Wednesday, April 18, 2012 Musings

Reflecting on John 15: 1-11

I dislike yardwork.  I don’t do it often--only when absolutely necessary!  My idea of “pruning” is simply mowing over!  And while I think I have a handle on Jesus telling followers about “removing every branch that bears no fruit,” I don’t have much experience with such caretaking.  

I’ve heard a lot of sermons and read a lot of comments about the necessity for “pruning” for the health of the plant.  Of Jesus, offering to “prune” followers and believers to maximize our fruit-bearing potential.  Of pastors needing to learn how to prune the flock.  Of reminding the church that not everyone is going to bear fruit.  Often, though I know it’s molded after what gardeners can do with their plants, it sounds to me like Jesus is abiding in some, but mowing over others.  I just don’t think that Jesus looks at the world like I look at yard work.  

In verse 4 Jesus says, “Abide in me as I abide in you.”  Which I take to mean that Jesus abides in us--already.  This is good news.  Jesus abides in me, already; the first step doesn’t depend on me making the right decision.  And then, Jesus turns around and says, “those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.”  And God is glorified when we bear much fruit and become disciples of Jesus.  

I think this is important to remember.  God is glorified when when we bear fruit and become disciples.  There isn’t much gain when branches are thrown away, withered, and get gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.  God is glorified only when the branches are healthy.  This keeps me from reading this passage with an eye toward the pruning and helps me to understand why Jesus abides in us, already.  

We have the Advocate, we have Jesus who abides in us--reminders that it is possible for us to keep commandments, bear fruit, and for our joy to be made complete.  All I know is that this feels different than if I’m looking out for Jesus coming at me with a pruning hook!  It’s a Jesus who cares for me, who loves me, who abides in me, who promises to send the Advocate, who wants me to abide in him, who needs me to bear fruit and so is already invested in my bearing fruit.  

It reminds me of God who sees human beings and calls us “good.”  When it’s all too easy to look at us as human beings, now, because we’re so “bad.”  I have enough witnesses reminding me about how bad things are--from the news media to church members’ complaining about this and that to people dissatisfied with the way things have become.  There’s the constancy of war and deprivation.  The world can be a bad place, and much of the blame can be put on the shoulders of human sin.  Yet, still, God is glorified as Jesus abides in us and we abide in him.  This is good news, indeed.