Union With God And God's People
Preaching
The Parables Of Jesus
Applications For Contemporary Life
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just 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. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Theme
We often hear the expression, "With God all things are possible." As God's children we have many hopes and dreams -- for ourselves and those we love and respect. We want the best for those we know, but we realize there may be some price to pay for all that we desire. The cost, however, cannot be measured in monetary ways, because what we must do is merely maintain the connection that already exists between us and God. Through baptism we have been united with God, but as life progresses we may move away from the source of our strength, from the one who provides for us and all those we know. Our need for Christ is paramount; we cannot survive without him. In the figure of the vine and the branches we are challenged to renew our commitment, to reconnect ourselves to the source of eternal life.
Spiritual Food For The Journey
Unity versus disunity -- these words are more than mere opposites. Certainly when unity exists things are together; where disunity reigns things are apart. There is more, however, to understanding these terms. Unity is something that is quite natural; it is the natural flow of nature, for humans and the world in general. Unity is something we seek; it does our world good to discover unity. Disunity, on the other hand, is seldom found in nature. Disunity is unnatural and not desired by humans; disunity is to be avoided.
Since unity is that which we desire, we need to find images that help us to picture this idea. One good example is alloy metals. An alloy is a mixture of two dissimilar metals which when molded together form a third metal which is stronger, longer-lasting, and more durable than either of the original two metals from which it is made. Energy is needed to bind the metals is this newly found unity. Rivers are another example of the unity in nature. Tributaries of a river flow into the whole. The larger river is stronger, deeper, and more useful than the tributaries from which it is formed. The boundaries of the river, its banks, hold it together, allowing it to flow freely and sustain much life in the process.
Humans seek unity as well. The peoples of nations seek unity. We live in the United States, a nation of fifty independent sovereigns or states, yet these independent states choose to band together as one. What binds them together is the law of the land, the Constitution. In the United States the charism of the Declaration of Independence, which says "all people are created equal," serves to bind us together. Humans band together in communities as well. It may be a neighborhood watch group or a community action organization. It may even be a religious community of men or women. The bond here is the common issue, the common commitment, or the common way of life.
The figure of the vine and the branches demonstrates our need to be united with Christ. Disunity, separation from the vine, will produce no yield. We must be connected with Christ to gain the strength we need to live in our world. By our maintenance of union with Christ and the combining of our efforts to those of the entire Christian community we will bear much fruit and one day find eternal life.
Application Of The Parable To Contemporary Life
Sermon Openings
1. "Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as pestilence, famine, destruction, and death. These are only aliases. There real names are Stuhldreher, Miller, Layden, and Crowley." Grantland Rice, a well-known sports columnist in an earlier era, wrote those memorable words one Saturday in October 1927. With these words a legend was started, for Notre Dame football, the team's immortal coach Knute Rockne, and, that day especially, for the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.
Who were the Four Horsemen? Elmer Layden, Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, and Don Miller were the talented offensive backfield for the Notre Dame football team in the late 1920s. There is no doubt that they were great players. Football fans then and now remember their names and their exploits on the gridiron. All four have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Most people know, however, that there are eleven players on a football team. What about the other seven? Who were they? What did they do? History knows them as the "Seven Mules." Few, if anyone, remember their names. None of them are members of the College Football Hall of Fame. Still, I am certain that the Four Horsemen knew them. In fact, the same Grantland Rice who immortalized the horsemen said that this talented backfield attributed all their success to the mules. They were the ones who stood in front, did the blocking, ran interference, and paved a way for the two halfbacks, the fullback, and quarterback to run the plays, score touchdowns, and bring victory to Notre Dame.
The Four Horsemen and the Seven Mules were a team; they knew that they needed each other. Without the mules the horsemen probably would have been an ordinary college football backfield. But the combination of the mules and the horsemen brought greatness, fame, and legend to Miller, Layden, Crowley, and Stuhldreher and to Notre Dame football as well.
I am reminded of this idea of teamwork, players who need each other, when I hear today's Gospel. Jesus says that we need to be teammates with him, "for apart from him we can do nothing."
2. "Late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you." These famous words come from an equally famous book. It was written after a life of trial, searching, and change. They were written by one who had found conversion in his life. He was born in Thagaste, now the country of Algeria, in the year 354. His father was Patricius, a Roman citizen and pagan. His mother was Monica, a prayerful Christian woman of simple means.
It was clear to all from his earliest days that he possessed great gifts, especially intellectually. Yet he seemed to live his life as an individual; he was quite self-centered. All of life was for him, his projects, his education, his welfare. As a young man he was a teacher of rhetoric. He became well-known for his intelligence and probing mind.
Despite fame and success, his life of "individualism" lacked something. The void he felt was community; he needed the presence of others and he needed God. Thus he began to search for that which was missing in his life -- his need for community and God. Pagan religions offered no help to this man of great intelligence and erudition. Manichaeism, a sect which was centered about the dualism of good and evil, attracted him, but after a few years his dissatisfaction returned. Finally, he answered the call to Christianity. He found people and community; he discovered God. He learned that the world was not me, the world is us!
"Late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new." These words are found in the Confessions, the autobiography of Saint Augustine, bishop of Hippo, one of the most gifted and famous men who ever lived. Augustine was a man who experienced the call to conversion and change in his life.
In the figure of the vine and the branches we are challenged to consider our need for God. We must ponder our need to better appreciate God's power and wonder as manifest to us in the lives of those we know and love.
Points Of Challenge And Questions To Ponder
1. Do we place our hope and reliance on Jesus or do we seek other sources to the solutions of our problems? Are people and material "fixes" more attractive than our union with Christ?
2. Do we "go it alone"? Are we people who say, "I will do my own thing"? Do we consider the needs and feelings of others in our decisions?
3. Is the Christian community important to us? Do we make efforts to contribute to the whole or are we more concerned with meeting our own needs?
4. Are we team players or do we refuse to participate in the activities of the community? Can we trust others to assist us, or do we shut out others, believing that the job can only be satisfactorily completed by ourselves?
5. When we minister in the name of the Lord do we do so as individuals or as a community? Can we believe in the power and strength of union with the whole compared with our individual efforts? Do we perceive and believe in our need for one another?
Exegesis And Explanation Of The Parable
Beginning with the thirteenth chapter, John's Gospel takes a significant shift in its orientation. Prior to this point Jesus' hour has been anticipated (2:4, 7:30, 8:20) or acknowledged as imminent (12:33, 27), but 13:1 signals its arrival. The occurrences narrated in John 13:1--17:26 are situated at the Last Supper where three major events transpire: the washing of the apostles' feet and subsequent dialogues between Jesus and his disciples (13:1-38); the farewell discourse (14:1--16:33); and Jesus' prayer (17:1-26). The metaphor of the vine and the branches, John 15:1-8, is part of the Lord's last teaching to his followers. It stands, therefore, as Jesus' last testament on how he expected his disciples to conduct their lives. Rather than an indictment against individuals or groups for wrongdoing or an exhortation to conversion, this pericope is Jesus' explanation of how people will find life after he has gone. It is appropriate that Jesus' final lesson emphasizes the recipe for eternal life.
Chapter 15 as a literary whole encourages the disciples to make their unity with Jesus fruitful and to endure the hostility of the world. In this chapter Jesus continues his farewell discourse, transferring it to the sphere of the community by applying the Lord's words to all. This discourse is not for the apostles alone; John is writing for all believers. Most biblical exegetes regard John 15:1-17 as a single connected discourse. Here John speaks of the relationship of Christians to Christ, the community of life they share, and the need for Christ as a source for the good works of all believers. In verses 1-8 we are introduced to the image of the vine. This metaphor presupposes that the Christian life is essentially one of activity and of bearing fruit. Union with Christ is not only the condition of bearing fruit; our activity in Jesus' name demands such a connection. Verses 9-17 are centered about the need for the apostles to demonstrate love in all aspects of their lives. The exposition of the command to love as the essential element of faith makes it quite clear that faith and love form a unity. Verses 1-8 exhort us to renew our connection to Jesus, while verses 9-17 command love in response to our God who first loved us.
