Hello Beloved,

Last month, we considered the epithet of God as “Husband.” This month, we will consider the epithet of God as “Husbandman.” It may initially appear as though the “Husband” and the “Husbandman” are the same thing, but they are very different. The idea of Husbandman comes from John 15 in which Jesus says to His disciples, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman” John 15:1 (KJV). A translation that may be a little clearer would be found in the English Standard Version, which states, “. . . my Father is the vinedresser” John 15:1 (ESV). However, even this translation may be somewhat difficult to understand, so I will allude to the New Living Translation, which makes the meaning of the word abundantly clear when Jesus explains “. . .  my Father is the gardener” John 15:1 (NLT2). James A. Patch writes:

HUSBANDMAN, huzʹband-man, HUSBANDRY, huzʹband-ri: Husbandman, originally a “householder” or “master of the house,” is now limited in its meaning to “farmer” or “tiller of the soil. . . It is a common practice in Palestine and Syria today for a rich man to own lands in many different parts of the country. He sets farmers over these different tracts who, with the helpers, do the plowing, planting, reaping, etc; or he lets out his lands to farmers who pay him an annual rental or return to him a certain percentage of the crop. Much of the plain of Esdraelon, for example, was until recently owned by Beirut proprietors and farmed in this way. The writer while riding on the plain near ancient Dan, was surprised to overtake an acquaintance from Beirut (3 days’ journey away), who had just dismounted at one of his farms to inspect it and to receive the annual account of his farmer. The pride with which the husbandman pointed out the abundant harvest will not be forgotten. All the difficulties of the owner with his husbandmen described by Jesus are often repeated today. In a figurative sense, Jesus said “I am the true vine, and my father is the husbandman” (Jn 15:1). He sows, cultivates, prunes and expects fruits from His church. In the parable of the Householder (Mt 21:33 ff), the wicked husbandmen were the Jews. The church is referred to as “God’s husbandry” in 1 Cor 3:9 (m “tilled land”). [ISBE]

John 15: 1-11 predominantly describes our absolute dependence on Jesus as our source to complete and fulfill God’s desires for our lives in “bearing much fruit.” Jesus states,

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. 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 15:2-5 (ESV)

We must remember that in this passage, Jesus is the genuine or the “true vine.” Often, Israel was described as a vine in the Old Testament (Ps. 80:9–16; Is. 5:1–7; 27:2ff.; Je. 2:21; 12:10ff.; Ezk. 15:1–8; 17:1–21; 19:10–14; Ho. 10:1–2). The picture painted by Jesus in John 15 may very well be an allusion to the parable of the Gardener in Isaiah 5. Listen to the parable:

Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry! Isaiah 5:1-7 (ESV)

God, the husbandman, cared for and cultivated the vine, Israel, and with all He did, they should have produced the most excellent of grapes. However, the vineyard yielded wild, sour, or rotten grapes, which represented their failure to keep His covenant. Jesus is the “true” vine, that is, in Him is found the culmination of all the promises given through Israel. Where Israel failed, Jesus succeeded. Therefore, as we abide in the vine, (Jesus) and the vineyard is cared for by the gardener/farmer (the Father), we grow, mature, obey, experience joy, and produce much fruit.

Until next time, this is Pastor Daniel writing, May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.