The Fruitful Vine
Preaching
Preaching the Parables
Series II, Cycle B
What is a preacher to make of a parable or extended allegory about a vine in an urban and industrial culture? If you are living in a small town or a rural area, people might know something about growing grapes. They might know about the need to prune back old growth since the grapes only form on the new growth. But how many in a large city would know about cultivating a grape vine so that it produces a good crop? For them grapes are something you buy in the produce section of the supermarket.
Perhaps a more meaningful allegory might relate to electricity. After all, most of us are heavily dependent upon electrical current. We know that electricity is generated somewhere else. It has to be transmitted over an extensive network of lines to reach us. We can tap into it by plugging various devices into outlets and the current can produce light or heat or run various kinds of motors. It can even operate computers, radios, televisions, telephones and other devices that allow us to communicate with others or they to communicate with us. If we turn off the switch or a fuse is blown, we lose the power.
For most of us all this happens in some mysterious way that we do not fully understand. We take it for granted until something causes the electricity to fail. Then we are left in the dark, are cold, cannot cook, worry about things defrosting and spoiling, and have a kind of silence as telephone, television, radio and computer go dead.
Still, something is lacking in the allegory of electricity. It does not have the organic nature of a grape vine. It is mechanical. It does not have the same connection with life that the vine has. We are even rather uneasy about the suggestion that a computer that operates on electrical switches and magnetic memory is somewhat akin to the mind and has a capacity for "artificial intelligence."
So we probably go back to the allegory of the vine and try to make it understandable to a culture that is not agricultural. We are dealing with life and not some mechanical operation.
Context
Context of the Season
This Sunday is part of the season following Easter and before Pentecost. We are treating the implications of the crucifixion and resurrection. The passage for this Sunday is part of the preparation Jesus made for his disciples prior to his crucifixion but in anticipation of it. The disciples needed to be ready for the time when he would no longer be present in the flesh.
We, too, live without the physical presence of Jesus. We still need to relate to the spiritual presence of the resurrected Christ. After participating in the high days of Good Friday and Easter, people have a tendency to be let down. They need to be uplifted and reminded of the importance of continued abiding in Christ in the ongoing work with him beyond the celebrative occasions of the church year.
Context of the Lectionary
The First Lesson. (Acts 8:26-40) The passage relates the ministry of Philip and his encounter with the Ethiopian Eunuch. Philip was directed to travel the wilderness road from Jerusalem to Gaza. As he went he met the court official, who was reading the prophet Isaiah and was puzzled by the text about the sheep led to the slaughter. Philip was able to interpret it for him in the light of the recent crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. He enlarged upon it to tell him all the good news about Jesus. That led the Ethiopian to ask to be baptized, which Philip proceeded to do. The Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing.
The Second Lesson. (1 John 4:7-21) John asserts that God is love and all that means for love of brothers and sisters. God's love is manifested in the sending of his Son who was sacrificed out of love to atone for our sins. In response to that great love, we should abide in him and thereby manifest the same kind of love. He concludes the section with the observation that you cannot claim to love God if you hate your brothers and sisters.
Gospel. (John 15:1-8) The claim is one of the "I am" statements John attributes to Jesus. Jesus is the vine and the Father is the vinedresser. The image is further developed by suggesting that the disciples are the fruit of the vine if they stay connected to Jesus and produce works which demonstrate that connection.
Psalm. (Psalm 22:25-31) The emphasis of the Psalm is on the praise of the Lord. It is an affirmation of the trust that he will care for the poor and that he has dominion over life and death. That confidence extends unto future generations who will experience his deliverance.
Context of Related Scriptures
Psalm 80:8-19 - God transplants a vine from Egypt to plant it and tend it elsewhere.
Isaiah 5:1-7 - A love song concerning the vineyard.
Jeremiah 2:21 - A lament that the good transplanted vine became a wild one.
Ezekiel 15:1-6 - A judgment on the dead vine in the midst of the woods.
Ezekiel 19:10-14 - The image of a vine that has been subjected to fire.
Hosea 10:1 - Israel is compared to a luxuriant vine.
Matthew 21:28-41 - Two parables about the vineyard.
Galatians 5:22 - The fruits of the Spirit.
Content
Precis (John 15:1-8)
Jesus identifies himself as the vine and the vinegrower as the Father. He presses the analogy in several respects: the vinegrower removes the unfruitful branches; he prunes the branches to make them bear more fruit; the branches need to be attached to the vine and draw sustenance from them to bear fruit; and the unfruitful branches are eventually cut off, gathered and burned.
Jesus ends by an admonition to the disciples to abide in him and to bear appropriate fruit. In so doing they give God the honor due.
Thesis: Christ is the source of spiritual life and fruit for his disciples.
Theme: Abiding in the life and teachings of Christ is the source of the Christian's good works.
Key Words in the Parable
1. "I am." (v. 1) John repeatedly makes claims for the person of Jesus by using "I am" statements. He uses symbols of ordinary life-giving or life-protecting things such as water, bread, a shepherd and light to try to point beyond themselves to the greater being of Jesus. Because Jesus was so qualitatively different from other persons, he had to be described in these various ways to try to communicate his full grandeur.
