Pruning—the cost of bearing fruit

The old pear trees that march past the south side of our house grow a thousand rampant watersprouts every year—and every year we prune them all off because they don't bear fruit. The fruiting spurs, where the main business of the tree takes place, are small, inconspicuous nubs just off the main branches—not so showy or extravagant as all the fruitless whips that crown last year's efforts...

Jesus is abundantly clear about His priority on fruit. The picture He employs is of a grapevine, not a pear tree, but there are striking similarities. He says,

"...I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide..." (John 15:16).

If you step back to both the general and specific context, you see that Jesus is especially concerned about one specific fruit—and it's a fruit that is impossible to bear apart from connection to the Life of the vine. He is looking for the fruit of love—the very love that the Father has for the Son—the very love that Jesus has for His own—this very love He now wants us demonstrate to one another. In other words, the life of God shows up in the church as we deliberately manifest the love of God to irritating, difficult people who are members of the same body. Did I mention this kind of fruit is impossible for us to bear? Impossible apart from the life of God flowing through us...

Jesus says the branches that do not bear fruit at all get pruned by His Father. He cuts them off and discards them. They go to the bonfire because that's all they're good for. They're useless and cumber the vine with showy, fruitless growth. But even the branches that bear some fruit get pruned so that they will bear more fruit. No one is exempt. No one gets to skip the pruning process.

Getting pruned isn't pleasant. It's hard to lose our hard work and good intentions and invested time. It's hard to let go of things that are OK, but in the final analysis are unfruitful. It's hard to watch our personal footprint shrink, to drink the cup of humility, to embrace the path of grace. But it's the reduction of pruning that enlarges our personal capacity to experience the love of God. It's pruning that prepares us for a season of fruitfulness as the life of God flows through us to people He wants to love. In the end, that's the only fruit that remains.

© Copyright March 2017 by Robert G. Robbins