Spring Pruning
In early March of this year I walked our property for a few hours pruning apple trees. My goal was to give the trees better strength and form, encourage more flowers and fruit, and remove dead or diseased limbs. Over the course of the summer, I’ll do the same with our tomato plants and hop bines.
An outside observer may see the process as cruel and pointless. Most of the apple tree limbs I cut were perfectly healthy. The tomato “suckers” are merely a natural part of the plant’s growth. The hop bines I remove are most often young, vibrant, and lush. Why would I do such a thing!?
Merriam Webster defines pruning this way:
- to reduce especially by eliminating superfluous matter
- to cut off or cut back parts of for better shape or more fruitful growth
This pruning that I perform may seem unneeded at best or violent and wasteful at worst. Yet, it is part of the loving care I provide for these plants to help them become beautiful, healthy, and productive. Neglected, they will most certainly grow themselves into ruin in a short time.
Pruning in the Gospel
In today’s Gospel Jesus gives a spiritual lesson using these same horticultural approaches. He sets the stage or image by saying, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” This vinedresser first removes the dead, unfruitful, or diseased branches, “Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away... v. 1″ The branches that are good and fruitful, he prunes, “and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. v.2″
I think this all makes sense and is easy to understand until we look at it from the perspective of the branch. If we were to give human aspects to the plant (anthropomorphize), what would he or she say? “I’m fine, leave me be. I don’t want you to take that part away from me! This pruning is too painful! I don’t need to change. I can’t be more beautiful. I can’t be more fruitful.” Or perhaps the branch might say, “yes, cut me off, I don’t want to be part of this anymore. I can do this on my own. I don’t need the vine.“
How often do we say the same things to God? How often do we try to fight the vinedresser and His pruning!? I don’t want to give up this sin or bad habit! This is just the way I am, I can’t (or don’t want) to change. Why are you removing (insert object or person) from me?
Hopefully this hits home. Hopefully you see, as I do, the areas of your life where God is trying to prune. He is doing this to remove the dead parts of your life (sin) and make you more beautiful and fruitful. It is easy to talk about and observe in the lives of others but in our own life it’s a bit more difficult.
Yet we must keep in mind that it isn’t all about pruning. What happens when a plant or we are pruned? It allows more energy to go toward growth. The apple tree has less superfluous branches to supply energy to and thus that energy can be used to fight disease and pests, grow stronger flowers, and proved better fruit. When we are pruned, when we remove sin from our lives, we have more energy to serve God and others bearing fruit now and into eternity!
A passage here that has given me much hope and joy is this one: “You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you.” v.3 I love this! By listening to and following His word, I am already pruned. The work has already begun in my spiritual growth! To continue that growth I must remain in Him. I must remain attached and connected to Him.
The apple trees will need pruned again next year. The tomato plants will need tended to all summer long. The hop bines will need to be pruned and trained on ropes so that they can climb high (20+ feet!). I too must recognize and accept that my pruning, my growth, my flowering and fruiting, is not a one-and-done event. It is a life-long encounter with the living God in His vineyard. It is a kaleidoscope of seasons over the course of 50-100 years that, with the vinedressers care, will pour forth into the fruit of eternity.
Questions:
- What’s the superfluous matter that needs to be pruned from your life? Sins? Bad Habits? Wasted Time? Gossip?
- In what ways has God been trying to prune you lately? How have you responded? If poorly, how can you respond more lovingly toward Him?
- What fruit is God asking you to bear during this season of your life? Providing for family? Tutoring? Volunteering? Intercessory Prayer? Getting Outside Your Comfort Zone?
James M. Hahn, Author 