2. "The True Vine." (v. 1) Usually the symbols chosen in the "I am" statements were qualified by some adjective that indicated Jesus' greatness beyond the symbol itself; thus it was "living" water, "good" shepherd and "true" vine. The symbol of the vine may have resulted from a double occurrence that night: they had drunk of the fruit of the vine at the supper in the upper room; the experience in Gethsamene, with its vineyards nearby, lay just ahead of them.
3. "The Vinegrower." (v. 1) The Old Testament frequently alluded to God as the vinegrower. Jesus had used parables of the vineyard with God represented as the vinegrower earlier in his teachings. The growing of grapes was a significant part of the Palestinian economy. A good or bad crop could make a substantial difference for the well-being of the society, especially where people generally lived on the margin. Careless vinegrowers who did not care well for the crop could affect the livelihood of many. In a like manner God watched over and cared for the livelihood of his people.
4. "Removes Every Branch." (v. 2) Any branch of a vine that does not bear fruit draws nourishment away from those that do. If they are permitted to remain on the vine, the crop will be smaller and of less quality. So a good vinedresser will remove the non-bearing branches.
5. "He Prunes." (v. 2) Pruning is necessary to force the vine to produce new growth. It is on the new growth that fruit develops. The more new growth, the greater the harvest.
6. "Already Cleansed." (v. 3) The allusion here is probably twofold. In chapter 13 John had told of the footwashing and the rebuke of Peter when he wanted to be washed all over (vv. 9, 10). In the following verse (v. 11) Jesus referred to the exclusion of Judas as a part of the cleansing process. This represents a bit of mixing of the metaphor, though cutting off the dead branches and pruning the fruit-bearing branches was a type of cleansing. A word play is found in Greek between "pruning" (airei) and "cleaning" (cathairei).
7. "The Word." (v. 3) The word is not simply the letters on a page or the sound of a voice. It is produced by the breath, which is the same word in Greek and Hebrew as spirit. A spoken word carried with it the breath or life force of the person who said it. Jesus spoke with the authority of his person and thus carried with it the cleansing of forgiveness.
8. "Abide in me." (vv. 4, 5, 7) Persons who are in harmony with each other receive mutual strength. John has a mystical sense of life force flowing between persons. Where the disciples were in unity of thought and purpose with Jesus, they partook of the same energy for life that he received from the Father.
9. "Glorified." (v. 8) The Father is honored when additional disciples are won to obedience to God's commands and they bear fruit. That is the purpose of the vine being attached to the branches. It is a foreshadowing of the mandate given after the resurrection to the disciples in Matthew 28:18, 19 and to Peter in John 21:15-17.
Contemplation
Issues and Insights
1. Unity in Diversity. The image of the vine suggests a unity in diversity. The vine has roots that give rise to the stock. From the stock, branches develop. The branch puts forth shoots. From the shoots come the multiplicity of leaves and grapes. They show forth a diversity and yet are so connected that the parts relate to each other to form a living plant.
In like manner the church shows a diversity of parts but a connectedness that gives it a wholeness in organic unity. It becomes a living body when it is connected to God through Christ. The Holy Spirit energizes the church as it flows through the lives of the members. The church in its various branches brings forth a multiplicity of fruits from its differing members.
2. Love and Obedience. The vine is used as a symbol of connectedness. Jesus calls upon his disciples to live according to the command of love. Such a love is more than an emotional feeling of liking someone. It moves back and forth in such a way that it works for the welfare of all the members and thus seeks the welfare of the whole. It is more a matter of the will and intent to act than it is of a sentiment or emotion.
To God in Christ mutual love in the church represents a response of gratitude for the way his love is given for us. That gratitude is also more than a sentiment. It is a desire and a willingness to be like Christ, to have him control our life. We then become his emissaries, reaching out to others with concern for their welfare, as Christ has expressed his toward us. That leads us to obedience to God's commands as given to us by Jesus Christ. We know that it is in obedience to God's intents and purposes that we realize our highest welfare, and that is true for others as well. So we invite them to the same goodness of life which we enjoy.
3. Fruit: Cause or Effect? It is not our fruit, our works that connect us to the vine. It is because we are connected to the vine that we are able to produce fruit. The old argument of faith or works is resolved in the image of the vine. We do not come to salvation because of our works. We come to salvation because of God's action and our response of trust and faith in Christ.
Nevertheless, we cannot say that we have known the saving grace of Christ unless it produces fruit. It must produce the works of righteousness or we are not truly connected to him as living branches are connected to the vine. If we fail to bring forth the fruits because of the life of Christ flowing into us through the activity of the Holy Spirit, we are as dead wood that is to be discarded.
4. Pruning the Vine. The church has usually found discipline a difficult problem. This parable with its image of the pruning of the vine and the cutting away of dead branches suggests the need for some discipline. The issue is not whether discipline is needed, but who exercises it, how it is done, and for what end.
It is clear that with the help of the Holy Spirit and the teachings and example of Jesus Christ we need to cut out of our lives that which prevents us from living according to the commands of God. All of us come into fellowship with Christ with sins in our being. We constantly struggle with our weaknesses and failures despite our best intentions and strongest efforts. Our resolve to be faithful in following Christ needs to be renewed and upheld constantly. As someone has said, the church is composed of persons who are forgiven sinners who are also sinners needing to be forgiven.
