Over time you will begin to notice more of His presence already alive in you. Nothing. He is calling us back to God, whose way is love in truth and action. Jesus said, "I am the True Vine" to closest friends gathered around Him. One of my most prized possessions is a 10-cent spiral notebook from the early 1960's. Not just any old notebook, this beauty contains recipes that my mother collected and prepared as she grew in her cooking prowess. Take some time regularly to give thanks. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15.4f). Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. But "bearing fruit . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Vine and Branches: A Reflection on John15.1-8, Pathways of Peace: Towards a Decolonizing Theology, The Life in Christ: Ephesians in Integral Perspective, Called according to Gods Purpose: Exploring Vocation, A Brief History of Biblical Interpretation, Black Theology, Anti-Racism, and Decolonization, there is no way of separating our identities, vocations, and ministries from Jesus, Integral Basics, Part 1: The Search for What ComesNext, Reading the Bible Better: Understanding BiblicalGenres, An Easter People: A Reflection for Easter Sunday2023, Harrowing the Hades Within: A Reflection for Holy Saturday2023. At first glance, we may assume that branches bear fruit, but in another sense, its really the vine that makes it all happen. Jesus describes here the essence of a fruitful Christian life. (LogOut/ Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular. So agricultural contexts commonplace in Jesus times sometimes need a bit of explaining. We were created to live connected to God and to each other. . He also, by his work as Mediator, gives life to the world John 6:33, and it is by the same grace and agency that it is continued in the Christian. Many of us are urbanites, having left the life of the farm. (Comp., e.g., Romans 2:14-15, Notes.). Change). The image is powerful, but how does one stay connected this way? Charles Cardinal Journet (1891-1975) 1: . John 15:5. Eager to safeguard the blessing of our noble birth, we are careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us and Who makes us aware of Gods Presence in us. good times, bad times - give me some of that: blogging on faith and life. Every life in the created order came through Jesus (John 1:3), and the new life of the Kingdom now flows out of Him as well. For apart from me you can do nothing., ESV I am the vine; you are the branches. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, NT Gospels: John 15:5 I am the vine (Jhn Jo Jn). "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Seven years ago, he pioneered Landmark Journey Ministries to help men find their guide, own their identity, and discover their quest through Christ. With his image of the vine and branches, Jesus is calling us away from all that, to a different kind of identity, relationship, and vocation. Here Christ is teaching the same Truth, by calling Himself the Vine, since the Vine is the parent of its branches and provides their nourishment. This is so in line with the way Jesus taught throughout His ministry, taking everyday items as analogies for Kingdom truths. Gospel of 22 May 2019 I am the vine, you are the branches John 15: 1-8 Jesus said to his disciples: 'I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. The grease stained . "I am the vine; you are the branches. At first glance, we may assume that branches bear fruit, but in another sense, its really the vine that makes it all happen. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. Ask yourself, Where was I remaining today? Then talk to Jesus about your desire to remain more in Him. The Old Testament allusions make it fairly clear that this was a grapevine, often used for making wine. Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Singular. A moral power outside the limits of Christianity is clearly recognised in the New Testament. A primary pronoun of the first person I. Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular. They are words that must be said before death comes. The demand for autonomy has bred an epidemic of loneliness, despair, and alienation. 8 It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples.. Because we had goodwill, we made the act of faith that brought us to Christ and received from Him, the dignity of adoptive sonship which made us His own kinsmen, according to the words of Saint Paul: He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Not a poison ivy vine, nor a wild vine growing up a tree in the woods, nor an ivy vine covering an old house. Inventory: Before you go to bed each night, take a brief inventory of the day. Nothing is to be done "without Christ"; without his Spirit, grace, strength, and presence; or as "separate from" him. All rights reserved. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing.". Apart from, separately from; without. Without union with Christ, our life would be barren, void, futile and meaningless. A few hours after He finishes these words, He is arrested, tried, and crucified. More help in understanding Jesus words comes when we look at the context. I often find myself crashing headlong into the brush only to realize all these nicks and scratches are proof of my own ego. and every breeze that makes the meadows sing. Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular, Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Plural. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Without these gifts, we would never know the sight, taste, smell, sound, and touch of the invisble God. But we were not created to be self-sufficient. Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Plural. Each one of us here is a branch of the True Vine that is Jesus. And we will be united to him by keeping his commandment, which is to believe by faith in his name and loving one another as he commanded us (2nd reading). He and his wife currently reside in Franklin, TN. and praise you, God, for Earth and all its care, may awe and reverence ripen in these hands, For SHELDONIAN, seehttps://hymnary.org/tune/sheldonian_taylor. It is in drawing strength from Jesus that Christians can bear fruit in faith and good works. Prayer is what the world needs combined with the example of our lives which testify to the Light of Christ. . 