Are You A Branch Or A Stick? - John 15:1-8 - Fifth Sunday of Easter

 

John 15:1-8 NIV

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Are You A Branch Or A Stick?

Wow! All the words of Jesus in this passage spoken to his disciples. Look at all that red!

Right now, at this moment, this reflection will be a review rather than a preview to the reading of this text in worship. Why? This week has been a tough one for me. I’ve been sick. And realize how much I need to be fed that sweet sap from the vine both spiritually and physically.  So, let’s jump into this text and what it spoke to me and maybe will speak to you.

In the past Israel was thought of as the grapevine. In this passage, Jesus makes it clear that He is the vine. We also see that God the Father takes the place of the vine grower.

The Vine Grower has the job of pruning the branches. The word used as prune can also mean cleanse. So, keep that in the back of your mind as you read this Gospel passage. When God prunes you or me, we are likewise being cleansed.

And this is where my experience with illness this week, and currently, comes to mind. What I’m going through is something minor comparatively to what happened to the early Christians, but serves as an example to make me both humble and appreciative of all those in the faith before me. In this life we can all expect some pruning. Some times the pruning will appear in the form of any kind of persecution in life. I’m not talking about disease. I’m talking about persecution for acts of love in Christ. We can expect to be talked about, to be ridiculed, and perhaps to be actually tortured for following Jesus and declaring our trust, hope and faith in what God has done for us to spin us around in this world, away from our own selfish desires, to face God and be forgiven.

As we come to God, or even look to the Vine of Jesus, we feed off of the sap that the Vine has drawn from the earth to freely feed us and make us live. Why?

Bearing fruit is the proof of discipleship. The purpose of the branch is to bear the fruit given to us through the feeding of the Vine.  

The Vine does all the work. The Vine draws the sap from the earth, and passes it to the branches. The Vine keeps the branches in place. As the branches are fed from the Vine they grow strong and stay in place. The Vine gives the branches even more than they could ever use.

Without the keeping and care and feeding from the vine; the branch just turns into a stick. No longer a branch, but now a stick. Without the Vine the branch is just another stick falling to the ground to dry up, die and be good for the fire. It’s only the life from the Vine that enables the branch to bear fruit.

In life we tend to forget our need and feeding from the Vine. We think we can make it on our own. The branch can’t produce fruit without the Vine.

As a branch do I think I can live on my own? Do I turn to my own efforts and think that I can live alone? Do I live my life feeding on money, healing, drugs, science, politics, or anything else; thinking that one or all contain the source of life? Do, I trust in my own effort for ALL?

If so, that’s when I need the Vine to turn me around. I need to face the Vine and feed off of the life-giving Word of salvation and life that only the Vine can supply.

As I turn to the Vine for life-giving nourishment in Word and Sacrament, the Vine spins me back around to face the world. Why?

What the Vine wishes to spread is spread through you and me to all the world in which the branch lives. The Vine wants the branch to bear fruit.

Bear no fruit… then be taken away. Dry up. Be a stick. Fall to the ground. Burn in the fire. Bear no fruit, the branch is NOT feeding off of the Vine. The branch is trying to live alone and will dry up and turn into a stick. A selfish stick at that.

Here’s the odd part. Bear fruit? Expect to be pruned. Well, that hurts too. But the pruning makes way for more fruit and continues living off the sweet Word and sap from the Vine.

The branch need not fear the ups and downs of life. The illness, the suffering, the mourning, the on and on and on. It’s not about fearing any of this “stuff.” For the branch feeds from the Vine.

Christ is the Vine that gives life. Depend on the feeding of the Word and Sacrament from the Vine and live. Look! Here is water, sap, and Word. Be baptized with the water and the Word from the Vine. Partake of the sweet sap and wonderful juice of the body and bread the blood and wine from the Vine that gives life eternal.

The Vine gives love to all and through all so that the branch will love and give fruit to all the people of this world in which the branch lives.

May all creation praise God… today… tomorrow… and forever. Bear the fruit of love over and over and over again. After all… it’s free… straight from the Vine!

Thanks be to God!

Listen to this beautiful piece of music from YouTube

You are the vine, we are the branches

God bless you this week and always.