[No Greater] No Greater Pursuit预览

The Farmer and His Fruit

In John 15, we find three great relationships God calls us to passionately and purposefully pursue: To love the Lord our God above all else. We achieve this by abiding in Christ. To love believers, our near neighbors, as Christ loved us. To love unbelievers, our far neighbors, in a way that we can bear fruit and be a witness to them and give them the gift of knowing Jesus as their savior. 

Jesus also talks about the vine, the father’s role, and fruit bearing in John 15:1–3. In the Old Testament, Israel was likened to a vine; it was a national symbol. They had been given a very important position by God. If a Gentile wanted to become a God–follower, they had to attach themselves to the vine, which was Israel. However, the Israelites turned their backs on God many times as a nation. In the New Testament, Jesus becomes the true vine. We now find salvation and God’s blessings for all nations through Jesus. 

After establishing His identity as “The True Vine,” Jesus then talks about His Father, the Vinedresser. For any vineyard to succeed, it requires a vinedresser, who is constantly attentive to the vine, its branches, and its fruit. He provides what is necessary to stimulate growth, protects the vine from elements which could damage it, and prunes it to promote further fruit bearing.

When Jesus talks about the branches, us, He talks about the ones that bear fruit and the ones that do not. For branches that do not bear fruit, the Father has special care. He takes those branches and lifts them out of the dirt so they can get what they need to grow and bear fruit. And for the branches that do bear fruit, He prunes them and cuts off those things that could prevent maximum fruit production. He is a God who would do anything possible to bring struggling believers into the nourishment of a life with Christ and a life of trusting only Him to bear good fruit. 

Have you ever wondered what that fruit is? It is the tangible external expression of the dynamic life of Christ within us. It can be a godly character, good works, our giving, and our praise. All of these things, the fruits, can only be achieved through Christ’s strength, for God’s glory, and have everlasting value. 

Through His grace, God cleanses us and attaches us to the True Vine who is Jesus. He does so with a wild, outrageous, and absurdly unconditional love so that we can bear good fruit.