ourselves off from the love of God: hate and love cannot occupy the same space. However, Jesus promises that if we obey his command to love each other then no matter how sharp are the problems of our life, Jesus promises that he will use even those challenges to make us sprout the fruit of forgiveness which is everlasting life. As we obey his command to love one another, no matter how bad life seems, everything will be alright.

Originally presented to River Street Cafe, 19 April 2017

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