God is the Husbandman

...that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified. – Isa 61:3

In the parable/allegory of the “True Vine”, God is the Husbandman.

It sounds somewhat condescending for me to state such a manifestly obvious fact, doesn’t it? Why, Jesus clearly spelt it out in the opening lines of the chapter,

Joh 15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.”

“…My Father is the Vinedresser.” (AMP)

“…my Father is the gardener.” (CEV)

“…My Father is the vineyard keeper.” (HCSB-r) 

“…Father is the vinegrower.” (ISV)

“…Father is the Farmer.” (MSG)

Etc.

Even the various translations seem to consider this fact inviolable. The taking care of the vine is the sole prerogative of the Father. He didn’t outsource it to “Mentors”, He didn’t delegate it to “Disciplers”, He didn’t assign it to “Spiritual Fathers”…

He has never complained about the number of children He has to prune, He never claimed His hands are too full, He never said He even needs to keep track of his children.

It is His job to prune the vine, let’s not try to help Him. Like one fine minister once said, “If we (church leaders) try to cut the Believers ourselves, we’ll end up cutting them roughly… or probably cut the wrong thing”.

We cannot micro-manage our members’/protégée’s/mentee’s/etc.’s spiritual development. Our job as spiritual parents (just as with the physical) is to provide healthy nutrition for them, and place them in a safe, enabling environment. We cannot decide their pattern of growth. No two believers have the same destiny and thus the same path of ascendancy.

We’re called to make disciples, not spiritual clones of ourselves.

God is the Husbandman

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN