“I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

Read John 15:1-17

On a bus ride from a small, regional airport to a large, international one, I struck up a conversation with the man beside me. He was the proud owner of a vineyard in Napa Valley, California, and he relished a chance to share about what he loved. As he talked, I learned so much about viticulture and what it takes to produce the very best fruit.

The Vinedresser’s Most Important Tools

The vinedresser’s most essential tool is a knife.

The knife is the first instrument a young grapevine will encounter. Before it even produces leaves, a vinedresser trims the vine’s roots. After the grapevine is planted, the vinedresser cuts the top of the main, strongest stem back to a pencil-width diameter, leaving only two or three buds on the main vine, and removes all other branches. If flowers or fruit form in the first year, the vinedresser cuts them off to force the plant to put all its energy into establishing a strong trunk and root system.

After a grapevine is established, a vinedresser continues using a knife. In early spring, before new growth begins, the vinedresser prunes heavily. Grapes fruit only on new shoots, not old branches, so the vinedresser removes about seventy to ninety percent of the previous year’s growth. Grapevines are pruned down to one or two trunks and two to four branches with bud-containing shoots that will produce the coming year’s fruit.

Heavy pruning provides the best fruit. Light pruning results in large yields but poor-quality fruit. So, pruning continues throughout the growing season. Excessive shoots are trimmed out, and suckers are removed from the base of the plants. Pruning keeps the vines from getting too dense, improves air circulation, and helps keep them disease-free.

A vinedresser can even save old, neglected vines with a knife by pruning them back to a single trunk with well-placed branches. If the vine is very overgrown with lots of dead wood, the vinedresser cuts it off entirely just a few inches above the ground. Neglected vines that are properly pruned will grow quickly because they have a large root system.

A vinedresser’s second most significant tool is a trellis.

Once they get going, grapes are vigorous. They grow quickly and get heavy. They need support, or they will trail along the ground, looking for something to climb. With a trellis, grapevines are trained to form strong, vertical trunks with horizontal arms that lie flat, running parallel to the ground on both sides of the trunk. For proper airflow and sunlight penetration, the branches must not crowd, entangle, or cross one another. An untrained branch becomes crooked; it doesn’t produce fruit as it should, and it can prevent other branches from producing fruit.

The Plants’ Most Important Needs

Grapes require at least six hours of full sun a day. The heat makes the fruit ripen. Keeping the area around vines free of weeds allows the soil to heat up and encourages growth. Planting vines in a sunny location with good air circulation can prevent most fruit-production problems.

Grapes benefit from struggle. When first planted, grapes need watering because their root systems are still developing, but after their trunk and roots are established, dry conditions are to their advantage. Grapes grow best in well-drained, stony, slightly acidic soil. A bit of struggle improves grapes’ flavor, especially for wine.

Branches must stay connected to the main stalk. Branches cut from the vine are useless. A branch is barren unless it is connected to the vine and trained to bear fruit. Interestingly, though, you can plant a branch removed from the vine. It will root, sprout, and grow leaves, but it will not be fruitful unless part of the main stalk remains attached when it is transplanted.

Grapes need protection. Weeds that grow under the vines use up valuable nutrients the grapevines must have to survive and produce fruit, so growers continually remove weeds with tools, sprays, or other organic methods, being careful to avoid harming the grapevines. Throughout the season, growers inspect grapevines to catch diseases, insect infestations, and other animal damage. Allowing insects to remain only encourages more to gather, and the fruit will be damaged. Some animals like to eat grapes before they ripen. A vinedresser may need to cover the plants, put up fences, and clean up dead leaves and fruit to keep the vines pest- and disease-free. If a disease is detected, a grower removes and discards the affected areas to prevent spreading to the rest of the vine.

Passionate About Grapes

As the excited vineyard owner shared his passion for grapes, my mind raced with spiritual parallels.

I believe God is passionate about grapes, too. The Bible often likens Israel to grapevines. (See Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 2:21; Ezekiel 15:1-8 & 19:10-14; Hosea 10:1). But in these instances, the Lord shared His disappointment that, though He had done everything necessary for His People to be fruitful, they refused to produce.

