Expecting Fruit?

Throughout God's creation, all living things reproduce; they multiply; they bear fruit.  There is a strong expectation for all that is healthy to bear fruit.  We see the same dynamic in the spiritual world.  In God's Word, the Bible, we see this consistent theme:

Isa 5:1-2

          Let me sing now for my well-beloved

         A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard.

         My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.

         He dug it all around, removed its stones,

         And planted it with the choicest vine.

         And He built a tower in the middle of it

         And also hewed out a wine vat in it;

         Then He expected it to produce good grapes,

         But it produced only worthless ones.

Jehovah had a strong expectation for Israel to be a spiritually fruitful nation.  Unfortunately they never met His expectations. Fortunately, Jesus, the Messiah, met all expectations.

In Lk 13:6-9 Jesus tells a parable of a fig tree that is fruitless. 

    “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’

Once again we see an expectation of fruit.  In this case the vine-keeper was instructed to dig around the base, fertilize, and give it a year to see if any fruit resulted.

Of course Jesus develops this theme in John chapter 15 with the story of the vine and the branches:

         “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.

          2      “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.

          3      “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

          4      “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

          5      “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

          6      “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.

          7      “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

          8      “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

(New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995), Jn 15:1–8.)

As we study this passage we see:

1. Expectation of fruit
2. Pruning for more fruit
3. Abiding in Christ as method of fruit-bearing
4. God glorified in fruit-bearing
5. Discipleship proven in fruit-bearing

To the serious follower of Christ, the disciple, we get an almost unbelievable promise...

John 15:8: "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples." (Jn 15:8) and "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." (Jn 5:16)

As we follow Christ, He promises to produce fruit in us and through us. This was not our idea, but His. He chose us and "appointed" us to bear fruit, fruit that will remain.

Other than the intimate personal joy and fulfillment we find in our personal walk with Christ, there may be no greater satisfaction in life than to be a first-hand witness of Christ producing fruit THROUGH US.

The Apostle John knew the exquisite joy of pouring his life into others and seeing that lasting fruit...

3 John 1:4: I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

A few cautions about fruit-bearing:

1. We may become "Fruit Inspectors".

2. We may be impatient to see fruit and forget the seasonal nature of fruit-bearing.

3. We could begin to imagine that we can produce it on our own.

4. We could fall in love with the fruit and forget the vine who gave us the fruit.

Of course anything beautiful and wonderful can be misused or become and idol. When kept in its proper perspective, spiritual fruit can be one of the greatest blessings of the Christian life.