The harder questions are whether the corporate body exercises some kind of discipline over us and how. It seems clear from the teachings and examples of the New Testament that discipline should be for redemption and not as punishment or vengeance. It always needs to be tempered with compassion for the person enmeshed in sin. Too often in church history that was lost from sight. Such legal fictions as turning over to the state for punishment those who were to be disciplined were used. It at least recognized that the church should be redemptive and not punitive.
Some congregations have acknowledged that some persons no longer show by their actions in producing fruits that they are committed to that particular manifestation of the Body of Christ. After repeated attempts to renew the relationship or urging such members to join another congregation where they would be in active fellowship, they remove the members from the roll of the congregation. The congregation does not thereby pass final judgment as to whether the person is still a Christian. It does try to let the persons know their true condition. The members have shown by their inactivity and lack of connectedness that they are no longer in living fellowship with that congregation.
5. Abiding in Christ. If a vine is cut off from the source in its root, it dies. Likewise the new life in Christ withers and dies unless it is continuously nourished by drawing on the source of life. The fellowship with Christ needs to be renewed regularly. That needs to be done in a variety of ways.
One way to renew the spirit is by participating in the worship of the church. Through the reminders in the public reading of scripture, in corporate prayer, in the rituals which are done in remembrance of what Christ has done, and in the living word proclaimed by a living messenger, a person is brought back into contact with the source and can be again renewed.
Perhaps even more important is a regular practice of prayer, study of the scripture, meditation on the person of Christ, and reflection on what the will of God calls us to do each day. It also means acknowledging our failures, accepting forgiveness, and through gratitude for the opportunity for new beginnings to seek to be more faithful in producing good fruits.
A further way to stay in contact with the source of Christian life is to look upon each person with whom we relate and to try to see him as Christ would see him. We look at him not in our self-righteousness, but asking, "What do I see of Christ in this person potentially? How can I help him to come to the fullness of Christ by the way I relate to this person?"
Homily Hints
1. The Vine and the Branches. (vv. 1-8) The sermon could go one of two directions: the unity of a church despite differences among persons, between congregations, or even between denominations; or it might discuss the variety of gifts needed by the Body of Christ.
A. The God of Diversity
B. The Contributions of Differences
C. The Organic Nature of Our Unity
2. Pruning and Cleansing. (v. 2) The need we have to examine ourselves constantly and to cut away that which is dead wood.
A. Cutting away the Evil
B. Restricting Wants and Desires
C. Filling Life with Positive Good
3. Abiding in Christ. (vv. 4-6) Review the issue of how persons can draw strength and grow by fellowship with Christ. What are the resources and techniques for receiving the Holy Spirit's presence?
A. Productive Prayer Life - Includes waiting for Christ to speak to our condition and the Holy Spirit to empower us to do as he directs.
B. Searching the Scriptures - Using them to help know the person and message of Christ.
C. Exercising Obedience - As the body is strengthened by exercise, so the spirit develops strength by consciously ordering behavior to concur with the commands and examples of Jesus.
D. Fellowship of Believers - Using the support, encouragement and discernment of other Christians to bring us to fellowship with Christ.
4. Discipleship and Fruitbearing. (vv. 2, 4, 5, 8) If we receive the forgiving and renewing power of Christ, we should bear the fruits and give evidence of it.
A. The Fruits of Witnessing
B. The Fruits of Ethical Action
C. The Fruits of Good Works
D. The Fruits of the Beloved Community
5. How to Glorify God. (v. 8) What in the Christian life gives honor and respect to God? How does our life show the God whom we worship?
A. Loving Fellow Christians - Mutual Welfare
B. Loving Our Neighbors - The Welfare of Outsiders
C. Loving Our Enemies - The Ultimate Test of Love
D. Winning Others to God - The Evangelistic Impulse
Contact
Points of Contact
1. Dependence to Interdependence. Persons are not isolated individuals. We are born almost entirely dependent upon others to survive and grow to maturity. We never become entirely independent. We always need at least other life to give us life. Even the hermit or recluse has to have food that comes from other life forms. The mature individuals are the persons who have the capacity to give life to others through their life.
In the life of the Spirit we need to be nourished by the Holy Spirit to give newness and maturity to others. We move from dependence for the new birth to where we have the capacity to help others come to newness of life by inviting them to come to Christ as the source of the life of the spirit. We become interdependent when we receive from outside ourselves the nurture that we need, but we also give so that others can also grow spiritually.
2. Fruitful Service. Everyone wants life to be meaningful and significant. Persons often feel that their life counts for very little or that they have little power or not much to contribute. When they can identify with the Kingdom of God and the glory of God's work, they can realize their own significance as part of the larger scheme of things.
The fruits of the spirit are not necessarily measured by the standards of success that the world around us uses. The fruits of the spirit are measured by the degree of our faithfulness in following Christ. To the world in general that may not appear as significant, but if we believe and trust that Christ really shows us the full meaning of life and history, then such trust and obedience is of the most significance.
We speak of having a worship service. Even true worship in which we commit our lives to honoring God and acting in accord with God's will for our lives is an act of fruitful service. It will then lead us into other acts of fruitful service outside of the formal worship services.
