“…and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
The Father, as vinedresser, is after a fruitful vine that glorifies Him (v. 8). To this end He works in two ways:
First, the Father takes away the dead wood. The fact that He takes away branches bearing no fruit shows the impossibility of being a fruitless Christian. There are many who profess faith in Christ but in reality are dead wood. Their fruitlessness proves they have no true vital union with the vine. These are taken away and eventaully thrown into the fire (v. 6).
Secondly, He prunes the fruit-bearing branches so that they will bear even more fruit. Pruning is painful, but necessary for maximum fruitfulness. As Christians we should therefore expect pain and suffering in our lives as the Vinedresser prunes away our hindrances to fruitfulness. The writer of Hebrews teaches the same idea but in terms of Fatherly discipline.
Hebrews 12:10-11 …he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
