5. My Father is the Vine-Grower

John 15:1 (NRSV) — 1b … My Father is the vine-grower.

A vine must have a husbandman to plant and watch over it, to receive and rejoice in its fruit. Jesus says: "My Father is the husbandman."

Jesus was "the Vine of God's planting." All He was and did He owed to the Father. In all of His Life He sought only the Father's Will and Glory. Jesus came to earth as a man to show us what a creature ought to be to its Creator. He took our place, and the Spirit of His Life before the Father was ever what He yearns to make our own. He became the True Vine so that we might be true branches.

Both in regard to Christ and ourselves the words teach us the two lessons of absolute dependence and perfect confidence. In this day and age both of these lessons are challenging for us. We are challenged to unlearn our absolute independence and our lack of confidence that God will come through for us.

We have much to learn from the parable of the Vine. May we set aside the time each day to ponder a snippet of the parable and allow it to enter fully into our hearts.

Psalm 19:14 (NRSV) Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart 

be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.