Words from the Rock
I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.
John 15:1–3 Message
Unless you live in a vineyard or near an agricultural community, some of Jesus’s stories about farming might be lost on you. But back when Jesus told these stories, most of his listeners got the meaning—at least on a surface level. It might have taken a while for the real spiritual message to sink in.
To understand the metaphor that Jesus is using, you need to know a little about growing grapes and pruning. First of all, for the grapevine to flourish, the dead branches need to be cut off. And when a branch is healthy, it will produce big clumps of grapes, but the weight of the grapes can stress, weaken, or even break the branch. A good farmer knows this, and during the dormant season when grapes aren’t growing, he’ll cut back (prune) the healthy branches so they’re not long, stringy, and weak. After they’re cut back, they’ll be sturdier and more capable of supporting heavy grapes.
Imagine you’re a branch connected to the vine (Jesus), and suddenly the farmer (God) is taking a knife to you. After you recover from the fright, you should realize that (1) you’re not a dead branch, so he’s not permanently removing you, and (2) if he’s pruning you back, it’s for your own good so you can be stronger and healthier. Even if it hurts for a while, you need to remember that it would hurt a lot more if he didn’t prune you and the weight of the grapes just broke you off.
Sometimes life is like that too. You experience something painful, something you can’t even figure out, but later on you realize that was the very thing that made you strong.
My Prayer
Dear God,
Help me to remember that sometimes my injuries will make me grow. Sometimes the pain is to make me stronger and more capable to handle life’s challenges.
Amen.
Final Word
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
James 1:2–3 NIV
Stone for the Journey
My wounds draw me closer to Jesus.