—John 15:1-8—Jesus is the vine and we are the branches who are expected to bear fruit. Sunday’s Gospel lesson is a part of Jesus’ final discourse (chapters 13-17) with His disciples in the Upper Room on Maundy Thursday.
Jesus uses allegory: He is the vine; God is the vinedresser; the branches are the believers; the fruit constitutes good works. The vine is the source of life. To be connected with the Source is to have life and produce fruit. To be separated from the Vine is to die and be destroyed. People in the Vine have their prayers answered. Bearing fruit glorifies God and proves discipleship.
John referred to adult Christians as “little children.” Is this talking down to adults? Is it an insult to even add “little” to children? Jesus referred to His disciples as “these little ones.” It is no insult because if God is our Father, we are His true children. Since when? We were adopted as His children at Baptism, and we live in Christ as branches in the vine. And we are “little” too. We are often little in faith, in love and in our words. How little we are when compared with the fullness of the stature of Jesus Christ.
In these lessons we hear repeatedly the word “abide.” A fruitful Christian is one who produces good works because that person abides in Christ. How do we know we abide in Christ? One answer may be that our fruits prove it. This verse gives another answer. We are in Christ when we have the Spirit. If we have the Holy Spirit, it is the same as being in Christ. The Holy Spirit is at the same time the spirit of Christ.
Collect for Easter 5: O God, you make the minds of your faithful to be of one will. Grant that we may love what you have commanded and desire what you promise that among the many changes of this world our hearts may be fixed where true joys are found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 1
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