John 15:1-8
Dear Friends, An important part of the Gospel of St. John is the “I am…” statements. They are pronouncements that Jesus is the Bread of Life, the Living Water, The Light of the World, the Door, the Good Shepard, the Way, the Life and the Truth and finally today’s Gospel message, the Vine. All of these statements have two common characteristics. They are rooted in the Old Testament teachings. Secondly, they show how important institutions of Judaism are being replaced in Jesus. He is now the final source of God’s revelation. Jesus is the privileged point of encounter with God for all humanity. For example, Jesus would be the temple where believers could meet God. Through these several images of transformation, Jesus is presented as the fruit and flower of Judaism.The testimony of Jesus as the vine is the center of all true faith. We need to be imbedded in the vine to receive the new life that Jesus is bringing to the world. By ourselves we are powerless and lost. We need to be attached to the vine. We also need to be purified from all that blocks Jesus’ growth in our heart.
The Christian life is not only a real possibility for us. It is God’s most urgent desire that we stay united to Jesus. We are not alone. We are branches on the vine. We are assured of the ever-present stream of God’s grace to help us to be responsible to one another. The heart of the matter is to remain in Jesus and to live his teachings. Without this linking to the vine, there is no fruit. All is futile.
As Christians abiding in Christ the vine, we do not stand helpless as we face the evil so dominant in our world and sin so rooted in our being. Our Christiana vocation assures us we are no solitary figures like reeds blowing in the wind. We are abiding in the loving and life-giving security of Jesus as the vine. As we stay in touch with Jesus, we will be blessed with a life of good fruit and creativity in service to our brothers and sisters.
The new life of the Easter event begins when we start to live in accord with Jesus’ message. The power of love surges through us to produce the new fruit of God’s Kingdom.
What is happening in the vine is that Jesus nurtures new life in us. This new life empowers us to witness and ministry that transforms the world. The power of the Gospel is always based on the connection to the vine. All ministers of the Gospel, indeed all Christians called to be missionary disciples, are urged to be in constant relationship with the new life that comes from the vine. Prayer, sacrifice and service are needed to maintain the connection with Jesus. Only Jesus, as the source of life in the vine, can ultimately produce the good fruit that is the new reality flowing from love made most clearly manifest in the Crucified and Risen Christ.
The vine is a rich symbol for the bond Jesus came to establish between God and all people and all of creation. The Easter message of new life clearly refers to life after death. It is equally a statement of new life in the present. When there is love, there is God. The vine, that is Jesus, is the source of this love. When we continue to abide in Jesus, when we walk with our Savior, the flow of life is converted into love. We are both witnesses to the love and servants of this love for all. This is the Easter Alleluia producing the new reality. It is the Kingdom taking flesh in our service and reconciliation. As people of the Alleluia, we witness to the new life of the True Vine when we engender the good fruit of new life in love.
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