‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. 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. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.
Today is the feast day of St. Matthias, the apostle in the book of Acts that replaced Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:23-26). This reading from John’s Gospel was selected by the church to commemorate Matthias, who was never mentioned in the Gospels.
The phrase that stands out to me is when Jesus tells his disciples to ‘bear much fruit.’ I am not sure why Jesus uses this imagery, but it stood out. God the Father is the vine-grower, Jesus is the vine, we (as followers or disciples) are the branches. If we think about the relationship that the scripture is telling us, it makes sense.
The vine and the branches that Jesus uses to describe the relationship between God, him and his followers represents a living thing (a vine) that intertwines within itself. It grows and takes form and frame (the commandments). The vine sustains the branches and nourishes them so that they are able to bear any fruit, much less good fruit. The love flows to us through Christ (and allows us to live in the love). If the branches are tended then the vine grows stronger. (much good fruit) If the branches get too thick then the vine can be choked out. Branches that do not receive their life force from the vine wither and do not produce fruit. However, if the branches are enriched and remain strong then the fruit produced will be ripe and plentiful. This is the fruit that will ‘last.’
I think that in this reading, Jesus is calling us to bear much fruit. However, not just ‘much’ fruit, but much ‘good’ fruit. Fruit that will last, and fruit that will sustain and nourish, and allow the vine to grow strong and continue. As a church sometimes, it seems that we are incorrectly concerned with the quantity of fruit rather than the quantity AND quality.
No comments:
Post a Comment