While coaching my son’s youth basketball team, I recently decided to sub him out for not being effective on the court. As his coach and even more so his dad, I knew by taking him out, we could address areas that needed intentional coaching, sharpen his focus, and get him back to playing his best and helping the team. I believe this is similar to what Jesus was getting at when stating: “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away…” (John 15:2a).

While theologians differ on what exactly Jesus meant when stating “takes away,” I believe there are two significant words that provide context to His intent: “In me.” We should never take lightly the phrase “In Christ.” For every person in Him is “a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17), freed from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2), and adopted into God’s family (Galatians 3:26). It would be inconsistent with the rest of Scripture to believe Jesus implied taking away as throwing away. Furthermore, the phrase takes away – airō in Greek – is defined as lifting something up rather than cutting something off. Jesus, in this important lesson, teaches the good news that although there may be times in the Christian life that feel fruitless and stagnant, God the Father, the Vinedresser, is not looking to cut us off in those times, but rather to lift us for better fruit-bearing, joy increasing capacity.

In his book, “Secrets of the Vine,” author Bruce Wilkinson affirms this principle while describing his conversation with a man who owned a vineyard; the farmer detailed:

“New branches have a natural tendency to trail down and grow along the ground… But they don’t bear fruit down there. When branches grow along the ground, the leaves get coated in dust. When it rains, they get muddy and mildewed. The branch becomes sick and useless.” “What do you do?” I asked.

“Cut it off and throw it away?” “Oh, no!” he exclaimed. “The branch is much too valuable for that. We go through the vineyard with a bucket of water looking for those branches. We lift them up and wash them off… Then we wrap them around the trellis or tie them up. Pretty soon they’re thriving.”

What a profound insight from the vineyard! If you’re in Christ but feel fruitless today, take heart that the Father is looking to get you back in the game. Much like my basketball story, my intention was never to kick my son off the team but rather to help him succeed. The Father wants you to succeed in bearing fruit.