The Counterintuitive Secret to Growth

Introduction

Across the street from my brother’s home is a winery. They used to make wines specifically to be used for communion in Catholic churches. Like any other vineyard, they had rows and rows of grape vines tied up on posts and wire lines. One year we visited shortly after the pruning. There wasn’t a lot left to the plants. They were neatly trimmed back.

In the corner of the field there was a pile of dead and discarded plant material. I remember taking a picture of it because I thought about the verses that we will look at today in John 15.

Standing there looking at that pile of discarded branches, I was reminded of something Jesus said on the night before the cross. He used the familiar image of a vineyard to teach one of the most important truths about spiritual growth. In John 15, Jesus explains why some branches are removed, why others are pruned, and how all of us can become more fruitful.

Jesus’ Final “I Am”

The Gospel of John famously lists seven declarations of Jesus:

I am the Bread of Life

I am the Light of the World

I am the Good Shepherd

I am the Resurrection and the Life

I am the Way

I am the Truth

I am the Life

The final “I am” falls into the 15th chapter of John:

John 15:1–2 NIV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

Before we consider the practice of pruning to produce fruitfulness, it is important that we understand that in the broader context of the passage, Jesus is making one thing very clear. He is the path to divine favor. Being a child of Abraham, a part of the nation of Israel, is good but life is found in Jesus Christ alone. No other path gives life.

We can approach John 15:1-2 in one of two ways: the first is to emphasize the knife. It sees the discipline of God, the judgment of God. There is no denying its truth, but we are repelled by it. (Let’s be honest). Or, we can see it from a different perspective, it is about fruit, more fruit, and much fruit.

If fruitfulness is God's goal, then the obvious question becomes: How does God produce it? Surprisingly, His answer isn't addition—it's subtraction. Before there can be more fruit, there must be some cutting.

The Cut that Multiplies

It is actually natural for us to sacrifice in order to receive a greater reward, a ROI? Well, we’ve learned that hard work pays off. We sacrifice our time and talents to receive a salary or paycheck. We set some of our paycheck aside into some type of investment so that we will have an income when we are no longer able to work. We choose a different diet or restrict our eating so that we can stay fit and enjoy the activities each of us enjoy. In other words, there are many “cuts” that we make so we can enjoy the benefit we will receive later. In fact, if we didn’t make these decisions, we would be considered lazy or foolish.

The principle isn't unique to vineyards. In fact, throughout Scripture God consistently looks for fruit in the lives of His people. When that fruit is absent, He responds. We see that pattern clearly throughout the Old Testament.

The Goal is Fruit!

I’ve been thinking about how the OT deals with the issue of pruning. It became clear to me that God expected the people of Israel and Judah to be fruit-bearing. When they weren’t…they received severe rebuke. One example is found in Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 15:6–8 NIV

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: As I have given the wood of the vine among the trees of the forest as fuel for the fire, so will I treat the people living in Jerusalem. I will set my face against them. Although they have come out of the fire, the fire will yet consume them. And when I set my face against them, you will know that I am the Lord. I will make the land desolate because they have been unfaithful, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Other examples are found in Psalms, Jeremiah, and Hosea. What is the common thread throughout the OT passages when God prunes the people? Is it the failure to obey? Is obedience the fruit?

The Old Testament establishes a simple principle: God expects His people to bear fruit. That brings us back to Jesus' words in John 15, where He explains how the Father deals with both fruitless and fruitful branches.

The Gardener’s Cut

Let’s take another look at the opening 2 verses:

John 15:1–2 NIV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

We’ve already established that Jesus is the true vine and that life is in Him. We can also glean from these verses that the Father removes the fruitless branches.

Verse 2 tells us that the Father “cuts” the branches that bear no fruit. On top of that the specific words “in me” has been a problem for some. Some have said that he was referred to the Jews but that doesn’t make sense because they never embraced Him to begin with. It makes more sense to interpret it to be apostate (fallen away) Christians. One famous Bible scholar explains:

The transparent purpose of the verse is to insist that there are no true Christians without some measure of fruit. Fruitfulness is an infallible mark of true Christianity; the alternative is dead wood, and the exigencies [requirements] of the vine metaphor make it necessary that such wood be connected to the vine.[1]

I’m sure you’d agree with me that I don’t ever want to be “cut” off due to fruitlessness. These branches are dead with no life in them at all! To help us understand God’s discipline I want to add this clarification from Bible teachers:

Importantly, divine discipline differs fundamentally from divine punishment—God’s punishment inflicts deserved penalties through retributive justice, but believers “in Christ” experience no condemnation since Christ’s penalty covers their sin. God’s discipline flows from love and aims at helping his children flourish through rebuke and instruction. Not every hardship represents God’s direct discipline; the world, flesh, and devil generate genuine suffering, and much occurs on earth contrary to God’s will.[2]

Thankfully, that's not the only kind of branch Jesus describes. In fact, most of us need to focus on the second category—not the fruitless branch that is removed, but the fruitful branch that is pruned.

And here's the surprising truth: the gardener cuts both branches. One cut removes; the other cut renews.

The Cut that Makes the Fruitful More Fruitful

For those who took pity on the poor tree that I am about to remove, I did try to prune it over the years. That was my preference. When Cindy and I lived in the Panhandle we had a couple of peach trees that were very fruitful and beautiful. I had hoped that this tree would have been the same.

Fortunately, you and I are not in the “cut” off category. We fall into the category of needing “pruning”. We are producing some fruit but there are areas that need to be cut back to promote new growth.

I read a devotional from In Touch Ministries the other day that reminded me of how we lose some of our fruitfulness. This devotional pointed out that the Israelites would often fall into unbelief. Unbelief in our lives will cause a heart to become hardened. How does it happen?

It’s a gradual process that begins with selective belief—hearing God’s Word but not fully accepting it as true. This leads to trying to manage one’s affairs without the Lord’s guidance. Over time, the person ignores the conscience or justifies unscriptural choices. Eventually, the heart becomes so resistant that the Spirit’s voice can’t be heard.[3]

I suppose that is only one of many, many other ways that we stifle the fullness of the Spirit in our lives. So how does God actually perform this pruning? What tools does the Master Gardener use? Fortunately, He hasn't left us guessing.

The Pruning Shears

God has been working on us all of our lives. He has used our parents, teachers, coworkers, and more to prune us. More importantly He uses:

The Word of God

Life is too short to learn everything from the school of experience! Thank God for the Word of God to give us a blueprint and manual for life.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NIV

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Voice of the Holy Spirit

The Spirit’s guidance operates through multiple channels. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would teach believers all things, with this teaching occurring first through the rational study of Scripture, which equips believers for every good work. The Spirit also functions like an “umpire,” helping believers discern right from wrong, and has a voice that guides people into truth. This speaking is not necessarily audible; rather, when the Spirit speaks internally, believers know without hearing an external sound.

Hardships

Difficulty refines believers. God disciplines believers for their good so they share in His holiness, and while discipline isn’t pleasant in the moment, it later produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those trained by it (Heb 12:5–11).

Hebrews 12:7–8 NIV

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all.

Fruitful branches are cut back to promote growth. In other words, God must sometimes discipline us to strengthen our character and faith. Hardships and suffering have a purpose in God’s hand…

Romans 5:3–5 NIV

Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

So, we have seen that pruning requires the removal of the dead and diseased branches and cutting back living branches that may be producing limited fruit with the hopes that they will begin to produce much fruit.

But pruning alone is not the whole secret of spiritual growth. A branch can be trimmed perfectly and still die if it becomes disconnected from the vine. That's why Jesus moves from pruning to an even deeper truth: abiding.

John 15:3–8 NIV

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Tapped Into the Life Flow

Ultimately, branches cannot bear fruit independently—they must remain connected to the vine, just as believers cannot produce spiritual fruit apart from Christ. Remaining united with Christ keeps disciples spiritually clean and enables them to yield fruit—reproducing Christ’s life—much as sap flows from vine to branches. This fruit manifests as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

This is the benefit on pruning, His fruitfulness in our lives.

In conclusion let me share this illustration of a common experience…

The Rose Bush

Several years ago, a homeowner planted a beautiful rose bush in his yard. The first spring it exploded with growth. Long green shoots stretched in every direction. Leaves were everywhere. The bush looked healthy and impressive.

Then an experienced gardener stopped by and said, "You need to prune it."

The homeowner was confused. "Why would I cut it back? It's growing so well."

But the gardener explained that the plant was putting all its energy into producing branches and leaves instead of producing its best flowers. So, he began cutting. Branch after branch fell to the ground. Some of the strongest-looking canes were removed. When he was finished, the bush looked smaller, weaker, and almost damaged.

For weeks, the homeowner wondered if a mistake had been made.

Then the blooming season arrived.

The rose bush produced fewer branches than before, but the flowers were larger, healthier, more vibrant, and more fragrant than ever. What looked like loss was actually preparation. What seemed destructive was actually productive.

God often works the same way in our lives. He may prune activities, relationships, ambitions, comforts, or even opportunities that seem good to us. In the moment, pruning feels like loss. We wonder why God would remove something that appears healthy.

But the Father is not interested merely in more growth; He is interested in more fruit.

Sometimes God cuts away what is good so that what is best can flourish. The things He removes are not always sinful. They may simply be drawing energy away from the fruit He desires to produce in us—greater faith, deeper character, stronger dependence on Him, and a more effective witness.

As Jesus said: "Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit." (John 15:2)

The gardener never prunes because he hates the plant. He prunes because he sees what the plant can become. Likewise, God prunes His children not to diminish them, but to make them more fruitful than they could ever become on their own.

Remember: The Father is not interested merely in more growth; He is interested in more fruit.

[1]D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans, 1991), 515.

[2]Logos Bible Software. AI response. Keener, Craig; Porter, Steve.

[3] https://www.intouch.org/read/daily-devotions/the-danger-of-a-hardening-heart-2