Day 3, Week 3 - Jesus The True Vine
DEVOTION: If you have ever visited a vineyard and carefully observed the workers you would see them spending hours pruning, twisting, tying, digging, watering and doing all that they can to ensure a full harvest. Throughout the Old Testament the Vine was used as a symbol of Israel often to show where they lacked something. God carefully tended his Vine, protecting it from harsh elements and creating an environment for it to flourish, yet they still chose to rebel. God was just to judge them harshly but He has graciously provided another Vine.
In contrast to Israel, Jesus is the true Vine. He is the faithful one who fulfills all that Israel failed to do: whereas she was wild and rebellious, He was submissive and obedient; while she yielded bad fruit, He produce good fruit in keeping with righteousness. He was in every way the epitome of all God called His people to do and He calls us to union with Him so that we may also produce good fruit
Left to ourself we cannot produce good fruit any more than Israel could remain faithful. We are subject to the same weaknesses and sin as they were thousands of years ago. By ourselves we would go the way of rebellious Israel. So God snipped our branches from the wild vine and grafted it into His family through Jesus. He tenderly creates the opportune environment for us to flourish in.
If you wonder about your spiritual fruitfulness, Jesus last conversation with His disciples before his death offered a beautiful opportunity for prayerful reflection, “I am the Vine you are the branches, whoever abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). These were the very men who in a few hours would abandon their teacher, but afterwards repented and went on to spread the good news of Jesus throughout the world. So there is hope for any one of us who have walked away but returns with a repentant heart. The Vine dresser will prune us to produce outward fruit that demonstrates inner transformation.
Surprisingly Jesus does not call us to work hard to be more fruitful rather he calls us to abide in him, to wait on him. Fruit will naturally follow for those who remained connected to him, because His spirit is the one who produces fruit (Galatians 5:22-25). We belong not because of what we do but because of who He is. He is the Vine. We are the branches, and he will bear fruit through us as we remain in him.
As the true Vine, Jesus both fulfills Old Testament prophecy and makes possible our inclusion in God's family. He sustains us, connecting us with the nourishment we need to bear fruit. When we are pruned by the Father to be more fruitful, He provides the healing salve. He supports us when the weight we carry seems to be too much. Jesus is the reason we are part of the vine, apart from Him we can do nothing. In him we can bear much fruit for the Kingdom. We only need to abide and He will do the rest.