3. Character and Personality. Character is formed and personality develops according to the goals and purposes of life. If we have as our goal to grow in Christ-likeness, in the image of God that we have seen in Jesus, then our acts in moving toward that goal will change our character and form our personality.
One of the characteristics that distinguishes human personhood from other animals is our ability to choose and shape our own destiny. Abiding in Christ is a choice that is built-in for the Christian. It is the recognition that Jesus Christ is the apex of development of character and personality. To dedicate life to openness to his spirit and the transformation of our life becomes a life-shaping activity.
4. Ridding Life of Obstacles to Growth. Temptation to do what we know we should not is a common human experience. At times our natural impulses and desires tend to take over and direct our actions. They may be as mild as the temptation to take those extra calories. They may be as extreme as the hate for someone sufficient to want to injure or kill him. They may even drive one to such despair that we want to take our own life.
It is very difficult to prune away these impulses or desires by our own resolve alone. It is not enough just to say "no" to them. The most effective way of ridding our lives from these obstacles to spiritual growth is to replace the impulses and desires with an alternative and positive impulse or desire. Abiding in Christ may give hope instead of despair. Trying to work for the welfare of others because of Christ's love for them may turn hate into love. Hungering for the approval of Christ and for righteousness may replace hunger for those calories.
Psychologists tell us that feelings are likely to follow our actions. So if we act as Christ would act even when we don't feel like it, and thus abide in him, our feelings toward others and ourselves are likely to conform to Christ's commands.
5. The Consequences Lead to Joy. Some would emphasize the dread of the fire that burns the dead branches. The joy in Christ and the glorification of God does not come from the motive of fear.
Joy comes from the awareness of approval of God in Christ. It comes from awareness of being in fellowship and under the care of a loving God. It comes from the awareness that our life is empowered and directed by the very source and meaning of life itself. It comes not so much because of what we do, but who we are as persons connected to God in Christ.
Illustrative Materials
1. Abiding and Acting. Two major figures in church history demonstrate the results of meditation and devotion to Christ, abiding in him.
A. Bernard of Clairvaux was a monk who was part of the movement of the Medieval period that tried to achieve a mystical union with God. He is noted for his steps to mystical union which he composed. The story is told that he was riding a donkey along beautiful Lake Geneva. Anyone who has been there knows the magnificent scenery that surrounds it. That evening at supper he raised the query as to whether they had passed some body of water during the day. He was so engrossed in his meditation that he was scarcely aware of the grandeur around him!
Too often we tend to think of such persons as detached and not very active. That was not true of Bernard. He was amazingly productive. He founded the monastery at Clairvaux in eastern France. From there monasteries were founded under his guidance in eight other countries. He carried on a voluminous correspondence with all these countries. He was a counselor to kings and several popes. He may in fact have been the most powerful person in Europe at the time. He was also very productive in writing.
B. John Wesley is known for his piety and the holiness movement that arose from his life. The name Methodist comes from a club which his brother Charles started at Oxford and which John joined. It was a life of methodical prayer and scripture study. John pursued such contemplation throughout his life.
Again, he was amazingly productive and active. He preached two to four times every day, preaching more than 40,000 sermons in his lifetime. He traveled 4500 miles per year carrying his message throughout the country, most of it by horseback. He also visited Ireland and Scotland many times and went twice to the Netherlands.
2. Techniques for Abiding.
A. Brother Lawrence was a monk who was known for practicing the presence of God. He tried to be aware of God no matter what he was doing. Even while he was cooking he would carry on an internal conversation with God. His life and character have been an inspiration to countless others because of this simple way of trying always to know Christ was present with him in everything he did.
B. Frank Laubach is widely known for starting a literacy movement. The motto that he used to spread teaching to read was "Each One Teach One."
He may be less known for his "Game of Minutes." He tried to bring back into consciousness each minute that God was speaking to him and directing him. When speaking to groups, he would at times pause, look up and, talking to himself, say, "Thank you, God, for giving me that thought. I had not thought of it before." That was not self-righteous posing but was a result of his "Game of Minutes."
3. Different Fruits. Some wonder if Christians should produce fruits of evangelism or social action. That is a false choice. If we use the analogy of the vine, we know that different kinds of grapes come from different vines. My wife noted that green and red grapes were on sale at a local supermarket. She asked me to buy a bunch. When I got there and saw they were the same price, I could not decide which to buy so I bought some of each! They were both delicious.
In the '60s we lived in a house that had been owned by an avid gardener. On our lot we had a tree to which he had grafted two additional branches. The tree produced two kinds of apples and one of pears. All of them were good fruits.
4. Effects of Pruning. In the new property that a couple bought they had a small grape vine area. The first year they had such a harvest that the wife felt it was more than they needed. She did try to preserve all of the grapes by making grape juice and jelly.
The second year she felt it was too much to harvest and process so she gave many of the grapes away to neighbors and friends. The third year they did not want that many grapes. So in the spring she proceeded to cut back the vines radically, presuming that they would not produce as much. Instead the vines had new growth and the harvest was even more abundant than before.
5. Why Prune? Not only vines but also other fruit trees need to be pruned. The secret of pruning is to cut back excess growth so that the sap can give life to new growth where fruit develops. The pruning should also let in as much sunlight as possible so that the leaves can store the energy of the sun. The pruning needs to allow space for the fruit to mature. If you want large fruit such as peaches, pears or apples, you should also thin out the fruit so that more of the nourishment goes into those that are left.