The vocabulary of 15:1-8, the metaphor of the vine and the branches, is quite close to the mashal (Hebrew for riddle or figure of speech) used in Ezekiel 17. In order to understand this passage we must begin by describing what Jesus means when he identifies himself as the vine. Jesus as the true and authentic vine is contrasted with whatever claims to be the "vine." This discourse does not draw attention to the vine with regard to its fruit or to the wine that may be produced, but simply to the vine itself and the branches which derive their vital power from it. From the vine the branches receive their power to grow and to bear fruit. If the branches grow independently, they are cut away. In calling himself the true vine, Jesus is stating that no natural life is true. The life that humanity seeks and longs for can only be found in association with Jesus. The only true life is in God; all other forms are mundane or a lie. Jesus' self-identification as the vine is understood best in the context of his relationship with his community of followers. Thus, when Jesus spoke of himself as the vine, his words were not only self-revelatory, but revealed the interrelationship of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the community of faith.
The basic meaning of the parable is quite clear. Just as Jesus is the source of living water (4:10, 14) and the bread from heaven that gives life (6:35), so he is the life-giving vine. Before the metaphor, those concerned with receiving the gift of Jesus' life needed external actions; one had to drink the water or eat the bread of life. The imagery of the vine is more intimate, as befits the general theme of interiorization in the farewell discourse. In order to have life one must remain in Jesus as a branch stays on the vine. In comparing himself to a vine and his disciples as branches, Jesus makes himself known not only as the sustainer but also as the origin and source of true life that may only be found through union with him.
The image of the vine and branches has certain distinctions that should be understood. One important feature is that there is nothing futuristic in the description of the union between the vine and the branches. In several other passages of the farewell discourse, union with Jesus is described as belonging to the future (14:3, 20-22, 16:22). In this pericope, however, the disciples are already in union with Jesus, with the emphasis placed on remaining in this union. Some scholars suggest that this pericope is misplaced in the Johannine redaction, that Jesus orginally spoke these words on the road between Bethany and Jerusalem in conjunction with the cursing of the fig tree. Biblical exegetes also see some allegory in this passage. The removal of the unfruitful branches has been suggested to be a reference to the defection of Judas as being typical for all faithless disciples. The nurturing of the branches is seen as allegory for the growth of the Christian community. The church exists to teach and evangelize, but in order to do this well it must receive pruning at the hands of God.
Some scholars perceive Eucharistic connotations in this metaphor. Since Jesus gave this teaching at the Last Supper some understand the "fruit of the vine" as a reference to the Eucharist, especially since John makes no specific reference to the sacrament's institution in his Gospel. Exegetes have compared 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit ..." with 6:56 (part of the Bread of Life Discourse); "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them." An ancient tradition, now refuted, placed Jesus' metaphor of the vine and branches immediately after the distribution of the Eucharistic cup. Some scholars also point out that union with Christ in his death, central to our understanding of the Eucharist, is a central theme of the whole of chapter 15.
The image of community that emerges from this pericope is one of interrelationship, mutuality, and indwelling. In Jesus, the true vine, the life of God with the human race, the essence of Israel's true and desired existence has begun. The relationship of the vine to the branches conveys to the disciples a true sense of the profound intimacy of their relationship to Jesus Christ. Jesus had spoken of the intimacy of the disciples being in him and he in them. The metaphor of the vine and branches is an illustration of that intimacy. What the vine image suggests about community is that there are no free-standing individuals; all gain their origins, sustenance, and strength from the vine. The fruitfulness of each branch depends on its relationship to the vine, nothing else. What matters for John the evangelist is that each individual be rooted in Jesus, give up individual status, and become one of the true branches connected to the vine.
Context Of The Parable
Context In The Church Year
The Easter season is a time when we are challenged to renew our attitudes and review our actions. We reflect upon our own activities, efforts, and actions, but we must also be concerned about renewal of the whole Christian community. During this season we hear in our Sunday Scripture lessons about the early Christian community -- their hopes, dreams, and struggles -- as described by Saint Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. The story of the first followers of Jesus is inspiring in how they demonstrated true love for one another. They manifest this most basically in the way they lived as a community. The first Christians realized that the only way they could survive and grow was by working together. Community became a source of life for these people.
It is appropriate during this season of grace that the church provides Jesus' vivid image of the the vine and branches to remind us of our need for Christ and the church. United with Christ and combining our efforts with those of the Christian community as a whole will bring a rich harvest in God's kingdom. The church asks us through this metaphor of the vine and branches to renew our efforts to work together in building the Kingdom of God on earth.
