The vine does all the work. The vine sends the root and tendrils out, perhaps sending them hundreds of feet. The fine little rootlets seek nourishment and moisture in the soil, return that nourishment, convert it into rich sap, an send it up the vine to the branch. What dos the branch do with the sap then? It carries the sap further. The branch is still only a vehicle, because the sap flows out into the branch and into the leaves. The leaves receive the life-giving sunshine, and the rays of light initiate a chemical process in the plant. None of this depends on the branch other than its function as the vehicle by which the sap flows. There are tremendous lessons here that need to be learned.
Now the real test of any branch is bearing fruit. If the branch fails to bear fruit, it is fir for nothing, and the Scripture says, He takes it away." This is interesting because in verse 2 it says, "Every branch in Me that bears not fruit He takes away". Did you ever wonder why the He is there? Who is the 'He'? The Husbandman. Who is the Husbandman? The Father. God is the Husbandman, and He takes the unprofitable branch away. That should put us in our place, since a lot of us would like to do the pruning an chopping.
When you compare this with the counsel Jesus gave in Matthew 7:15,16, and 20, you begin to get a pretty clear picture of what our role should be and what should result so far as fruit is concerned. Notice verses 15 and 16: "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits." Verse 20 says, "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." What do we do when we recognize the fruit? We tend to make ourselves husbandmen and do the dividing ourselves! We have always had the tendency to ask, "Lord shall we take out the weeds?" Notice how Jesus responded in His day: "Let them grow until the harvest." Who then must do the dividing, the separating, and the weeding? Only the Husbandman, because weeding is God's business, not ours, and I praise His name for that. And you know, even though fruit isn't all that easy to detect by human vision--which is why it isn't safe for humans to do the weeding--God still says we will know them by their fruits.
Accordingly, when prophets claim to be something, we can "know them by their fruits." Why? Because we can always check the fruit by the Word. Through God's Word we can detect the presence of fruit. But when we have recognized fruit, all we have done--and we must remember this--has increased our knowledge. But even then, it is not for us to pass judgment, for judgment is left entirely to God. But God has given us a way to detect the presence of fruit. So, "by their fruits" is the guideline we have been given. Reading further, it says, "Every branch that bears not fruit He takes away."
This is heavy isn't it, even for me as I have read these verses over and over and just now understanding the true meaning. So thankful that it is not my place to weed out the false prophets. God is perfect at it and He does it in His way, not mine. Very enlightening. Hope you are learning along with me. So thankful for this little booklet and have permission to share it with you. Grandma Joan
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