would be removed; and the farmer would also cut out the vine branches that had died and produced no fruit. The question has to be asked: How can we be fruitful? What do we have to do to be a part of God’s family? The answer that Jesus gave is quite different from what many would expect (vv. 4–5). If you want to be a fruit-producing member of God’s family, you have to be in Jesus. The emphasis is not upon what you do, it’s upon where you are; it’s not upon what you show, it’s upon whom you know. Of
Page 130