The Vine: The Mission-Centered Business plan, Part 1- CONTEXT

Last night, while sitting among a diverse group of individuals, the familiar passage of scripture of Jesus as the Vine and God as the Vine-dresser or Gardener (John 15:1-17) discussion was underway, when a dogmatic no-nonsense CEO asked several questions that basically boil down to a main concept: so what? As a business how does this passage relate to the structure of bearing more "fruit" or favor? How does this help with all of the jealousy and envy I encounter among my employees? This bearing of more fruit just doesn't happen in the real world, let's have some real talk?

Jesus is the Vine, God is the Gardner, His people are the branches. If His people abide (active remaining) in Him, they will bear more fruit: So What?


Time for some more real talk.

First, time needs to be spent on the first intended audience to whom this parable (allegorical story) was being told, the original implications of the message, the practicalities of the messages impact on the listener, and the principles which emerge. THEN, find the principalizing (Thank you DR. Cotton) for modern context in various applications. The main application I want to focus on is the business application for a modern company structure.


The primary listener would have been a group of hard working Jewish people, who were required to pay exorbitant taxes to fund the Roman Empire, meaning the army foot soldiers who lived next door. (The disciples were the first to hear this parable in the Upper Room before Jesus revealed his accuser Judas, and would enter into the apex of God's redemptive plan. Then as recounted by John, the beloved disciple, whose violent temper Jesus asaged over time, would have been read by early Jewish and Gentile churches.)

They would have been versed in scripture, yet more versed in the basics of human economics at the time: horticulture, agriculture, intertwining trade and money based acquisitions. The majority of listeners were not far removed from a Vineyard owner and had swapped many stories of the best tricks for increasing yield of their product. Much like a sales conference where everyone wants to butt in their two cents in giving the best overcoming objections speech to help people gain more clients.

So when Jesus began to explain that He was the Vine....the source and God was the Gardener and His people (GOD's chosen people- Israel---in other words you-ins, you-all listening, and all your mothers, brothers, sisters, misters, daughters, and sons) are the branches. Everyone would have easily identified with the concepts that follow, and a basic generalized response to the audacity and comfort of Jesus' densely layered story:

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:2 ESV)

• HOLD UP..... If I am a branch and I don't produce you throw away one of your chosen people? I AM BORN to deserve a place in God's kingdom. In YOUR KINGDOM. You can't just toss me aside now. You're crazy. 
• Yep I am tracking with you on the pruning part, needs to happen to help the yield! A couple times a year we build little T shaped stakes to hold up the larger branches and cut back to a few main stalks, which will produce more next season. 
• Back-track....with the vineyard, we do cut off the branches back down to the vine if they don't produce and throw them away, but I am not a branch. I am a part of the chosen people of God. I am one of your best friends Jesus. Who does this guy think He is?

 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:3-5 ESV)

• So You Jesus are the source of this, not me....I can't do anything...without you. Ok, I get you are our leader and we follow you, and so you take full-responsibility for bearing fruit. As long as I remain with you...I only add value if I am in your kingdom. On BOARD. Been following you for years now.
• You washed our feet clean, but you claim it was words that cleaned us?

If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:6-8 ESV)

• Haven't we given up everything for you already? We prove it and will continue to prove it. I guess you think our work needs more yeild?
• Stop talking about throwing us away and burning us? Come on!
• Side note..........the branch on the ground can look alive for a time, but eventually without connection to more nutrients, it will wither and die.
• We can ask for anything and it will be done?! Woohwooah! That's what I am talking about, privileges!

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (John 15:9-11 ESV)

• Follow what you say and I will have love, peace, joy and fulfillment in life.
• You are loved, you love, and therefore I am a recipient of love.

SO What, do you Comand?

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another. (John 15:12-17 ESV)

• My life. Dying in another's place.
• Loving one another. Can I tend the field? or do the money purse? anything but love, real complete love for those around me?
• Not sure if I can do this. Jesus did and revealed what the Father told him to say to us. Everything has been shared.
• Love one another. You are loved, you love, and therefore I am a recipient of love, who must give love.

After the cross, the resurrection, and the time Jesus spent again with His friends before He ascended put light on this passage by Jesus' very practical application of loving sacrificially, having a unified goal of setting by standard of peace and love among His people. Those who don't obey His commands to love one another cannot bear fruit, and will be broken off by God the Father in the pruning process of the garden. The branch set aside eventually withers and dies, then burns up in the final process of cleaning up the garden.

So we have laid the grown work on which we can discuss the principles of the passage and apply them to the business environment.

Real Talk: In order to fully understand the point, we need to see that Jesus was using the basic business of the day to illustrate this parable of success in His Kingdom.

I believe this venture is too deep a concept to unpack in one session of BLOG time...I have already broken several "rules" of the trade by the length of this gargantuan post.

Over the next few posts I will unpack principalizing features of the passage as it relates to a mission-centered business plan:

The Vine--MISSION of the company, and the leadership roles of authority within the company

The Gardener--Role of a caretaker of the mission and companies interests

The Branches--Offices in various locations are called often called branches and need to be thrown away if they loose their effectiveness, and/or the people who work daily in their respective locations

Fruit--bottom line effectiveness in achieving the goal of the mission

Commands--clear and effective communication of authority and redirecting towards the mission.

You can follow along with the mission: The choice is yours, whether or not you remain, whether or not you love.