Is wood ever taken from it to make anything useful? Do they make pegs from it to hang things on? – Ezekiel 15:3

Today’s Scripture Reading (May 8, 2014): Ezekiel 15

Monica Lewinsky finally breaks her silence today on a story that captured the imaginations of a generation during the late 1990’s. Her affair with then President Bill Clinton was stuff that seemed to be designed for the tabloids. But it isn’t the tabloids that Lewinsky blames in hindsight. Lewinsky says “thanks to the Drudge Report, I was … possibly the first person whose global humiliation was driven by the Internet.” And she is probably right. It isn’t that Lewinsky believes herself to be a victim. The only person she publically seems to want to blame is herself. She says that she “deeply regrets” what happened between her and President Clinton. But maybe for the first time the scandal of the relationship was taken to a new level, with more people commenting and being involved in the situation than was ever possible before – all presented to us on a platter via the internet and its various platforms. And the process continues today through the use of blogs (like this one) as well as Social Media Platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

I have to admit that I continue to be on an anti-Facebook journey in recent weeks. Don’t get me wrong, if you look for me on Facebook (or Twitter) you will find me there. Some of you may even be accessing this blog through Facebook or Twitter links. My problem is not that I do not see uses for the Social Media giants. I am just convinced that too many people have no idea how to use Social Media. Too many people seem to operate under the assumption that whatever it is that they do not have the courage to say in person to someone, is quite okay to be published to whoever it is that wants to read it through social media. Too often private fights are being made public, and passive aggressive people are being given an incredible voice – and none of this is good. Social Media has a huge upside, it gives each of us the ability to connect and encourage – but only if we know how to use it. And outside of that purpose, Social Media is dangerous, and quite possibly useless.

This is the message of the vine. Ezekiel says that the vine is really only useful for one thing – the producing of fruit. Other than that, it is useless. Fruit bearing trees may give fruit, but they can also be used in other ways – they have the ability to provide shade in the heat of the day, and even when their existence is brought to an end, the wood that is left can be used to build useful things, even if it is just pegs on which things can be hung. But this is not the case with the vine. Once the vine stops giving fruit, there is nothing useful left that it can do.

In the light of Ezekiel, it is probably not a surprise that Jesus compares us to the vine. He says that as long as we are connected to him, we will give fruit. But to be detached from him means that there is nothing that we can do; there is no purpose for us available for us to accomplish – and that, therefore, the only thing left for us is to be discarded and burned.   

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 16