Sunday Sermon 2nd May 2021

John 15: 1             

Today is Easter 5 and the readings for the Easter season have always struck me as a little odd.  Five weeks ago we read of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and now we return to the eve of Jesus death, and the occasion of the sharing of the last supper with his disciples.

In scripture, there are over 200 names given to Jesus: “the bread of life, the good shepherd, the prince of peace etc.”  And today we look at another one – the vine.  Jesus said “I am the vine”, which is the last of seven “I am” declarations in John’s gospel, and he shared this with those friends who were closest to him.

Whenever I read of Jesus’s conversations with people, I am always impressed by how well Jesus understands his audience.

When he speaks with Nicodemus and the Pharisees, he speaks of deep theological matters.  When he meets a rich young man, he tells him to rethink his priorities.  And when he first meets Simon Peter, he speaks of fishing for men.  And now, three years later, he speaks to Peter and the other disciples of vines.

Everyone in Israel knew about vines; they were everywhere. The vine was the supreme symbol of Israel’s identity. It is believed that there was a great golden vine over the porch of the Temple. In the psalms, Israel is referred to as “the vine out of Egypt”, but the vine of Israel had failed in the God-given mission to be a light to the gentiles, and is “burned with fire” according to the psalmist.

So when Jesus calls himself the vine, it is not just some idea he has plucked out of the air.  Jesus knows exactly what he is talking about.  And so do the disciples.  In contrast to the vine of Israel, which was disobedient and had lost its way, Jesus refers to himself as the true vine.

And through his obedience and mission all the nations would be reached, and all the families of the each would bless themselves. So if that is the mission of Jesus, what does this mean for us?  There are many layers to this passage. For me, this Gospel passage hangs on the one simple word “abide.  To “abide” is a verb. It is active.

Abiding in Christ is not just a feeling,  it requires us to make an effort. It means to “remain” or “stay” and entails far more than the idea of just believing in the Saviour.  John illustrates this abiding relationship with a parallel relationship of a vine and a branch. 

We (the branches) are to be connected to him (the Vine) for our life and sustenance. Only in him can we bear fruit.  But how? What does it look like to abide in Christ daily?  The theologian John Piper says, “Hour-by-hour abiding in Jesus means hour-by-hour trusting him to meet all your needs and be all our reasure.”^[1]Abiding has a continual, hour-by-hour nature to it.”

The verb to abide (or menien in Hebrew) is used forty times in John’s Gospel, the majority in Jesus final discourse.  But it first appears in the opening chapters of the Gospels when Jesus was baptized and the Holy Spirit came down as a dove and “meniem” or lived in Jesus.  The Holy Spirit came, remained, stayed, and  never left Jesus.          

That is what Jesus means by abide.  We are to remain so attached to Jesus that his life and his spirit flow through us and nourish us. We find strength and joy through his spirit dwelling in us.  We feed on the spirit, as the branches are fed by the vine. 

Our role as disciples  is not to usurp Jesus’ position as the vine – we are not the main character in God’s story. Jesus is. It is not our church, however much we might assume it is.  It is God’s church. We are merely the branches who reach out and do God’s work and bear fruit.

It is as a church community that we are a sign of God’s presence in the world and we are encouraged to share our lives and our faith with others.

If we do these things, our lives will bear fruit.  We shall find it easy to love others as we are loved, as John tells us in his letter.  We shall be able to do as Phillip did, and share our faith with those who need to hear.

We shall find that serving others is a privilege, not a chore.  Our prayerful dependence on God will encourage us to give to others because we know that God will not fail us.  People should be able to look at us and say – if that is what is Christianity is like, then I want it. 

So if you are looking for guidance on how you should live your life, don’t bother with a horoscope or tarot cards; don’t even worry about scientific theories or proofs.  No, open up your Bible, open your heart to God in prayer, and come feast at God’s holy table.  

AMEN