John 15 - I AM the True Vine. Take Away the Non-Bearing, Cleanse for More Fruit

We are definitely ("defiantly" - as most people spell the word) in rose season. Roses follow the same pattern as grapes in Jesus' simple yet profound I AM lesson.

The Gospel of John irritated the Tuebingen German scholars because Jesus proclaimed His divinity in that Gospel in such plain, simple words. The rationalists made an idol out of their attack on the Gospel of Mark, where they removed the divinity (Mark 1) and the resurrection of Christ (Mark 16:9-20; Voelz' stunningly bad CPH commentary). 

The Fourth Gospel is the capstone, uniting, enriching, and explaining Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

A rose gardener, at the earliest stages, takes away the dead and crossing branches, because they do not bear fruit or contribute to the rose bush. This cutting makes the plant grow even better, above and below the surface.

When a rose branch buds and flowers, the gardener prunes the branch, because cleansing or purging is another boost for the rose, making it even more fruitful.

Those who fear and neglect roses are too timid to do the pruning. The rose full of dead wood will become dormant and produce very little (like most District Presidents and self-styled bishops). When I spent a long time pruning all the dead wood from my sister-in-law's two plants, she burst into tears, with about 30% of each one in the garbage barrel. I said, "Roses do not grow on dead wood. Give it two weeks, and water it. Roses are not part of the cactus family." She phoned two weeks later, she was crying again, because both bushes were packed with beautiful flowers.

The point of the John 15 passage is first of all to declare the Father-Son relationship. The Father works through the Son to take away those people aligned with Christ and yet content to be dead wood. They may be indifferent, but they are often leaders who glory in their false doctrine (like DPs and professors) and grow angry with any attempt to teach the Word as it is.

Nobody is more alert than these people, only in the reverse. They know the meaning behind a challenge, and they instantly respond through proxies or through their deep and abiding love for Holy Mother Synod.

Consider - the LCMS and WELS, with most of the parts of the future ELCA - previously taught Justification by Faith, the Chief Article of Christianity. But now, nobody important teaches the Chief Article. There has been a dedicated and ongoing effort to remove sound doctrine from all Lutheran synods and sects.

Need I point out that the most divergent and perverted Lutheran sect, ELCA, is closing down seminary properties across the fruited plain? Like raisins left out in the sun to dry, these seminaries are selling off property:

1. Trinity in Columbus, the merger of Cap and Hamma, now the cemetery for Loy, Leupold, and Lenski. They had a massive scandal after a known predator was ordained.
2. Berkeley in California, selling out to the Muslims, once on the mountain, now at the bottom, is now part of the mainline union of seminaries;
3. United Lutheran, once two influential seminaries - Gettysburg and Philadelphia, led by a fake pastor who became an instant bishop, making a mockery of marriage, the pastorate, and church leadership. Cemetery - Krauth, Schmauk, Jacobs.
4. Luther Seminary, which digested the more conservative Northwestern Seminary, is holding a fire sale to stay alive;
5. Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, the tragic result of roughly six seminaries merging, is now selling its property to the University of Chicago.
6. Southern Seminary survived by aligning with a college. That seminary was another merger from another age.

KJV John 15 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Stephanus (Traditional or Majority Text) John 15 εγω ειμι η αμπελος η αληθινη και ο πατηρ μου ο γεωργος εστιν

2 παν κλημα εν εμοι μη φερον καρπον αιρει αυτο και παν το καρπον φερον καθαιρει αυτο ινα πλειονα καρπον φερη

3 ηδη υμεις καθαροι εστε δια τον λογον ον λελαληκα υμιν

4 μεινατε εν εμοι καγω εν υμιν - καθως το κλημα ου δυναται καρπον φερειν αφ εαυτου εαν μη μεινη εν τη αμπελω, ουτως ουδε υμεις - εαν μη εν εμοι μεινητε

5 εγω ειμι η αμπελος υμεις τα κληματα ο μενων εν εμοι καγω εν αυτω ουτος φερει καρπον πολυν οτι χωρις εμου ου δυνασθε ποιειν ουδεν

6 εαν μη τις μεινη εν εμοι εβληθη εξω ως το κλημα και εξηρανθη και συναγουσιν αυτα και εις πυρ βαλλουσιν και καιεται

7 εαν μεινητε εν εμοι και τα ρηματα μου εν υμιν μεινη ο εαν θελητε αιτησεσθε και γενησεται υμιν

8 εν τουτω εδοξασθη ο πατηρ μου ινα καρπον πολυν φερητε και γενησεσθε εμοι μαθηται