John recorded a Last Supper teaching where Jesus brought up grapes. Jesus told His disciples,

“I am the true vine.” (John 15:1a)

Jesus was the True Vine because He gave the Father what He sought; Jesus was fruitful in the calling His Father placed on His life. Jesus came not only to provide for our salvation but to bring the Father glory, eternal fruit, and a family of fruit producers.

Jesus informed His disciples:

“You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” (John 15:16a).

Submitting to the Vinedresser’s Tools

Unlike other fruit, grapes need constant care from a patient and skillful vinedresser. Good fruit is a natural byproduct of a well-tended vine.

God is a patient, skillful Vinedresser who desires His people to live, thrive, and produce abundantly. Jesus taught His disciples:

“My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:1b-2).

If we are barren, we will experience God’s knife. And if we are bearing, we will also feel the cutting of God’s blade. God’s knife is His Word (see Hebrews 4:12). He uses it to faithfully and lovingly cut away the old, diseased growth of pride, the fleshly nature, and sin. As we submit to His Word, God will prune us heavily so that our new growth can produce the best fruit. He is concerned about quality over quantity.

A talented vinedresser knows how to interpret subtle changes in the texture, color, and shape of his grapevines. He knows when the plants are thriving or under stress. That’s where God’s training trellis comes in.

We are created to glorify God. Like an untrained grapevine, if God is not our Master, we become crooked and cling to anything that seems to lift us up. But only God can give us the support and direction we need to be fruitful. His training keeps us healthy and allows His Light to pour in.

Through His Word, our circumstances, and our interactions, God trains us not to crowd, entangle, or cross but to work alongside other believers and relate to one another in love. Jesus continued:

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love … This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:9-10, 12-13).

Jesus modeled sacrifice, the greatest form of love. God’s trellis teaches us to lay down our rights for His glory and the good of others.

We might shrink back from the knife and resist the trellis if it weren’t for Jesus’ love. Jesus is not only our Master; He is our Friend. Jesus taught:

“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14-15).

We don’t have to submit to the discipline of the knife and the trellis cluelessly. As the True Vine and a Friend, Jesus continually supports us.

Connecting with the Vine

Our connection with Jesus is essential. The power to produce spiritual fruit comes from abiding in Christ. Jesus explained:

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5).

As healthy branches, we must spend much time in the Light to produce fruit. We need to stay away from darkness and anything of the evil one. We must soak up time with the Son, in God’s Word and prayer; this will alleviate most fruit-producing problems and build a loving friendship with the Vine. To remain healthy, we must let God remove the time-wasting, distracting weeds and the evil, worldly pests from our lives. And since grapes produce the best fruit when they struggle, let’s not fear or avoid difficulty. May we allow God to use trials in our lives to make us stronger, more pleasant, and fruitful.

The Fruit God Desires

Let’s remember that the fruit God wants doesn’t come from human effort or merely being religious. God works through us to produce what only He can.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23a, emphasis mine).

God’s Power allows us to live fruitful lives of obedience, generosity, service, and good deeds that point others to Jesus. Fruit-bearing naturally brings praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15), and it should involve leading others to Christ. God isn’t looking for seedless grapes; He wants disciples that produce more disciples.

Dear Reader, do you want to flourish in fruitfulness but are apprehensive? As a talented, loving Vinedresser, God knows what is best for you, His abiding branch. Let me encourage you with more I learned about viticulture.

It takes two to three years for grapevines to begin producing. Meanwhile, the vinedresser patiently prunes, trains, and protects. So, give yourself time to become an abundant fruit-producer.

Not all grapes are grown for the same reason. Grapes are used for fresh fruit, jams, jellies, juices, syrups, and wines. Allow God to develop you for His purposes. And don’t compare yourself to what He is doing in and through others.

Different grape varieties thrive in different climates. A wise grower chooses a variety that fits the environment and doesn’t force it to produce where it can’t. God has placed you exactly where you are for a reason. As you submit to Him, trust Him to make you fruitful where He planted you.

Keep abiding in Christ, and you will produce fruit; it is guaranteed. Plus, three other things will happen when you stay connected to Christ: effective prayer, glory to God, and full joy. Jesus promised:

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples … These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:7-8 & 11).

Jesus has given you, and will continue to give you, everything you need to produce the fruit God requires. May you flourish fruitfully in this assurance.