Abide in Me, and I in you

 

Vine and branches mosaic, 4th century.  Santa Costanza Church, Rome

 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

"As the Father loved Me, I also 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.  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."

- John 15:1–11 

 

Currently we are reading through what is known as Jesus' Farewell Discourse, given at the Last Supper.  Yesterday we read that Jesus taught the disciples, "If you love Me, keep My commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.  A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.  Because I live, you will live also.  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.  He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.  And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."  Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"  Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.  These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.'  If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.  And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.  I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.  But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do.  Arise, let us go from here." 

 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.  Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples."   My study bible expands extensively on this passage.  It says that the vine is a symbol of Israel (Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 2:21).  In contrast to disobedient and unfruitful Israel, it says, our Lord refers to Himself as the true vine, which together with the branches constitutes a new and fruitful people of God:  the Church.  In Church services, the bishop prays that the Lord will visit and confirm the vineyard, the local body of Christ, which the Lord planted with His own right hand (Psalm 80:14-15).  To abide in this vine is to abide in Christ and His Church.  My study bible explains that the figure of the vine and the branches shows first that our union with Christ is intimate and real; second, that life flows from the vine to the branches -- abiding in Christ, it says, is both dynamic and vitalizing; and third, the fruit we bear is both good works and mission (John 15:16, 17:18).  

"As the Father loved Me, I also 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.  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."  My study bible comments that one cannot love God and disobey God's commandments.  To love God is to obey God (John 14:15).  

In today's reading, the setting is somewhere Jesus has moved the disciples in order to continue His Farewell Discourse.  They have moved from the setting where they ate the Passover Meal (the Last Supper) to another location.  The images of the vine and branches perhaps gives us a hint as to the location, a place in which a grapevine could be seen growing, such as in an arbor.  But the power of Christ's farewell speech to them is in the image of the vine and the branches.  He speaks of Himself as "the true vine" and God the Father as the vinedresser.  This suggests one true vine that bears the true fruit of Israel, the people of God.  And this vine is in the hands of God the Father, who prunes and nurtures, and tends the vine.  Those branches that produce no fruit are borne away, but of the branches that do, "every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit."  This gives us an image of the work of God in our lives, trimming away those things that get in the way of our spiritual growth and fruitfulness, a constant repentance that lets go of what we don't need.  But perhaps the most important word Christ gives to us all is, "Abide in Me, and I in you."  Note that with Christ, this "abiding" does not go just one way.  It is instead a thorough depth of relationship with Him.  And we should note that this is a mutual abiding; it doesn't just go one way.  We abide in Him, and in return His commandments of life are known to us.  We can therefore bear spiritual fruit, which in turn glorifies the Father.  And then Jesus goes much deeper.  He says, "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love."  We are not promised life, spiritual fruit, and understanding of Christ's word alone.  We are promised love.  And there is even more to this love we are given and in which we share:  "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.  These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full."   Christ's love, and the commandments He speaks to us, are both His joy -- and they become the fullness of our joy.  This is a promise indeed, and for when all else fails in life.  This is a rich inheritance in which we can participate, and through which we can be filled.  It is a never-ending promise, for God's steadfast love and mercy don't know worldly time.  Instead, this promise waits for us.  All it needs is our trust.   John the Baptist spoke of this joy when he said, "He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled" (John 3:29).   In Matthew 11:11, Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."  If John, then, understood this joy in his place as friend of the bridegroom, imagine what we're promised in terms of Christ's word, the Father's love, and the help and understanding of the Holy Spirit Jesus has promised.  Let us bear the fruit produced by abiding in that love.    For this will be our joy.