Context With Other Gospels
The metaphor of the vine and branches is found only in the Gospel of John, but Scripture possesses many references to the image of the vineyard present in this pericope. The metaphor is prominent in both the Old and New Testamants. In the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 5:1-7, Jeremiah 2:21, 12:10, Ezekiel 15:2-8, 19:10-14, and Hosea 10:1) the figure of the vine is descriptive of Israel as a nation. All these accounts picture the vine as a degenerate plant which has brought its sufferings upon itself. The parable of the wicked tenants (Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-19) also illustrates the idea of the vineyard as representative of Israel. It is highly significant, therefore, that in the figure of the vine and the branches, Jesus applies this image to himself. The prophetic use of the image of the vine led to predictions of judgment and disaster. In stark contrast, Jesus uses the metaphor as the source and sustenance of life. In another context, some scholars have compared the figure of the vine and branches in John with the Pauline image of Christ as head of the body (1 Corinthians 12), although Paul's metaphor is more highly developed.
Context With First And Second Lessons
First Lesson: Acts 8:26-40. Philip's actions as an evangelist in this lesson from the Acts of the Apostles demonstrate the missionary spirit in the early church. The apostles and other disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, demonstrated their connection to the vine that is Jesus. Philip knew that his strength to preach God's message, to know when to speak and what to say to the Ethopian eunuch, was gained from his relationship with Jesus. He understood that with Jesus he could bear fruit, but apart from him he could do nothing. It was through the relationship which Jesus established with his followers and his teaching in such passages as the metaphor of the vine and the branches that the apostolic Church found the courage, strength, and perseverance to proclaim the Good News, often in less than friendly environments. We are challenged to find our sustenance in Christ and fearlessly go forward to tell others of our brother, savior, and lord -- Jesus Christ.
Second Lesson: 1 John 4:7-21. Saint John speaks of love as a response to God that finds its origins in our union with the Lord. He writes, "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them" (v. 16b). Love, the basic manifestation of Christ's message on earth, will be discovered by staying in communion with Jesus. John tells us that we have a great need for Christ; he is the source of our life each day. If we separate ourselves from Jesus our ability to love will be destroyed and so too will our relationship with God's people. In order to imitate the life of God we must learn to love more fully, for, as John says, love is of God.
Theme
We often hear the expression, "With God all things are possible." As God's children we have many hopes and dreams -- for ourselves and those we love and respect. We want the best for those we know, but we realize there may be some price to pay for all that we desire. The cost, however, cannot be measured in monetary ways, because what we must do is merely maintain the connection that already exists between us and God. Through baptism we have been united with God, but as life progresses we may move away from the source of our strength, from the one who provides for us and all those we know. Our need for Christ is paramount; we cannot survive without him. In the figure of the vine and the branches we are challenged to renew our commitment, to reconnect ourselves to the source of eternal life.
Spiritual Food For The Journey
Unity versus disunity -- these words are more than mere opposites. Certainly when unity exists things are together; where disunity reigns things are apart. There is more, however, to understanding these terms. Unity is something that is quite natural; it is the natural flow of nature, for humans and the world in general. Unity is something we seek; it does our world good to discover unity. Disunity, on the other hand, is seldom found in nature. Disunity is unnatural and not desired by humans; disunity is to be avoided.
Since unity is that which we desire, we need to find images that help us to picture this idea. One good example is alloy metals. An alloy is a mixture of two dissimilar metals which when molded together form a third metal which is stronger, longer-lasting, and more durable than either of the original two metals from which it is made. Energy is needed to bind the metals is this newly found unity. Rivers are another example of the unity in nature. Tributaries of a river flow into the whole. The larger river is stronger, deeper, and more useful than the tributaries from which it is formed. The boundaries of the river, its banks, hold it together, allowing it to flow freely and sustain much life in the process.
Humans seek unity as well. The peoples of nations seek unity. We live in the United States, a nation of fifty independent sovereigns or states, yet these independent states choose to band together as one. What binds them together is the law of the land, the Constitution. In the United States the charism of the Declaration of Independence, which says "all people are created equal," serves to bind us together. Humans band together in communities as well. It may be a neighborhood watch group or a community action organization. It may even be a religious community of men or women. The bond here is the common issue, the common commitment, or the common way of life.
The figure of the vine and the branches demonstrates our need to be united with Christ. Disunity, separation from the vine, will produce no yield. We must be connected with Christ to gain the strength we need to live in our world. By our maintenance of union with Christ and the combining of our efforts to those of the entire Christian community we will bear much fruit and one day find eternal life.
