"I am the Vine

Sermon Easter 5

“I am the Vine”

John 15:1-8

Today’s Easter text takes us back to the night of his betrayal. The night Jesus was teaching his disciples during the Passover meal the meal he would fulfill by offering his very body and blood as the Lamb of God. The Passover finds its fulfillment in the New Testament in Jesus. 

Jesus here speaks of himself as the grape Vine and as His apostles and followers as the branches. He also speaks of the Heavenly Father as the English translation has it vine dresser. A more literal translation of the original Greek renders to the word (geo-ergos) Earth worker or farmer.

Certainly the Heavenly Father both created the earth and still forms the earth make things from the dirt. Just as he made you and I and He makes all living things including grape vines.  In this case the vine is the incarnate Jesus he is made of flesh from the earth as we are.  But Jesus is now essential to our life our very being for we are not independent autonomous vines but we are branches off that vine.  We are dependent on that vine for our very lives.

Just as in any vineyard on any vine there those branches that bear fruit and there are those that do not.  In order for the plant to thrive and bear much fruit for that is its purpose those branches that are not bearing fruit are trimmed off.  Sometimes we call it dead wood.  The dead wood saps energy from the rest of the plant it may even get diseased and cause other branches to fail so it must be removed.  But we hear from Jesus that is the heavenly Father the earth worker that does the removing. And what is removed is fodder for the fire, for judgment.

For those branches that produce fruit the Heavenly Father prunes or cleans.  These branches are not cut off but instead may be cut back. Extra branches and vegetation may be cut back even blooms so that the existing fruit may increase all the more.  This at times can seem like the vine dresser or the earth worker is doing violence to the branch but in fact the cleaning and the trimming makes what is left stronger.

So what is this fruit? What is the fruit Jesus speaks of? Some may think that it is love. And certainly Jesus and the apostle John speak quite a bit about love. But in this case Jesus is saying I am the Vine. And He says abide in me. Jesus here is speaking of faith.  Faith is the fruit Jesus is speaking of, because it is from faith that all other blessings come including love. 

The faith is Jesus gift it is His teaching that “he must suffer and die and on the third day rise.” Even on the night of his being handed over to be crucified Jesus disciples are still having trouble believing this would happen. Even after multiple notices on their way to Jerusalem the disciples still seem to ignore the truth that Jesus would be cursed for their sake and our sake hung on a tree.  This was the very thing the Apostles before being sent themselves was to witness. This is the word that Jesus would give them to abide in.

Yes, love was the motivation for Jesus and the Father’s actions. But even Jesus as our Savior trusted the heavenly Father to redeem Him to resurrect Him in the redemption for our sins.  Yes witness must come first. Because through this witness we confess we are sinners, dead branches in need of life, dependent on the vine, Jesus. And through this witness we hear that he provides what we need that is the words of forgiveness of absolution.

This is what Jesus means when he says that the Father cleans these branches and that Jesus Word has already cleansed his Apostles, his witnesses.  The word from the Greek for cleaning is catharoi. We get our English word catharsis from that word. Jesus speaking his words of forgiveness, speaking his washing through baptism is cathartic, it is healing.  His word forgives and heals as we saw so many examples of when Jesus walked the earth and even today through that same word He heals, washes and forgive us. This is the meaning of his life, death and resurrection.  This is the faith.

And this faith and word we are to abide is best summarized in our Apostles Creed where God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and even the church is rightly confessed.  Our Heavenly Father we confess is our maker and continues to sustain His creation by grace. The Son who we confess born of the Virgin Mary took flesh upon Himself, was born sinless and lived a sinless life. He for our sake suffered and died under Pontius Pilate and was raised on the third day from the dead as He prophesied over and over. He is ascended to the right hand of the Father where on the Last day he will raise all and will judge all some to eternal salvation and others to eternal damnation those branches that are detached will be thrown into the fire.

The Holy Spirit the helper, calls the church to faith through the word and sacrament. He brings to the Apostles a special recollection of those important words of Jesus and their own eyewitness accounts of Jesus life, death and resurrection.  The Holy Spirit enables us to keep Jesus word to abide in His word. 

Jesus word is the sum of all he spoke so we also not only keep his dear promises, those of forgiveness life and salvation but also the Law. The law that is summarized in the ten commandments that describe God’s intended relationship between God and man and between God and his neighbor. This is God’s word of love that we keep.  This cannot be kept without the gift of faith it cannot and will not be kept without belief that we are sinners and trust in Jesus forgiveness.

Many people many religions keep a form of these commandments mainly to win people over to their way of thinking or they think they are achieving some sort of justification before God. But what more can they do then what Jesus has already accomplished for us on the cross. What more can be added to Jesus’ words from the cross, “It is finished!”

When we do the commandments, when we love our neighbor, we are simply doing our duty.  We are acting as branches connected to the vine. We are doing what branches connected to the vine do. We are doing what comes unnaturally to the world but naturally to those regenerated by the Word and Spirit.  There is nothing for us to take credit for. There is nothing we can bring to God that He has not already given to us.

St. Paul in his letter to the Romans in chapter 11 warns the gentiles who he calls a wild shoot that has been grafted in not too quickly judge the unbelieving Jews the natural branches that have fallen of the root due to unbelief.  St. Paul tells them not to be arrogant toward those fallen branches and to remember it is not you who support the root but the root supports you. St. Paul also holds out the promise that if these fallen branches are quickened by faith that they will be grafted back into the root.

So there is always hope even for those branches that have fallen as long as the faith is preached and taught, as long  God’s Word is read and heard, as long as the sacraments are administered according to Christ Word. There will be fruit and broken branches can be restored anew.

In confessing the faith every week, in supporting this ministry in this place where Christ is confessed and proclaimed you are fruit bearers.  When you experience set backs, when you sin in your vocation, when you fail to bear fruit, then you have a place here to hear God’s word of forgiveness and cleaning. Pruned you will trust our Lord even more because He is faithful to forgive. You will bear the fruits of confessing the Jesus, forgiving others and showing mercy and love toward your neighbor.

Come to the Altar leave your sins with Jesus. He will exchange your sinful body and blood with His clean body and blood placed into your mouth. His touch cleans and forgives you.  This is communion with Jesus and all the saints. This is abiding in the Living Word. This is attachment to the Vine.

Now may the peace that passes all understanding keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.