Many of my colleagues are grape-lovers, and for the past fortnight we’ve been blessed by daily bunches of grapes from another’s garden. Bliss, I tell you. All sweet, juicy and best of all – free. Despite my enjoyment of the Fruit I confess to having no knowledge about being a vintner, though some would say I live close to wine country. So Google will have to help me to fully grasp Today’s Holy Nougat™
John 15:1 NLT
““I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.”
Of Grapevines and Gardeners
We’ve probably all had an experience with grapevines, but just in case let’s look at some basics:
– A grapevine is a tendril climber that grows towards the sun.
– Unlike some other vines like the ivy, grapevines tend to bear fruit in clusters.
– The fruit vary in color: green, yellow, red, blue, or blue-black,
– The flavor varies according to variety, soil, and to some extent the vine itself.
– Grapevines thrive in a variety of places, often hilly (from what I’ve seen), and require good drainage systems to prevent root rot [I recently read of vines being cultivated in volcanic ash, the volcano has been dormant for a while]
– Although grapes are sun-loving, I have noticed that most wine regions benefit from temperate climates.
All these facts being equal, the vine relies on its branches for output, although the branches cannot survive for long away from the vine.
In describing Himself as the True (Grape) Vine, Y’shua invites us to see Him firstly as our Source. Without the Vine, we are Nothing. As the True Vine, Y’shua is also the Son toward which we grow, affording us the opportunity to bear fruit wherever we are. That grapes come in multiple colors suggests to me that there’s room for all races and creeds in God’s wine garden, all rooted in the One True Vine.
A good gardener (husbandman) understands the grapes with which he works. S/he knows the benefits and dangers of the various climates and soil types, and attends to the needs of the plants accordingly. This may include trellising – tying the branches against a sturdy support; or pruning away dead or diseased stems and branches for maximum growth and development.
Isn’t that what our God does with each of us? Through the power of God’s Spirit were kept trellised to our True Vine so that we may remain in Y’shua and bear much fruit. Siblings, our survival in any soil we’re planted depends on us abiding in Y’shua and being tended by YHWH.
When checking Google for information, it was interesting to note that the more popular search for grapevines is in relation to communication. For until I typed the information I needed correctly, it kept offering characteristics of the office grapevine. In that instance, the grapevine is an informal communication system, so called because of the telegraphic lines used for sending messages during the American Civil War. This often referred to rumors as well as facts, and soon became seen as possible unreliable information.
If we see Y’shua as the True Grapevine, and we know Him to be The Truth, we also can say that He is The Heart of the Gospel. Using that analogy, incorrect though it may be, we also conclude that as branches of The True Grapevine, we are the messengers of that Good News, sharing God’s Truth with the World. Hmmn, not a bad analogy at all. For as the subsidiary lines, or messengers, we would be under the management of the Telegraph Owner-Operator, YHWH, to ensure that we remain in to working condition.
Siblings, let us remain connected to the True Grapevine, under the care of The Gardener (Telegraph Owner). Thus, we bear God’s Good Fruit wherever we spread the Good News. Selah
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May all we seek be found in Christ
