Barren Branches in the Parable of the Vineyard
Christians Who Don’t Produce Fruit Will Be Disciplined by God
Even though bearing fruit is what Christians are supposed to do, not all of them do it. Among those who do, just like vines in a vineyard, there are different levels of productivity. John 15 says some vines are barren. Yet some some produce fruit, some more fruit, and others yield a tremendous amount of fruit. What makes the difference?
When the new branches of a grapevine are growing along the ground, as they often do, the leaves become dusty and dirty. When dew or rain turns the dust into mud, it forms a coating that prevents efficient photosynthesis, inhibiting the vine's ability to produce grapes. The person responsible for caring for the vines must clean off the mud and then stake or tie the branch high enough for the leaves to receive the light of the sun. Only then will they be able to produce grapes.
The Grape Vine as a Metaphor for the Christian Life
In Secrets of the Vine, Dr. Bruce Wilkinson, Bible teacher and author, applies Jesus’ parable to the life of a Christian. When an unproductive vine is down in the dirt of sin and it is growing in ways that will not produce fruit, God intervenes to break the cycle. It's believed that God disciplines Christians. Wilkinson links the term “lifts up” to the tending of a grape vine as found in John 15:2 with discipline which may be defined as “training to change a specific behavior.”
The first secret of the vine that Wilkinson shares in his book is, “If your life consistently bears no fruit, God will intervene to discipline you.” This is not a new idea. Both the Old and New Testaments support the idea of God, as a father, disciplining God’s children/Christians. “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor detest his correction; for whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom he delights. (Proverbs 3:11-12) Then, in his letter to the people of Hebrews, the apostle Paul writes, “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives." (Heb 12:6)
According to Wilkinson, there are three principles about such discipline that should be remembered:
- The discipline comes from God;
- All believers are disciplined, and;
- God only disciplines out of love.
Most importantly, discipline only needs to last as long as the Christ-follower has not learned the necessary lesson; how long that process takes is up to the believer. Once a vine is growing in the sun, the lifting up is complete and after being held or staked in place for a period of time, the vine adapts to the new location and begins producing fruit. Extrapolating this idea to the spiritual world, when a Christian stops sinning, the disciplinary measures are no longer needed.
Any of the Three Levels of Discipline May be Used
In most judicial systems, judges try to make the punishment fit the crime. Godly discipline is the same, so there are three different levels of intervention:
- Rebuke - A verbal warning, easy to disregard;
- Chasten - Something that causes emotional distress, and;
- Scourge - To whip, causes excruciating pain.
The Parable of the Vineyard teaches that Christians should bear fruit but habitual sin will render a believer barren. Wilkinson emphatically states that if a believer’s life is difficult and filled with pain, unconfessed and unrepented sin is most likely the cause. He goes on to say that sin has consequences because God cannot tolerate sin. God lovingly disciplines consistently non-productive believers to facilitate change. How severe and how lengthy the discipline is determined by the response to it.
Other articles on this topic are The Production of Fruit as a Biblical Metaphor and The Secret of Abundance in the Christian Life, along with The Purpose of Being a Christian.
Unproductive Christians are Like Barren Grapevines
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Jesus Said He's the True Vine
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