The Greek word αἴρω (airo) means "to lift up" or "to bear." It is commonly used in reference to picking up various objects, such as beds, baskets, fish, money, and even people. The act of lifting up inherently involves bearing the weight of the object. Beyond its literal usage, αἴρω is also employed metaphorically. For example, it refers to justice being stolen, the loss of life, and the lifting or removal of sin.
When Christ told a lame man that his sins were forgiven, enabling him to stand up and walk, the Jewish scribes accused Him of blasphemy. In response, Jesus explained why He declared, "Your sins are forgiven," instead of simply saying, "You are healed." He did this to demonstrate that He has the authority to forgive sins. Then, turning to the man, Jesus instructed him to lift up his bed and go home, and the man obeyed (Matthew 9:2–7).
Christ was manifested to lift our sins (1 John 3:5). Through His work on the cross, while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, the Father made us alive in Christ. Christ sent away (forgive) our trespasses, having wiped out the handwritten dogma against us. He lifted it out of the way by nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:14). In Christ, the law has been fulfilled and all who are in the Christ are counted to be righteous apart from the law; thus, they are not under law (Romans 6:14).
Just as a child is no longer under tutors and governors when he has completed his training (Galatians 4:1-2), so too is a Christian when respect to law. We are no longer to be inarticulate babblers that need the law to guide us. Instead, as sons, we must train our senses to know good and wrong (Hebrews 5:14).
In response to Pilate seeking to release Jesus—having found nothing worthy of death in Christ—the leaders of Israel accused him of being against Caesar. They argued that if Pilate permitted Jesus to go free, since He was said to be the king of the Jews, Pilate would be acting against Caesar (John 19:11). Pilate reacts to them by presenting Jesus in a mocking way to the Jews as their king. This is when the crowd started to cry out for Pilate to lift up Jesus—to crucify Him—at the behest of the Jewish leaders (John 19:15).
A similar event occurred with Paul. After beating him for being in the temple, the Jews calling out to the centurion to lift up Paul, implying they wanted him crucified (Acts 22:22).
In John 13:2, Jesus explains the new relationship that those in the Church will have with Him and the Father. He is the vine—the source of life—and the Father is the vinedresser. When a branch is not producing fruit, the Father "lifts it up." The Greek word αἴρω (airo), translated here as "bear up" or "lift," does not mean "take away" in the sense of ἀφίημι (aphiēmi), which means "to send away," as in the forgiveness of sins. Nor does it imply the sending away of a person, as expressed by ἀπολύω (apoluo). For instance, in Matthew 15:23, the disciples urged Jesus to "send away" (apoluo) a woman crying out for healing. She was not a Jew, so Jesus initially did not respond to her, prompting the disciples to ask Him to dismiss her.
When the Father lifts (αἴρω) a branch that is not bearing fruit, He is not removing it from the vine (ἀφίημι), or sending it way (ἀπολύω). Instead, just as a vinedresser will lift a branch out of the dirt and clean it up so that it can produce fruit, the Father acts in the same way. He removes obstacles in the person's life that hinder fruitfulness, lifting them up and preparing them to bear fruit.