The Vineyard, the Vine and Picking Grapes

The Vineyard - picking grapes

Last month I went picking grapes. Grapes are a big deal in Slovenia. In Maribor we have the world’s oldest fruit bearing grapevine. It has been recorded as giving fruit for the past 400+ years. It is in the Guiness Book of Records! The city celebrates the Festival of the Old Vine. They will have another festival to celebrate when the grape juice turns to wine. When people go out to pick the grapes often family and friends are invited to help. One couple was telling us of their first experience. Before they even started picking the grapes there was a huge meal and wine and drink and dessert. My experience was a little different. We went and picked grapes until lunch. Then they fed us to bursting with a wonderful meal and dessert. After that we continued to pick joking that we could walk up the hill and roll back down. It was a fun experience and there was much joy in the harvest.

This experience of picking grapes reminded me of the many references in the Bible to harvest, grapes, the vine and so on. It was interesting the way the grapes grow. Some of the clusters were quite large and it made me wonder what the one the spies brought back from the land of Canaan must have been like. Then some grapes were so full and rich and sweet and others were smaller and less wonderful. Often they were only one or two rows away or even just a couple of vines apart. Some vines were full. Others were empty. Some definitely represented 30, 60 and 100 times fruitfulness. Others seemed barely fruitful and on some there was nothing at all. I found out that some of reasons might be a variation in the amount of sun or the quality of the soil. Some of the vines had some disease or blight and so the grapes were also smaller or hadn’t grown. There were also some clusters of grapes that had gone right to raisins right on the vine, but you wouldn’t want to eat those. They were dry and useless.

Whatever the case it got me thinking about reasons for fruitfulness or the lack thereof. It was amazing how important the vine and its location was to the outcome of the harvest. The amount of sun, the quality of the soil, the nutrients in the earth. It made a big difference in the harvest. It just punctuates what John said about abiding in the vine. If the vine from which we get our strength is anchored in the world then the fruit will be like the fruit of the world...tainted by sin, passing away, bitter, dry and without purpose. However, if we are anchored in Jesus..in heaven then the fruit of our lives should also be lasting, full, abundant, bringing a joyful harvest. That is what it means to abide in the vine, that we draw our strength, our purpose, our values and decisions from Him who is eternal wisdom and love rather than from that which is finite and passing away. That which is finite and passing still has some of what it good in it but the results will be infinitely less satisfying and will soon pass away.