Perhaps a more meaningful allegory might relate to electricity. After all, most of us are heavily dependent upon electrical current. We know that electricity is generated somewhere else. It has to be transmitted over an extensive network of lines to reach us. We can tap into it by plugging various devices into outlets and the current can produce light or heat or run various kinds of motors. It can even operate computers, radios, televisions, telephones and other devices that allow us to communicate with others or they to communicate with us. If we turn off the switch or a fuse is blown, we lose the power.
For most of us all this happens in some mysterious way that we do not fully understand. We take it for granted until something causes the electricity to fail. Then we are left in the dark, are cold, cannot cook, worry about things defrosting and spoiling, and have a kind of silence as telephone, television, radio and computer go dead.
Still, something is lacking in the allegory of electricity. It does not have the organic nature of a grape vine. It is mechanical. It does not have the same connection with life that the vine has. We are even rather uneasy about the suggestion that a computer that operates on electrical switches and magnetic memory is somewhat akin to the mind and has a capacity for "artificial intelligence."
So we probably go back to the allegory of the vine and try to make it understandable to a culture that is not agricultural. We are dealing with life and not some mechanical operation.
Context
Context of the Season
This Sunday is part of the season following Easter and before Pentecost. We are treating the implications of the crucifixion and resurrection. The passage for this Sunday is part of the preparation Jesus made for his disciples prior to his crucifixion but in anticipation of it. The disciples needed to be ready for the time when he would no longer be present in the flesh.
We, too, live without the physical presence of Jesus. We still need to relate to the spiritual presence of the resurrected Christ. After participating in the high days of Good Friday and Easter, people have a tendency to be let down. They need to be uplifted and reminded of the importance of continued abiding in Christ in the ongoing work with him beyond the celebrative occasions of the church year.
Context of the Lectionary
The First Lesson. (Acts 8:26-40) The passage relates the ministry of Philip and his encounter with the Ethiopian Eunuch. Philip was directed to travel the wilderness road from Jerusalem to Gaza. As he went he met the court official, who was reading the prophet Isaiah and was puzzled by the text about the sheep led to the slaughter. Philip was able to interpret it for him in the light of the recent crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. He enlarged upon it to tell him all the good news about Jesus. That led the Ethiopian to ask to be baptized, which Philip proceeded to do. The Ethiopian went on his way rejoicing.
The Second Lesson. (1 John 4:7-21) John asserts that God is love and all that means for love of brothers and sisters. God's love is manifested in the sending of his Son who was sacrificed out of love to atone for our sins. In response to that great love, we should abide in him and thereby manifest the same kind of love. He concludes the section with the observation that you cannot claim to love God if you hate your brothers and sisters.
Gospel. (John 15:1-8) The claim is one of the "I am" statements John attributes to Jesus. Jesus is the vine and the Father is the vinedresser. The image is further developed by suggesting that the disciples are the fruit of the vine if they stay connected to Jesus and produce works which demonstrate that connection.
Psalm. (Psalm 22:25-31) The emphasis of the Psalm is on the praise of the Lord. It is an affirmation of the trust that he will care for the poor and that he has dominion over life and death. That confidence extends unto future generations who will experience his deliverance.
Context of Related Scriptures
Psalm 80:8-19 - God transplants a vine from Egypt to plant it and tend it elsewhere.
Isaiah 5:1-7 - A love song concerning the vineyard.
Jeremiah 2:21 - A lament that the good transplanted vine became a wild one.
Ezekiel 15:1-6 - A judgment on the dead vine in the midst of the woods.
Ezekiel 19:10-14 - The image of a vine that has been subjected to fire.
Hosea 10:1 - Israel is compared to a luxuriant vine.
Matthew 21:28-41 - Two parables about the vineyard.
Galatians 5:22 - The fruits of the Spirit.
Content
Precis (John 15:1-8)
Jesus identifies himself as the vine and the vinegrower as the Father. He presses the analogy in several respects: the vinegrower removes the unfruitful branches; he prunes the branches to make them bear more fruit; the branches need to be attached to the vine and draw sustenance from them to bear fruit; and the unfruitful branches are eventually cut off, gathered and burned.
Jesus ends by an admonition to the disciples to abide in him and to bear appropriate fruit. In so doing they give God the honor due.
Thesis: Christ is the source of spiritual life and fruit for his disciples.
Theme: Abiding in the life and teachings of Christ is the source of the Christian's good works.
Key Words in the Parable
1. "I am." (v. 1) John repeatedly makes claims for the person of Jesus by using "I am" statements. He uses symbols of ordinary life-giving or life-protecting things such as water, bread, a shepherd and light to try to point beyond themselves to the greater being of Jesus. Because Jesus was so qualitatively different from other persons, he had to be described in these various ways to try to communicate his full grandeur.
2. "The True Vine." (v. 1) Usually the symbols chosen in the "I am" statements were qualified by some adjective that indicated Jesus' greatness beyond the symbol itself; thus it was "living" water, "good" shepherd and "true" vine. The symbol of the vine may have resulted from a double occurrence that night: they had drunk of the fruit of the vine at the supper in the upper room; the experience in Gethsamene, with its vineyards nearby, lay just ahead of them.
