Abstract
Strengthened From the Source; Steadfast in the Love of God
As a young adult, and later as an advisor for the youth program at the Presbyterian Church in Westfield, New Jersey, I volunteered with the AGAPE Soup Kitchen located in the nearby town of Elizabeth. Each week, a group of youths and advisors served warm meals to approximately 225 guests and operated a clothing closet that distributed blankets, jackets, other necessary clothing items and toiletries. At the end of each night, all the volunteers sat in a circle and participated in the important tradition of passing a small plastic apple around the room while sharing our “fruit” of the day. The “fruit” of the day was some moment or person that revealed God. Before we began, a volunteer recited the words of Jesus to his disciples, 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 (John 15:5). We then passed the plastic apple around the room as each person shared their “fruit” of the day. “Fruits” frequently included kind guests with whom we formed friendships or children whom we watched grow over the years. Sometimes it was a guest who was usually difficult and rude, but said “thank you” to a new, and perhaps timid, volunteer. There were other times when it was a guest demanding the appropriate behavior of someone else, or lending a hand in some way. Equally, someone’s “fruit” often took the form of a fellow volunteer doing multiple assignments, helping with the trash, or going above and beyond in their actions with someone that evening. In all instances, every fruit recognized God at work and acknowledged His presence among us. This tradition was more than a convenient way to bring closure to the day, but a reminder that God can be felt and seen anywhere. As fun as it was to come together and share in this experience as a group within our larger church, we were there because of faith, and passing the fruit reminded us that God was present in both the joys and struggles of life. The fact that others, as well as ourselves, could be someone else’s fruit, also reminded us that God was at work in others, as well as ourselves.
Jesus’ words regarding the branches and the vine are part of a larger section known as the farewell discourse (John 14-17). At this point in the Gospel, Jesus has already called His disciples to be by His side, and from this intimate vantage point they observed His life and ministry, subsequently adopting a new way of life in which He was the ultimate example. As the events recognized and celebrated at Easter approached, Jesus warned of the transformation that his presence, comfort, and strength would soon undergo, but simultaneously assured them that He would never abandon them. In the farewell discourse, Jesus sought to ensure that his disciples remained firmly rooted in Him. Jesus’ word about the relation between the vine and the branches affirmed His continued presence among them and sought to ensure that they remained steadfast in faith. Jesus warned his disciples of the threats that awaited Him and His people. There will be false prophets and teachers, and trials and temptations, all tempting them to be led astray (Matthew 7:15, 10:17, 24:2-14; Mark 13:5-11; Luke 17:24, 21:8-36). The parable of the Good Shepherd describes this, and makes clear that the distinguishing mark of Jesus Christ as the one and true shepherd is that He is willing to lay down His life for those whom He loves (John 10). Today’s lectionary readings reaffirm this truth. It is Christ who lays down his life on the cross (1 John 4:7-21), and it is Christ who strengthens us for life (John 15:1-8). Amidst all that competes for our loyalty, time, attention, and effort, we are called to Christ. Just as Christ reveals himself as “the bread of life”, distinguishing himself from the manna that sustained the Israelites in the desert (John 6:48-49), Jesus Christ is the true life-giving vine. The true vine is distinct from the false vines and locates our identity and strength in Christ. Amidst all that competes for our attention and effort, and all that promises to give life or comfort, it is Christ who gives life, and it is Christ who provides the ultimate comfort and strength needed to be reflections of His love in this world.
Abiding in Christ is more than comfort and strength to withstand the vicissitudes of life; it is also a challenge. We are not called to a life abiding in Christ in order to escape the difficulties of the world, but we are challenged to transform them. Abiding in Christ entails a responsibility and, as we see in the life of Christ every Easter, this can be a costly one at times. As branches of the vine, those who seek to abide in Jesus and have Jesus abide in them must bear fruit. This statement is unique because it is not just an instruction to have faith, but an instruction to allow faith to transform the entirety of our lives. This message foreshadows the Epistle of James (James 2:17-18; 3:13) and asserts that faith is the shaping of our entire lives in order to illuminate Christ. Faith, in other words, is not just about what we believe, but about what we do. Christian faith, as expressed in this passage from the Gospel according to John, is to bear fruit. The passage does not provide an exact description of that fruit, but we can decipher from elsewhere in Scripture that it entails acts that illuminate Christ’s presence in the world (John 12:36). Significantly, we are called to produce a fruit that is undetached from the inspiration that comes from being rooted in Jesus Christ. To have faith and to bear fruit is to know the foundations that shape what we do and to recognize ourselves as branches of the true vine. By recognizing ourselves as a part of Christ, we are strengthened from the source and equipped to remain steadfast in Christ and bear fruits that illuminate His love.
Jesus refers to God as the vinegrower, and states, Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit (John 15:2). Christian faith is well aware of the realities of the world, and we know from experience that faith is not to be immune from hardship. Perhaps to the disappointment of some, faith is not the promise that difficult times will not come, but is instead the hope and truth to sustain us during those times of difficulty. Every Easter, we recognize the pain that gave way to unparalleled joy in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ demonstrates that nothing can separate us from the love of God and that all things, even the cross, can be used to reveal His love. Faith as expressed in the parable of the vine and the branches does not negate the experiences of pain and hardship in the lives of believers, but acknowledges the ways in which God can be at work through them. This belief is not to negate the acute pain of any difficulty, and the best response to any hardship is almost always one shaped by humility, but the words of Jesus convey that God will shape and sustain us in love, no matter the circumstance. As we look forward to the events of Easter, let faith not only shape our hearts and minds, but our actions as well, so that we may serve to glorify the Lord throughout all the vicissitudes of life.