Application Of The Parable To Contemporary Life
Sermon Openings
1. "Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as pestilence, famine, destruction, and death. These are only aliases. There real names are Stuhldreher, Miller, Layden, and Crowley." Grantland Rice, a well-known sports columnist in an earlier era, wrote those memorable words one Saturday in October 1927. With these words a legend was started, for Notre Dame football, the team's immortal coach Knute Rockne, and, that day especially, for the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame.
Who were the Four Horsemen? Elmer Layden, Harry Stuhldreher, Jim Crowley, and Don Miller were the talented offensive backfield for the Notre Dame football team in the late 1920s. There is no doubt that they were great players. Football fans then and now remember their names and their exploits on the gridiron. All four have been enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Most people know, however, that there are eleven players on a football team. What about the other seven? Who were they? What did they do? History knows them as the "Seven Mules." Few, if anyone, remember their names. None of them are members of the College Football Hall of Fame. Still, I am certain that the Four Horsemen knew them. In fact, the same Grantland Rice who immortalized the horsemen said that this talented backfield attributed all their success to the mules. They were the ones who stood in front, did the blocking, ran interference, and paved a way for the two halfbacks, the fullback, and quarterback to run the plays, score touchdowns, and bring victory to Notre Dame.
The Four Horsemen and the Seven Mules were a team; they knew that they needed each other. Without the mules the horsemen probably would have been an ordinary college football backfield. But the combination of the mules and the horsemen brought greatness, fame, and legend to Miller, Layden, Crowley, and Stuhldreher and to Notre Dame football as well.
I am reminded of this idea of teamwork, players who need each other, when I hear today's Gospel. Jesus says that we need to be teammates with him, "for apart from him we can do nothing."
2. "Late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you." These famous words come from an equally famous book. It was written after a life of trial, searching, and change. They were written by one who had found conversion in his life. He was born in Thagaste, now the country of Algeria, in the year 354. His father was Patricius, a Roman citizen and pagan. His mother was Monica, a prayerful Christian woman of simple means.
It was clear to all from his earliest days that he possessed great gifts, especially intellectually. Yet he seemed to live his life as an individual; he was quite self-centered. All of life was for him, his projects, his education, his welfare. As a young man he was a teacher of rhetoric. He became well-known for his intelligence and probing mind.
Despite fame and success, his life of "individualism" lacked something. The void he felt was community; he needed the presence of others and he needed God. Thus he began to search for that which was missing in his life -- his need for community and God. Pagan religions offered no help to this man of great intelligence and erudition. Manichaeism, a sect which was centered about the dualism of good and evil, attracted him, but after a few years his dissatisfaction returned. Finally, he answered the call to Christianity. He found people and community; he discovered God. He learned that the world was not me, the world is us!
"Late have I loved you, O Beauty so ancient and so new." These words are found in the Confessions, the autobiography of Saint Augustine, bishop of Hippo, one of the most gifted and famous men who ever lived. Augustine was a man who experienced the call to conversion and change in his life.
In the figure of the vine and the branches we are challenged to consider our need for God. We must ponder our need to better appreciate God's power and wonder as manifest to us in the lives of those we know and love.
Points Of Challenge And Questions To Ponder
1. Do we place our hope and reliance on Jesus or do we seek other sources to the solutions of our problems? Are people and material "fixes" more attractive than our union with Christ?
2. Do we "go it alone"? Are we people who say, "I will do my own thing"? Do we consider the needs and feelings of others in our decisions?
3. Is the Christian community important to us? Do we make efforts to contribute to the whole or are we more concerned with meeting our own needs?
4. Are we team players or do we refuse to participate in the activities of the community? Can we trust others to assist us, or do we shut out others, believing that the job can only be satisfactorily completed by ourselves?
5. When we minister in the name of the Lord do we do so as individuals or as a community? Can we believe in the power and strength of union with the whole compared with our individual efforts? Do we perceive and believe in our need for one another?