3. "The Vinegrower." (v. 1) The Old Testament frequently alluded to God as the vinegrower. Jesus had used parables of the vineyard with God represented as the vinegrower earlier in his teachings. The growing of grapes was a significant part of the Palestinian economy. A good or bad crop could make a substantial difference for the well-being of the society, especially where people generally lived on the margin. Careless vinegrowers who did not care well for the crop could affect the livelihood of many. In a like manner God watched over and cared for the livelihood of his people.
4. "Removes Every Branch." (v. 2) Any branch of a vine that does not bear fruit draws nourishment away from those that do. If they are permitted to remain on the vine, the crop will be smaller and of less quality. So a good vinedresser will remove the non-bearing branches.
5. "He Prunes." (v. 2) Pruning is necessary to force the vine to produce new growth. It is on the new growth that fruit develops. The more new growth, the greater the harvest.
6. "Already Cleansed." (v. 3) The allusion here is probably twofold. In chapter 13 John had told of the footwashing and the rebuke of Peter when he wanted to be washed all over (vv. 9, 10). In the following verse (v. 11) Jesus referred to the exclusion of Judas as a part of the cleansing process. This represents a bit of mixing of the metaphor, though cutting off the dead branches and pruning the fruit-bearing branches was a type of cleansing. A word play is found in Greek between "pruning" (airei) and "cleaning" (cathairei).
7. "The Word." (v. 3) The word is not simply the letters on a page or the sound of a voice. It is produced by the breath, which is the same word in Greek and Hebrew as spirit. A spoken word carried with it the breath or life force of the person who said it. Jesus spoke with the authority of his person and thus carried with it the cleansing of forgiveness.
8. "Abide in me." (vv. 4, 5, 7) Persons who are in harmony with each other receive mutual strength. John has a mystical sense of life force flowing between persons. Where the disciples were in unity of thought and purpose with Jesus, they partook of the same energy for life that he received from the Father.
9. "Glorified." (v. 8) The Father is honored when additional disciples are won to obedience to God's commands and they bear fruit. That is the purpose of the vine being attached to the branches. It is a foreshadowing of the mandate given after the resurrection to the disciples in Matthew 28:18, 19 and to Peter in John 21:15-17.
Contemplation
Issues and Insights
1. Unity in Diversity. The image of the vine suggests a unity in diversity. The vine has roots that give rise to the stock. From the stock, branches develop. The branch puts forth shoots. From the shoots come the multiplicity of leaves and grapes. They show forth a diversity and yet are so connected that the parts relate to each other to form a living plant.
In like manner the church shows a diversity of parts but a connectedness that gives it a wholeness in organic unity. It becomes a living body when it is connected to God through Christ. The Holy Spirit energizes the church as it flows through the lives of the members. The church in its various branches brings forth a multiplicity of fruits from its differing members.
2. Love and Obedience. The vine is used as a symbol of connectedness. Jesus calls upon his disciples to live according to the command of love. Such a love is more than an emotional feeling of liking someone. It moves back and forth in such a way that it works for the welfare of all the members and thus seeks the welfare of the whole. It is more a matter of the will and intent to act than it is of a sentiment or emotion.
To God in Christ mutual love in the church represents a response of gratitude for the way his love is given for us. That gratitude is also more than a sentiment. It is a desire and a willingness to be like Christ, to have him control our life. We then become his emissaries, reaching out to others with concern for their welfare, as Christ has expressed his toward us. That leads us to obedience to God's commands as given to us by Jesus Christ. We know that it is in obedience to God's intents and purposes that we realize our highest welfare, and that is true for others as well. So we invite them to the same goodness of life which we enjoy.
3. Fruit: Cause or Effect? It is not our fruit, our works that connect us to the vine. It is because we are connected to the vine that we are able to produce fruit. The old argument of faith or works is resolved in the image of the vine. We do not come to salvation because of our works. We come to salvation because of God's action and our response of trust and faith in Christ.
Nevertheless, we cannot say that we have known the saving grace of Christ unless it produces fruit. It must produce the works of righteousness or we are not truly connected to him as living branches are connected to the vine. If we fail to bring forth the fruits because of the life of Christ flowing into us through the activity of the Holy Spirit, we are as dead wood that is to be discarded.
4. Pruning the Vine. The church has usually found discipline a difficult problem. This parable with its image of the pruning of the vine and the cutting away of dead branches suggests the need for some discipline. The issue is not whether discipline is needed, but who exercises it, how it is done, and for what end.
It is clear that with the help of the Holy Spirit and the teachings and example of Jesus Christ we need to cut out of our lives that which prevents us from living according to the commands of God. All of us come into fellowship with Christ with sins in our being. We constantly struggle with our weaknesses and failures despite our best intentions and strongest efforts. Our resolve to be faithful in following Christ needs to be renewed and upheld constantly. As someone has said, the church is composed of persons who are forgiven sinners who are also sinners needing to be forgiven.
