Pruning the Vine

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit, he takes away; and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my disciples. John 15, 1-2, 8

Why are fruit trees pruned? What does it accomplish? The reason is that an unpruned tree puts all its strength and energy into growing leaves and new shoots. In a tree that has been properly pruned, the excess branches that will not bear fruit are removed. The tree then will put its energy and growth into the fruit. After all, it doesn’t have the barren shoots and leaves anymore, so that energy goes into fruit. A tree is pruned annually, because the tree still tries to grow those barren shoots, and they must be removed regularly.

In John, we are compared to a vine. When we follow God’s will for us, we make the choice to leave behind things that distract us from Him. A true disciple of Jesus examines his own life and asks God what needs to be pruned away to be the bearer of God’s fruit.