John 14-17
Few passages in Scripture are as intimate as these four chapters. Jesus is hours away from His arrest, a mock trial, and the cross. The men who have walked with Him for more than a thousand days, through Galilee and even into the Gentile regions around Israel, are gathered close, and He pours out His heart to them. He is preparing them, bridging the gap between His leaving and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit is central to everything Jesus says here. He is the Paraclete, the Helper, the Advocate: God present with them when Jesus is no longer physically beside them. Jesus promises, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). Much of what Jesus taught still puzzled the disciples. The Spirit would make sense of it, and show them that God had not left them. He was doing the next grand thing in His plan of salvation, not for Israel alone, but for all of humanity.
There’s a lot to unpack about who the Holy Spirit is, but today I want to focus on one part: why Jesus calls us at all. We step into a life of faith through surrender. And then He calls us to bear fruit.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1–2).
I’ve gardened most of my life, and I know the value of pruning. A grapevine grows up the back of our house and covers the pergola. After 13 years it is a glorious vine and produces abundantly every year. That’s partly because I climb my ladder and look for the right places to cut, so new branches can fill in and bear more fruit. This September we put up 113 jars of jelly, and we have just as much juice in the freezer, waiting for a long, lazy Saturday this winter. All of that from one vine, because it has been pruned, tended, and given what it needs.
That is exactly what the Lord wants to do with us. He prunes us so we can be more fruitful. He tends us. He gives us what we need.
And what do we need? Honestly, we think we know. Often we don’t know everything required to accomplish God’s purpose in the places He puts us. That’s the Lord’s knowing and the Lord’s doing. This is where surrender comes in, and where Romans 12:1–2 comes in: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God… Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Our minds are renewed through the Word and by living out what Jesus taught His disciples, because we are His disciples too. We are still sitting at His feet.
I’m so thankful the Lord moved the Gospel writers and apostles to capture these words and pass them on to us. They are life-giving, truly eternal-life-giving. “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples” (John 15:8).
So as you ponder Jesus’ words today, remember: you are here with a purpose. God will do His good work in you, even when the pruning feels painful. There is glorious fruit to be borne for the Lord, in ways that amaze, thrill, and fill us with His joy.
Where might the Vinedresser be pruning in your life right now, and what fruit could He be making room for?
Be blessed today, and be a blessing.