Exegesis And Explanation Of The Parable
Beginning with the thirteenth chapter, John's Gospel takes a significant shift in its orientation. Prior to this point Jesus' hour has been anticipated (2:4, 7:30, 8:20) or acknowledged as imminent (12:33, 27), but 13:1 signals its arrival. The occurrences narrated in John 13:1--17:26 are situated at the Last Supper where three major events transpire: the washing of the apostles' feet and subsequent dialogues between Jesus and his disciples (13:1-38); the farewell discourse (14:1--16:33); and Jesus' prayer (17:1-26). The metaphor of the vine and the branches, John 15:1-8, is part of the Lord's last teaching to his followers. It stands, therefore, as Jesus' last testament on how he expected his disciples to conduct their lives. Rather than an indictment against individuals or groups for wrongdoing or an exhortation to conversion, this pericope is Jesus' explanation of how people will find life after he has gone. It is appropriate that Jesus' final lesson emphasizes the recipe for eternal life.
Chapter 15 as a literary whole encourages the disciples to make their unity with Jesus fruitful and to endure the hostility of the world. In this chapter Jesus continues his farewell discourse, transferring it to the sphere of the community by applying the Lord's words to all. This discourse is not for the apostles alone; John is writing for all believers. Most biblical exegetes regard John 15:1-17 as a single connected discourse. Here John speaks of the relationship of Christians to Christ, the community of life they share, and the need for Christ as a source for the good works of all believers. In verses 1-8 we are introduced to the image of the vine. This metaphor presupposes that the Christian life is essentially one of activity and of bearing fruit. Union with Christ is not only the condition of bearing fruit; our activity in Jesus' name demands such a connection. Verses 9-17 are centered about the need for the apostles to demonstrate love in all aspects of their lives. The exposition of the command to love as the essential element of faith makes it quite clear that faith and love form a unity. Verses 1-8 exhort us to renew our connection to Jesus, while verses 9-17 command love in response to our God who first loved us.
The vocabulary of 15:1-8, the metaphor of the vine and the branches, is quite close to the mashal (Hebrew for riddle or figure of speech) used in Ezekiel 17. In order to understand this passage we must begin by describing what Jesus means when he identifies himself as the vine. Jesus as the true and authentic vine is contrasted with whatever claims to be the "vine." This discourse does not draw attention to the vine with regard to its fruit or to the wine that may be produced, but simply to the vine itself and the branches which derive their vital power from it. From the vine the branches receive their power to grow and to bear fruit. If the branches grow independently, they are cut away. In calling himself the true vine, Jesus is stating that no natural life is true. The life that humanity seeks and longs for can only be found in association with Jesus. The only true life is in God; all other forms are mundane or a lie. Jesus' self-identification as the vine is understood best in the context of his relationship with his community of followers. Thus, when Jesus spoke of himself as the vine, his words were not only self-revelatory, but revealed the interrelationship of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the community of faith.
The basic meaning of the parable is quite clear. Just as Jesus is the source of living water (4:10, 14) and the bread from heaven that gives life (6:35), so he is the life-giving vine. Before the metaphor, those concerned with receiving the gift of Jesus' life needed external actions; one had to drink the water or eat the bread of life. The imagery of the vine is more intimate, as befits the general theme of interiorization in the farewell discourse. In order to have life one must remain in Jesus as a branch stays on the vine. In comparing himself to a vine and his disciples as branches, Jesus makes himself known not only as the sustainer but also as the origin and source of true life that may only be found through union with him.
The image of the vine and branches has certain distinctions that should be understood. One important feature is that there is nothing futuristic in the description of the union between the vine and the branches. In several other passages of the farewell discourse, union with Jesus is described as belonging to the future (14:3, 20-22, 16:22). In this pericope, however, the disciples are already in union with Jesus, with the emphasis placed on remaining in this union. Some scholars suggest that this pericope is misplaced in the Johannine redaction, that Jesus orginally spoke these words on the road between Bethany and Jerusalem in conjunction with the cursing of the fig tree. Biblical exegetes also see some allegory in this passage. The removal of the unfruitful branches has been suggested to be a reference to the defection of Judas as being typical for all faithless disciples. The nurturing of the branches is seen as allegory for the growth of the Christian community. The church exists to teach and evangelize, but in order to do this well it must receive pruning at the hands of God.
