Pruned and Cleaned (John 15:1-17)

John 15:1-17

^15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other. ^[1]

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Having just preached on this passage last Sunday, my mind quite naturally goes back to what I prepared for that message.  The passage quite clearly points us to the importance of staying connected to Jesus, remaining or abiding in Him, so that we will bear fruit.  We remain and abide in Him as we spend time in the Word, in prayer, in worship, in growth groups, etc.  Christ would have us consciously and intentionally remain connected to Him, recognizing in this connection the source of our fruitfulness.

One thing I didn’t address on Sunday is what Jesus says about pruning.  His Father is the one who prunes us so that we will bear more fruit.  Then Jesus mentions that His disciples are already “clean” because of the Word He has spoken to them.  What isn’t readily apparent is that the word for “prune” is the same word that is translated “clean.”  (The Greek word for prune/clean is the word from which we derive the word “catharsis” or “catharsis,” which we use to refer to a process of cleansing.)

The point is this:  The father is cleaning or pruning the branches so that they will be more fruitful.  Jesus then comments that the disciples have already been pruned or cleaned through the Word.  It is the Word that prunes and cleanses us.  The Word is the tool in the Father’s hand to prune and clean us so that we will be more fruitful.

So here is another indicator in this text that we are to remain connected with Jesus through His Word.  Among other reasons, we immerse ourselves in His Word so that the Father can do His work of cleaning and pruning us and so make us more fruitful.

Heavenly Father, let your Word dwell in me richly each day that you may cleanse and prune me for the sake of bearing fruit to Your glory.

 

What is the Word leading you to pray about today?

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^[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Jn 15:1–17). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.