Way back in the vineyards of Jesus' day, grapevines grew naturally along the ground instead of being propped up on poles as they are today. The vinedresser would come along to lift and clean the vine, pruning away the excess and dead growth. Jesus uses the same image to describe the way the disciples themselves had been cleansed by the Word. That "word" was the teaching and commandment of Jesus and the disciples' meditation on and obedience to that "word" would help them remain or stay connected to his "love," the nourishing flow from the vine.