Some scholars perceive Eucharistic connotations in this metaphor. Since Jesus gave this teaching at the Last Supper some understand the "fruit of the vine" as a reference to the Eucharist, especially since John makes no specific reference to the sacrament's institution in his Gospel. Exegetes have compared 15:5, "I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit ..." with 6:56 (part of the Bread of Life Discourse); "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me and I in them." An ancient tradition, now refuted, placed Jesus' metaphor of the vine and branches immediately after the distribution of the Eucharistic cup. Some scholars also point out that union with Christ in his death, central to our understanding of the Eucharist, is a central theme of the whole of chapter 15.
The image of community that emerges from this pericope is one of interrelationship, mutuality, and indwelling. In Jesus, the true vine, the life of God with the human race, the essence of Israel's true and desired existence has begun. The relationship of the vine to the branches conveys to the disciples a true sense of the profound intimacy of their relationship to Jesus Christ. Jesus had spoken of the intimacy of the disciples being in him and he in them. The metaphor of the vine and branches is an illustration of that intimacy. What the vine image suggests about community is that there are no free-standing individuals; all gain their origins, sustenance, and strength from the vine. The fruitfulness of each branch depends on its relationship to the vine, nothing else. What matters for John the evangelist is that each individual be rooted in Jesus, give up individual status, and become one of the true branches connected to the vine.
Context Of The Parable
Context In The Church Year
The Easter season is a time when we are challenged to renew our attitudes and review our actions. We reflect upon our own activities, efforts, and actions, but we must also be concerned about renewal of the whole Christian community. During this season we hear in our Sunday Scripture lessons about the early Christian community -- their hopes, dreams, and struggles -- as described by Saint Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. The story of the first followers of Jesus is inspiring in how they demonstrated true love for one another. They manifest this most basically in the way they lived as a community. The first Christians realized that the only way they could survive and grow was by working together. Community became a source of life for these people.
It is appropriate during this season of grace that the church provides Jesus' vivid image of the the vine and branches to remind us of our need for Christ and the church. United with Christ and combining our efforts with those of the Christian community as a whole will bring a rich harvest in God's kingdom. The church asks us through this metaphor of the vine and branches to renew our efforts to work together in building the Kingdom of God on earth.
Context With Other Gospels
The metaphor of the vine and branches is found only in the Gospel of John, but Scripture possesses many references to the image of the vineyard present in this pericope. The metaphor is prominent in both the Old and New Testamants. In the Hebrew Scriptures (Isaiah 5:1-7, Jeremiah 2:21, 12:10, Ezekiel 15:2-8, 19:10-14, and Hosea 10:1) the figure of the vine is descriptive of Israel as a nation. All these accounts picture the vine as a degenerate plant which has brought its sufferings upon itself. The parable of the wicked tenants (Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, and Luke 20:9-19) also illustrates the idea of the vineyard as representative of Israel. It is highly significant, therefore, that in the figure of the vine and the branches, Jesus applies this image to himself. The prophetic use of the image of the vine led to predictions of judgment and disaster. In stark contrast, Jesus uses the metaphor as the source and sustenance of life. In another context, some scholars have compared the figure of the vine and branches in John with the Pauline image of Christ as head of the body (1 Corinthians 12), although Paul's metaphor is more highly developed.
Context With First And Second Lessons
First Lesson: Acts 8:26-40. Philip's actions as an evangelist in this lesson from the Acts of the Apostles demonstrate the missionary spirit in the early church. The apostles and other disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, demonstrated their connection to the vine that is Jesus. Philip knew that his strength to preach God's message, to know when to speak and what to say to the Ethopian eunuch, was gained from his relationship with Jesus. He understood that with Jesus he could bear fruit, but apart from him he could do nothing. It was through the relationship which Jesus established with his followers and his teaching in such passages as the metaphor of the vine and the branches that the apostolic Church found the courage, strength, and perseverance to proclaim the Good News, often in less than friendly environments. We are challenged to find our sustenance in Christ and fearlessly go forward to tell others of our brother, savior, and lord -- Jesus Christ.
Second Lesson: 1 John 4:7-21. Saint John speaks of love as a response to God that finds its origins in our union with the Lord. He writes, "God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them" (v. 16b). Love, the basic manifestation of Christ's message on earth, will be discovered by staying in communion with Jesus. John tells us that we have a great need for Christ; he is the source of our life each day. If we separate ourselves from Jesus our ability to love will be destroyed and so too will our relationship with God's people. In order to imitate the life of God we must learn to love more fully, for, as John says, love is of God.
