A homily by Fr. Gene Tucker, given at
“CHANGE – INEVITABLE AND PRODUCTIVE”
“I am the
true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”
Jesus’
words continue a long stream of “I am” statements which we find in John’s
gospel account. Nowhere else in the
gospel writings do we find such a wonderful and distinctive collection of
Jesus’ self-identifying remarks. Recall
with me that we heard in last week’s gospel reading Jesus’ statement, “I am the
good shepherd.”
Now, today,
we consider the relationship between Jesus Christ and the individual believer, illustrated
with the familiar image of a vine and its various branches.
(Jesus is
drawing on a familiar image by using the vine and the branches….In Isaiah 5: 1
– 7 we read of the house of Israel
Jesus’ use
of an agricultural image is common….often, He would tell parables about seeds,
about different kinds of soil, about vineyards.
Though most
of us are no longer farmers, Jesus’ image of the vine and the branches remains
a good illustrator for us…we can easily identify with the relationship between
a vine and its branches.
So, though the
image of the vine and its branches is familiar, let’s explore the implications
that this image carries with it, and come to some conclusions which might apply
to our walk with God as we make our way.
Dependence on the vine: The first thing we might notice is that
the branches are totally dependent on the vine for nutrients and for
support. Without the vine to support the
branches, the branches would be unable to orient their leaves toward the
sun. The process of photosynthesis would
cease, and the branch would die.
Likewise, the nutrients that come up from the root system into the vine
are what provide the branches with the raw material that they need to produce
fruit.
In our walk
with God, we are totally dependent upon the vine (Jesus Christ) for the ability
to maintain our orientation toward the light (light is a dominant theme in
John’s writings), and for the raw materials (which are Jesus’ words) that will
produce good fruit.
Put another
way, what we need for our spiritual life is available only through Jesus
Christ. It is available nowhere else,
and we are unable – on our own – to produce what we need in order to be
fruitful. Jesus is explicit in
describing the exclusive relationship that He alone provides….in John 14: 6, we
hear Him say, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father
but through me.”
A close relationship: Ever try to figure out just where a branch
ends and where the vine’s stem begins?
It’s a tough thing to try to figure out.
Here the image bears considering….remember Jesus’ words as He says,
“Abide in me, and I in you.” We hear
this statement a number of times in our gospel reading this morning. The image of the vine and the branches is a
close one, so close, in fact, that it would be nearly impossible to distinguish
between the two.
Notice that
I said “nearly impossible”. We are to do
the things the Lord commanded, and we are commanded to love as He loved. These things will mark us as true and
fruitful branches of the vine, Jesus Christ.
In this, we do not become the Master, but we are like the Master (see
Mathew 10: 24), doing the things He does, loving the way He loves.
All branches are equal: Ever notice that a vine has so many
branches that all of them seem to be pretty much the same? Of course, now and again a branch will shoot
out a little further, or a branch here and there may be in a very prominent
position, catching the eye easily. But,
in their function, the branches are all the same. They are – every one of them – dependent on
the one-on-one relationship that each one has with the stem of the vine.
This
understanding of the relationship between branches and the vine is central to
John’s understanding of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the
individual believer…each individual person is to be solidly, closely connected
to Christ. Here there is no system of
higher or lower status, no system of more or less important relationship with
Christ. There is no differentiation in
status at all. Raymond Brown, in the
wonderful book entitled “The Churches the Apostles left Behind” makes this
point clear about John’s conception of the makeup of the Church: It is made up of each individual believer,
who is connected directly to Jesus Christ, each branch being responsible for
maintaining the close connection to the Lord that fruitfulness requires.
Change will happen!: Notice what Jesus says about the
branches: Something happens to every one
of them! Either they are cut off from
the vine because they haven’t produced fruit, or they are pruned in order to
bear more fruit.
Change in
our walk with God means change, pure and simple. Something will happen to us once we’ve come
into an encounter with Christ. The Lord
is the one who never leaves us where He finds us. Changing the image a little, we can say that
Jesus Christ will move us from where He finds us to a new place, one way or the
other.
A closing
comment is in order: Jesus’ use of the
vine and the branches means that we cannot produce fruit on our own. In the day and time in which we live, this is
an important fact to remember, for many believe that they can be “good” all on
their own.[1] This attitude manifests itself in an
erroneous belief that could be stated this way:
“If only I try a little harder, I can be ‘good’.” But the truth of the matter is that
“goodness” can only take place once we are connected to Jesus Christ through
faith in His holiness. For once we come
into a personal, saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ, we then
receive Jesus Christ’s holiness. We are
grafted into the vine, the source of all godliness, and only then are we able
to bear good fruit.
May we,
through the energizing power of Jesus Christ, be intimately and solidly
connected to Jesus Christ, the true vine.
May we, by the power of the Holy Spirit, accept God’s pruning, in order
that we might bear more fruit.
AMEN.
[1] The idea that we can be pleasing to God
through our own efforts, without the holiness that Jesus Christ alone provides,
was a key tenet of the ideas of the fourth and fifth century heretic Pelagius. The spirit of the Pelagian heresy is widespread today.
