Fruit of the Union

A few days ago I received a catalog in the mail. There's nothing unusual about that, we receive dozens of catalogs each month. But this particular catalog was different; it was for fruit trees. Having recently moved to 'the country' I have a new appreciation for fruit trees. We have apple, pear, persimmon, pecan and wild cherry trees on our place. None of them produce consistently and I've come to realize that the fruit trees need maintenance in order to bear a crop each season.

Anyway, the catalog intrigued me because I've had thoughts of planting more fruit trees. In looking through the catalog, I was amazed at the fruit that some of these trees, bushes and vines bear. I couldn't help but think of the Hebrew people going into Canaan and coming back with a bunch of grapes so big that it took two men to carry. There are some plants that bear gargantuan fruit! In a couple of days, I'm going to place an order for some of those plants and see what happens.

I also noticed while looking at the catalog that all these plants need maintenance, regular, seasonal maintenance. I also saw that a great many of them are grafts. A graft is where a 'trunk' or 'branch' is attached (grafted) onto a more hardy piece of root-stock or vine. The result is that you can have a bountiful tree in a climate that it wouldn't normally survive in. The root-stock or 'host' provides all the nutrients for the 'graft' so that it can bear much fruit. Without that 'stock' the tree or branch would surely bear no fruit and ultimately die.

I say all this only as an introduction to my verse of today.

John 15:5 (NIV)

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ^[1]

^[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984

In this verse, I see that Jesus knew something about horticulture. He used an example from his experience to make a point, an important point about our relationship with and to him.

First, he teaches that we have been grafted onto him; he is our 'root stock.' It is by him, for him and through him that we receive the nutrients we need to survive in a climate that would otherwise be fatal to us.

Second, he teaches that maintenance is required. Note that he said "if a man remains in me and I in him..." The 'graft' occurs when first we establish a union with God through Christ Jesus. But that union needs to be continually attended to and properly maintained for the health of the branch (you, me) and for the health of the entire plant (the church). This maintenance is in the form of prayer, watchfulness, patience, practice, self-denial, study, meditation and service. Without these things, the branch will wither and fall off.

Third, Christ teaches us a bit of the nature of our union to Him. Elsewhere He uses the example of a marriage to explain our relationship to him and it is an effective example here as well. We (the church) are the bride and we have been joined to Christ the groom. The result of that conjoining is fruit for the womb of our union is not barren. But, we cannot forget that the bride cannot conceive except for the groom; the unmarried bride is barren.

Returning now to horticulture, if we (the branches) are properly joined to the root-vine of Christ and if we properly maintain and nurture that union, we will bear much fruit in His name. Without that 'vine stock' of Jesus Christ, we are barren.

What's your maintenance plan look like?

Peace,

Carl