I Am the Vine, You Are the Branches

In the imagery of the vine and branches, John depicts (John 15:1-8) a "dwelling place" or "home" and a beautiful intimate relationship between the Father, Jesus, and his disciples, us. Just as the "you" in the passage is always plural, so the intimate relationship of "abiding" binds together Father, Son, and the community of believers in a way that challenges a culture that would often prefer to imagine or even to keep God at a distance. Far from being a God of rules or some cosmic judge who exercises power as the preserver of morality, here a quite different role defines the Father. Instead, He offers us the promise of new possibilities of life in the present. Jesus, inspired words now become flesh in us, and have an abiding and lasting life that continue to dwell among us.

In the imagery of the vine, God’s remaining presence is underscored as abiding, nourishing, lasting, and permanent. Just as Jesus is intimately related to the Father, we, the branches can do nothing unless we abide in relationship with Jesus. As we relate to Jesus in all that we do, we are related to the Father. As such, Jesus’ two-fold promise, I AM the vine, you are the branches…is not said as a command or in judgment, but rather as an invitation, a summons, or a promise. This promise is likewise emphasized as he repeatedly reminds us that without him in our lives, we are powerless and can do nothing.

The promise abiding in…living-in…Jesus is not for its own sake, or an end in itself. Jesus is revealing a dynamic and changing life for us, his disciples. Vines are pruned and cleansed. Branches that wither and die are removed. We, as the branches in the vine, are a constantly changing community that is called to follow his word by actively living his word. And in keeping with the stewardship of good shepherds, we as the branches grow to become vines for those we nourish…By this is my Father glorified that you will bear much fruit…