I've always been a little bit troubled by the parable of the vineyard found in John 15:1-8. In the parable, a gardener prunes and then burns any vines that are not productive. It doesn't take too much imagination to see this as a message that those who are not "in Christ" are destined to burn...presumably in Hell. But while I was reading a bedtime story to my youngest son the other night I had a revelation about this passage that has completely changed my outlook.
John 15:1-8 (Today's New International Version) The Vine and the Branches
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
It's always difficult to reconcile images of people being sent to eternal punishment with the idea of a loving God. That's one of the reasons why this passage has troubled me in the past. Somehow, those two ideas don't fit together. It was clear to me, in my readings of this passage, that if Jesus is the vine and we are the branches, that means that individual branches are individual people, and so those who are not in Christ will be picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. Just like that.
So while I found the image of a vine and branches quite useful and appropriate for the relationship between Jesus and the members of his church, it was troubling to think that those outside the church would suffer eternally. I don't like it when I can't completely get my heart around a piece of scripture, especially when it is in the New Testament and especially when it is a parable of Jesus. So I've been turning this particular parable around in my mind for years, but not ever coming to any clear realization about how it can relate to a loving God until the other night.
I was reading Isaac (my nine-year-old son) his bedtime story...a book he got for Christmas called "The Ark, the Reed and the Fire Cloud" by Jenny L. Cote. It's re-telling of Noah and his ark, from the animals' perspective. Isaac is enjoying it tremendously, and I'm finding that I get something out of it too, beyond just the cozy time before bed with my son.
Max, the main character (a Scottish terrier) was trying to give some solace to another character (Liz, a petite black cat) who had recently experienced some loss. This is what he had to say to her on page 113:
"A good gardener must prune the plants he cares for ta help them grow stronger. It may be painful for the plant, but it's necessary ta get rid of the branches that keep it from bein' all it were meant ta be. It may even look cruel when the gardener cuts the branches down ta where the plant looks like nothin' but a stump. But a wise gardener knows there is more inside that plant waitin' ta burst out."
I almost couldn't finish the rest of the chapter. I wanted to savour this new (for me) interpretation of this scripture. I have certainly experienced painful times of pruning in my life, where branches were trimmed and cast out in order to make way for new growth. Instead of each branch being a person, I had a new image, of Christ being the vine in me, and me being the branches of that vine, growing and testing my limits and abilities. Some of these tests are good, and bear fruit...others, not so much. It's good that there's been some pruning of me in my life, and I'm always grateful for the new growth that comes after.
As a new year and new decade start, I'm glad I have this new understanding of this piece of scripture. I have a new image of myself, and instead of having a particular New Year's Resolution, I'm going to keep this image of pruning and new growth in my mind. I'm going to trim those things in my life that need pruning and cultivate those things are good.
