The Good Gardener and the Perfect Vine
I recently read about the oldest living grapevine on Earth "that weathered centuries of war and invasions, resisted the spread of phylloxera, and narrowly escaped several fires." This vine’s home is in the small village town of Maribor in Slovenia. The vine was planted over 450 years ago and still continues to produce grapes today. Although the vine only produces enough to make 100 250ml bottles of wine per year and isn't very tasty, the vine is carefully tended to by the locals and considered part of their vibrant history.
Recently I've been thinking about how I am, as a follower of Jesus, connected to the stories and people in the Bible. Yes, thousands of years separate us, but there is a deep connection that holds us together, one that may not be fully appreciated. We have a deep bond with each other because we are branches connected to the True Vine, Jesus Christ, and His life nourishes each and every one of our souls.
(John 15)
1. "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.
2. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
4. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5. “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Through faith in Jesus, we are grafted into the family of God and live as branches attached to the True Vine.
Each branch grafted into the Vine has a story that reflects a much bigger story than itself-
Each branch becomes part of God's story-
Each branch is special and unique, yet all are purposed with producing fruit that reflects the faithfulness of and gives glory to the Gardener and the Vine.
As branches, the dynamic history of the Bible becomes our history. When we read the real accounts recorded in scripture, we can see ourselves reflected in the pages and, more importantly, we can see God's faithfulness, His matchless character, and His flawless work throughout all the ages. Our history is fraught with rebellion, sorrow, longing, and the immense need for a Rescuer, but our history, more notably, points to God's victories, power, provision, and love for people who were broken branches lying dead and damaged on the ground, just like you and me. Our history points to the faithfulness of the Gardener, who provided the Way for us to be reconnected to our Source of Life, and our history points to the selfless sacrifice of the Vine and the resurrection life He provides for the branches that are connected to Him.
The people in the town of Maribor in Slovenia hold several festivals each year to celebrate the rich history and preservation of the oldest vine on earth. These festivals not only celebrate the story of the vine, but they honor the life stories of the town's ancestors . They celebrate the life the old vine has lived, it's pruning, and the fruit it still bears. No war, disease, or fire has managed to destroy the vine for over 450 years.
How much more can we celebrate?!
Scripture records over and over again how God's people remembered and rehearsed their history. They rehearsed God's promises and His mighty acts through song and speech. They didn't leave out the broken, dirty, and rebellious parts. They sang and spoke of it all. They needed to!
It is good to remember, recognize, and celebrate all the good God has done, not only in our individual lives, but in the whole of His-story. When we find it hard to praise God and trust Him, we can turn to the truest history book in existence. We can read and meditate on the Word of God, and when we do, we will hear the songs of our faith-forefathers echoing in our ears.
We will hear songs about the Gardener who:
blew divine breath through Adam's nostrils causing his heart to beat with life
exacted a rib and, from bone, made Eve
designed 8.7 million species of animals, who flesh out the imagination of their Creator
miraculously caused old wombs to spring alive with new life
carved paths through sea and river
commanded the sun to stand still
walked with His servants among blazing flames
sent the Word to embody flesh and live among us
said,"This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased, listen to Him”, as Jesus, the Living Water, emerged from water
healed the blind, lame, and the leper
drew the outcast close to His beating heart
gave His only Son to suffer and die in our place
raised His Son to life and seated him in the place of honor in the heavenly realms
offers forgiveness and a purposeful place in His family to ALL who believe in His Son
It is good to remember where the Gardener found us and picked us up from, and how He graciously grafted us into His family. God has been faithful since before He spoke, "Let there be light", and He will be faithful forever. No war, no disease, and no fire can separate us from the True Vine because He is eternal. He is above time, and His nourishment for the branches is untethered to life's circumstances.
In John 15, it tells us that God prunes us. He is the faithful Gardener.
One of the festivals celebrated in Maribor is called Pruning of the Old Vine. Why do you think the people celebrate pruning? The word prune (kathairo) means to cut back parts for better shape or more fruitful growth; to cleanse. The people of Maribor know that pruning is essential to the life of the vine and it's branches. They know that in order for the branches to continue to bear fruit, they must be pruned.
When God prunes us, it can be painful, but by definition, pruning is for our good. Pruning cleanses us, shapes us, and causes us to bear more fruitful growth.
The Gardener, intimately knows the vine and the branches. As He holds each branch in His hands, He tenderly inspects each one because each branch abides in His love and remains in His care. In His expertise, He knows what areas of our lives have become overgrown in ways that are unproductive. He knows where we need to be cut back so we can grow and bear more fruit.
Each time He cuts back the overgrown and unproductive, and we become more fruitful-
Each time He cuts away the ugly, raw, disfigured parts and makes us into something beautiful-
another chapter of God's faithfulness can be added to the story of God's people...HIS-story!
When we are grafted into the Vine, by faith, Jesus' powerful life surges through us and gives us all we need to bear fruit. Once we were dead, lifeless branches, but now we are alive and living with zoe.
Zoe: the absolute fullness of life, which belongs to God
Without Jesus, we can do nothing. Each bud, blossom, and fruit that grows is a direct result of being connected to the everlasting Vine and being pruned by the Gardener.
Today, I encourage you to set aside time to read, remember, and celebrate the real accounts in the Bible because those stories are part of your story when you are connected to the True Vine. The same faithfulness, tender care, and necessary pruning the Gardener provided for our faith-forefathers is the same faithfulness, tender care, and necessary pruning He provides for us today.
I imagine the True Vine like a timeline running through all the ages, each individual Branch has a story to tell of their own separation, decay, and life-giving reconnection, but their story doesn't end there. It is connected to the everlasting story. Their story, our story, is connected to the True and Better story-
the story about the Good Gardener and Perfect Vine.
Let's celebrate His-story!
Sincerely,
Amy
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