The harder questions are whether the corporate body exercises some kind of discipline over us and how. It seems clear from the teachings and examples of the New Testament that discipline should be for redemption and not as punishment or vengeance. It always needs to be tempered with compassion for the person enmeshed in sin. Too often in church history that was lost from sight. Such legal fictions as turning over to the state for punishment those who were to be disciplined were used. It at least recognized that the church should be redemptive and not punitive.
Some congregations have acknowledged that some persons no longer show by their actions in producing fruits that they are committed to that particular manifestation of the Body of Christ. After repeated attempts to renew the relationship or urging such members to join another congregation where they would be in active fellowship, they remove the members from the roll of the congregation. The congregation does not thereby pass final judgment as to whether the person is still a Christian. It does try to let the persons know their true condition. The members have shown by their inactivity and lack of connectedness that they are no longer in living fellowship with that congregation.
5. Abiding in Christ. If a vine is cut off from the source in its root, it dies. Likewise the new life in Christ withers and dies unless it is continuously nourished by drawing on the source of life. The fellowship with Christ needs to be renewed regularly. That needs to be done in a variety of ways.
One way to renew the spirit is by participating in the worship of the church. Through the reminders in the public reading of scripture, in corporate prayer, in the rituals which are done in remembrance of what Christ has done, and in the living word proclaimed by a living messenger, a person is brought back into contact with the source and can be again renewed.
Perhaps even more important is a regular practice of prayer, study of the scripture, meditation on the person of Christ, and reflection on what the will of God calls us to do each day. It also means acknowledging our failures, accepting forgiveness, and through gratitude for the opportunity for new beginnings to seek to be more faithful in producing good fruits.
A further way to stay in contact with the source of Christian life is to look upon each person with whom we relate and to try to see him as Christ would see him. We look at him not in our self-righteousness, but asking, "What do I see of Christ in this person potentially? How can I help him to come to the fullness of Christ by the way I relate to this person?"
Homily Hints
1. The Vine and the Branches. (vv. 1-8) The sermon could go one of two directions: the unity of a church despite differences among persons, between congregations, or even between denominations; or it might discuss the variety of gifts needed by the Body of Christ.
A. The God of Diversity
B. The Contributions of Differences
C. The Organic Nature of Our Unity
2. Pruning and Cleansing. (v. 2) The need we have to examine ourselves constantly and to cut away that which is dead wood.
A. Cutting away the Evil
B. Restricting Wants and Desires
C. Filling Life with Positive Good
3. Abiding in Christ. (vv. 4-6) Review the issue of how persons can draw strength and grow by fellowship with Christ. What are the resources and techniques for receiving the Holy Spirit's presence?
A. Productive Prayer Life - Includes waiting for Christ to speak to our condition and the Holy Spirit to empower us to do as he directs.
B. Searching the Scriptures - Using them to help know the person and message of Christ.
C. Exercising Obedience - As the body is strengthened by exercise, so the spirit develops strength by consciously ordering behavior to concur with the commands and examples of Jesus.
D. Fellowship of Believers - Using the support, encouragement and discernment of other Christians to bring us to fellowship with Christ.
4. Discipleship and Fruitbearing. (vv. 2, 4, 5, 8) If we receive the forgiving and renewing power of Christ, we should bear the fruits and give evidence of it.
A. The Fruits of Witnessing
B. The Fruits of Ethical Action
C. The Fruits of Good Works
D. The Fruits of the Beloved Community
5. How to Glorify God. (v. 8) What in the Christian life gives honor and respect to God? How does our life show the God whom we worship?
A. Loving Fellow Christians - Mutual Welfare
B. Loving Our Neighbors - The Welfare of Outsiders
C. Loving Our Enemies - The Ultimate Test of Love
D. Winning Others to God - The Evangelistic Impulse
Contact
Points of Contact
1. Dependence to Interdependence. Persons are not isolated individuals. We are born almost entirely dependent upon others to survive and grow to maturity. We never become entirely independent. We always need at least other life to give us life. Even the hermit or recluse has to have food that comes from other life forms. The mature individuals are the persons who have the capacity to give life to others through their life.
In the life of the Spirit we need to be nourished by the Holy Spirit to give newness and maturity to others. We move from dependence for the new birth to where we have the capacity to help others come to newness of life by inviting them to come to Christ as the source of the life of the spirit. We become interdependent when we receive from outside ourselves the nurture that we need, but we also give so that others can also grow spiritually.
2. Fruitful Service. Everyone wants life to be meaningful and significant. Persons often feel that their life counts for very little or that they have little power or not much to contribute. When they can identify with the Kingdom of God and the glory of God's work, they can realize their own significance as part of the larger scheme of things.
The fruits of the spirit are not necessarily measured by the standards of success that the world around us uses. The fruits of the spirit are measured by the degree of our faithfulness in following Christ. To the world in general that may not appear as significant, but if we believe and trust that Christ really shows us the full meaning of life and history, then such trust and obedience is of the most significance.
We speak of having a worship service. Even true worship in which we commit our lives to honoring God and acting in accord with God's will for our lives is an act of fruitful service. It will then lead us into other acts of fruitful service outside of the formal worship services.
3. Character and Personality. Character is formed and personality develops according to the goals and purposes of life. If we have as our goal to grow in Christ-likeness, in the image of God that we have seen in Jesus, then our acts in moving toward that goal will change our character and form our personality.
