DE PONDERINGS
by Kevin Kessler, District Executive
Read Ezekiel 15 and John 15:1-17
Both of these texts make reference to a vine. The distinctions though are clear. In Ezekiel, it is the wood of the vine that receives attention. The annotation in The New Oxford Annotated Bible reads, "The wood of the vine is good only when it produces satisfactorily; otherwise, even as fuel, it is practically useless." Vine wood when it has been lopped off from its source of life is rather worthless.
I wonder if Jesus was thinking about this text in Ezekiel when he spoke about the vine, the familiar text we find in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John? Jesus talks about the vine in a more optimistic, positive way. Here the value of the vine is the focus. Its value lies in its aliveness, its connectivity to the life source. Jesus illustrates the vine's value by sharing about its branches producing fruit. Vine wood is of value when it is productive.
Of course, Jesus goes on to say that he is the vine, connected to the life source, God, and that we who follow Christ are the branches. We are the fruit producers. A vinedresser cares for a vine so that it will produce the most fruit, just as God through Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit cares for us that we may be big producers of fruit as well-love being the fruit that counts.
The wood of the vine Jesus speaks about will always have life unlike the wood of the vine mentioned in Ezekiel's allegory. As long as we stay connected, abiding in Christ, we'll always have life and the ability to bear fruit. ALWAYS! That's good news.
A thought occurred to me when reading the text in John. Branches are likely to sprout anywhere on the vine. The new branch may be a new follower of Jesus. The new branch may be a new church start. Old branches that have been around for a long time producing a lot of fruit may not like these new shoots. These newcomers may need some nutrition that the old timers have always received. The long time branches may try to take in more nutrients just so the new ones won't thrive. But, it isn't the job of the branches to be concerned about this. It's the job of the vinedresser.
Maybe this is why the vinedresser does a little pruning occasionally. The pruning doesn't get rid of the old so the new can take over. The old is still productive and needed. But the old may need to be trimmed back giving the new a chance to thrive. Together, the old and the new may be able to produce even more than the old one was able to itself.
At 50 years of age and a member of the church before I was a teenager, I'm one of the old branches. As a member of a congregation that is over 150 years of age, I'm part of one of the old branches. I have to be careful that I don't try to take over for the vinedresser. And, I have to surrender myself, like it or not, to the pruning the vinedresser finds necessary for my life. This pruning keeps me productive in my own way and in conjunction with the new.
This is isn't an easy lesson for me. Nevertheless, abiding in Christ keeps me connected to alive wood providing all I need to continue being productive. That's really all I need to concern myself with.
Read Ezekiel 15 and John 15:1-17
Both of these texts make reference to a vine. The distinctions though are clear. In Ezekiel, it is the wood of the vine that receives attention. The annotation in The New Oxford Annotated Bible reads, "The wood of the vine is good only when it produces satisfactorily; otherwise, even as fuel, it is practically useless." Vine wood when it has been lopped off from its source of life is rather worthless.
I wonder if Jesus was thinking about this text in Ezekiel when he spoke about the vine, the familiar text we find in the 15th chapter of the Gospel of John? Jesus talks about the vine in a more optimistic, positive way. Here the value of the vine is the focus. Its value lies in its aliveness, its connectivity to the life source. Jesus illustrates the vine's value by sharing about its branches producing fruit. Vine wood is of value when it is productive.
Of course, Jesus goes on to say that he is the vine, connected to the life source, God, and that we who follow Christ are the branches. We are the fruit producers. A vinedresser cares for a vine so that it will produce the most fruit, just as God through Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit cares for us that we may be big producers of fruit as well-love being the fruit that counts.
The wood of the vine Jesus speaks about will always have life unlike the wood of the vine mentioned in Ezekiel's allegory. As long as we stay connected, abiding in Christ, we'll always have life and the ability to bear fruit. ALWAYS! That's good news.
A thought occurred to me when reading the text in John. Branches are likely to sprout anywhere on the vine. The new branch may be a new follower of Jesus. The new branch may be a new church start. Old branches that have been around for a long time producing a lot of fruit may not like these new shoots. These newcomers may need some nutrition that the old timers have always received. The long time branches may try to take in more nutrients just so the new ones won't thrive. But, it isn't the job of the branches to be concerned about this. It's the job of the vinedresser.
Maybe this is why the vinedresser does a little pruning occasionally. The pruning doesn't get rid of the old so the new can take over. The old is still productive and needed. But the old may need to be trimmed back giving the new a chance to thrive. Together, the old and the new may be able to produce even more than the old one was able to itself.
At 50 years of age and a member of the church before I was a teenager, I'm one of the old branches. As a member of a congregation that is over 150 years of age, I'm part of one of the old branches. I have to be careful that I don't try to take over for the vinedresser. And, I have to surrender myself, like it or not, to the pruning the vinedresser finds necessary for my life. This pruning keeps me productive in my own way and in conjunction with the new.
This is isn't an easy lesson for me. Nevertheless, abiding in Christ keeps me connected to alive wood providing all I need to continue being productive. That's really all I need to concern myself with.
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