One of the characteristics that distinguishes human personhood from other animals is our ability to choose and shape our own destiny. Abiding in Christ is a choice that is built-in for the Christian. It is the recognition that Jesus Christ is the apex of development of character and personality. To dedicate life to openness to his spirit and the transformation of our life becomes a life-shaping activity.
4. Ridding Life of Obstacles to Growth. Temptation to do what we know we should not is a common human experience. At times our natural impulses and desires tend to take over and direct our actions. They may be as mild as the temptation to take those extra calories. They may be as extreme as the hate for someone sufficient to want to injure or kill him. They may even drive one to such despair that we want to take our own life.
It is very difficult to prune away these impulses or desires by our own resolve alone. It is not enough just to say "no" to them. The most effective way of ridding our lives from these obstacles to spiritual growth is to replace the impulses and desires with an alternative and positive impulse or desire. Abiding in Christ may give hope instead of despair. Trying to work for the welfare of others because of Christ's love for them may turn hate into love. Hungering for the approval of Christ and for righteousness may replace hunger for those calories.
Psychologists tell us that feelings are likely to follow our actions. So if we act as Christ would act even when we don't feel like it, and thus abide in him, our feelings toward others and ourselves are likely to conform to Christ's commands.
5. The Consequences Lead to Joy. Some would emphasize the dread of the fire that burns the dead branches. The joy in Christ and the glorification of God does not come from the motive of fear.
Joy comes from the awareness of approval of God in Christ. It comes from awareness of being in fellowship and under the care of a loving God. It comes from the awareness that our life is empowered and directed by the very source and meaning of life itself. It comes not so much because of what we do, but who we are as persons connected to God in Christ.
Illustrative Materials
1. Abiding and Acting. Two major figures in church history demonstrate the results of meditation and devotion to Christ, abiding in him.
A. Bernard of Clairvaux was a monk who was part of the movement of the Medieval period that tried to achieve a mystical union with God. He is noted for his steps to mystical union which he composed. The story is told that he was riding a donkey along beautiful Lake Geneva. Anyone who has been there knows the magnificent scenery that surrounds it. That evening at supper he raised the query as to whether they had passed some body of water during the day. He was so engrossed in his meditation that he was scarcely aware of the grandeur around him!
Too often we tend to think of such persons as detached and not very active. That was not true of Bernard. He was amazingly productive. He founded the monastery at Clairvaux in eastern France. From there monasteries were founded under his guidance in eight other countries. He carried on a voluminous correspondence with all these countries. He was a counselor to kings and several popes. He may in fact have been the most powerful person in Europe at the time. He was also very productive in writing.
B. John Wesley is known for his piety and the holiness movement that arose from his life. The name Methodist comes from a club which his brother Charles started at Oxford and which John joined. It was a life of methodical prayer and scripture study. John pursued such contemplation throughout his life.
Again, he was amazingly productive and active. He preached two to four times every day, preaching more than 40,000 sermons in his lifetime. He traveled 4500 miles per year carrying his message throughout the country, most of it by horseback. He also visited Ireland and Scotland many times and went twice to the Netherlands.
2. Techniques for Abiding.
A. Brother Lawrence was a monk who was known for practicing the presence of God. He tried to be aware of God no matter what he was doing. Even while he was cooking he would carry on an internal conversation with God. His life and character have been an inspiration to countless others because of this simple way of trying always to know Christ was present with him in everything he did.
B. Frank Laubach is widely known for starting a literacy movement. The motto that he used to spread teaching to read was "Each One Teach One."
He may be less known for his "Game of Minutes." He tried to bring back into consciousness each minute that God was speaking to him and directing him. When speaking to groups, he would at times pause, look up and, talking to himself, say, "Thank you, God, for giving me that thought. I had not thought of it before." That was not self-righteous posing but was a result of his "Game of Minutes."
3. Different Fruits. Some wonder if Christians should produce fruits of evangelism or social action. That is a false choice. If we use the analogy of the vine, we know that different kinds of grapes come from different vines. My wife noted that green and red grapes were on sale at a local supermarket. She asked me to buy a bunch. When I got there and saw they were the same price, I could not decide which to buy so I bought some of each! They were both delicious.
In the '60s we lived in a house that had been owned by an avid gardener. On our lot we had a tree to which he had grafted two additional branches. The tree produced two kinds of apples and one of pears. All of them were good fruits.
4. Effects of Pruning. In the new property that a couple bought they had a small grape vine area. The first year they had such a harvest that the wife felt it was more than they needed. She did try to preserve all of the grapes by making grape juice and jelly.
The second year she felt it was too much to harvest and process so she gave many of the grapes away to neighbors and friends. The third year they did not want that many grapes. So in the spring she proceeded to cut back the vines radically, presuming that they would not produce as much. Instead the vines had new growth and the harvest was even more abundant than before.
5. Why Prune? Not only vines but also other fruit trees need to be pruned. The secret of pruning is to cut back excess growth so that the sap can give life to new growth where fruit develops. The pruning should also let in as much sunlight as possible so that the leaves can store the energy of the sun. The pruning needs to allow space for the fruit to mature. If you want large fruit such as peaches, pears or apples, you should also thin out the fruit so that more of the nourishment goes into those that are left.