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. They are words that must be said before death comes. It is only in connection with the people of Christ that we can truly be part of the vine. 1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles we hear of Pauls attempts to join the Christian community after his conversion. This idea has a few important consequences: There is so much more that could be said about all this, but Ill leave it here for today. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. If we dont remain in Jesus, we are just remaining somewhere elseinanxiety, in anger, in fear, in shame, in ambition, in numbness, in self-absorption. You are already clean through the word which I have spoken to you. October 12, 2020 Marilyn Reflection. Article Images Copyright , What Jesus Means by I Am the Vine, You Are the Branches, Heroic: The Surprising Path to True Manhood, "Help My Unbelief!" Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. (LogOut/ a 2 He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes * so that it bears more fruit. We are in Christ, literally and figuratively. Who Is the Beast in Revelation 13, and Have We Met Him Yet? The words have often been unduly pressed, to exclude all moral power apart from Christ, whereas the whole context limits them to the fruit-bearing of the Christian life. Being with Him is like being at home on your favorite couch. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. He is saying something so close to His heart, hoping we will hear Him and receive those words. "For the Saints are sent to us by God The Church has always heard a reference to Communion in this saying, especially to the cup we bless. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Rev Dr Graffy received his doctorate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in 1983. I am the vine, you are the branches. The Church has always heard a reference to Communion in this saying, especially to the cup we bless. The words bring out the fulness of the meaning of the fruitfulness of the man who abides in Christ. When Jesus says that He is the vine, it is the last of a series of statements He makes in the gospel of John using the same form: I am the Bread of life, I am the Good Shepherd, I am the Resurrection and the Life.. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Talking to Him becomes like talking to your best friend. The fruitful branches represent men that abide in Me . There are a number of Old Testament references that speak of Israel being a vine, planted and tended by God. I am the vine, you are the branches: He that stays in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. 2. Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise. I am the vine and you are the branches. For apart from me you can do nothing." ESV "I am the vine; you are the branches. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[ a] so that it will be even more fruitful. When we receive Communions wine and bread. . 3:14). How do we learn to remain in Jesus so that He becomes like home to us? John 9:33 If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. Yet with all the horror facing Him, He still wants to prepare the disciples for His departure as best He can. Yet instead of bearing good fruit, it was degenerate. If a man does not abide in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and . Amen (Collect). margin.) How do we do this? Perhaps most of all, we live in a world that is grounded in myths of unlimited growth. Thirdly, we have here the union with Christ as the condition of satisfied desires. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. the tendrils climbing curl, the prunings grief; we drink the blue, the dusky purple, and the pale. For less than $5/mo. He is the vine from which all power flows for the life of his people, the branches. In Communion, its wheat and grape. AND WHAT DOES CHRIST WANT? If a man does not abide in me, he is cast. I. He, she, it, they, them, same. We serve the way he served. For without me ye can do nothing.--Better, separate from Me, or, apart from Me. Through the Eucharistic sacrifice, God makes us partakers of his divinity (Prayer over the offerings). Remaining in Jesus is not just one of many things we are asked to do as Jesus-followers. The image also has its negative side. Fr. Fourth, as Jesus points out earlier in the passage, if we are branches of his vine, we must be ready to be pruned: . Zero. And so note, secondly, the withering and destruction following separation from Him. John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. And thats a good thing. These "I am" proclamations point to His unique divine identity and purpose. Paul uses this phrase to describe almost everything about being a follower of Jesus. But the metaphor of vine and branches is not just about communion with Jesus and each other. 4. All In, on, among. In this way we will exhibit all the fruit there is, guided by God, and having put to death the works of the flesh (Ro 8:13). It is not likely that Jesus means that they could lose their salvation, an impossibility for those truly saved, but that they and we could remain unfruitful and ineffective in our faith because we are not connected to the source of life. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. What struck me about this metaphor today is that humans often get it mixed up with the metaphor of family trees and take bearing fruit to mean having children, and how some denominations still seem to see this as the primary function of Christians (especially women). Through his resurrection Christ gives life to a new people. This was as commonplace as growing corn in Kansas or potatoes in Idaho. As thoughts come up, dont try to resist them or retain them. #2 you are the branches. Christians are grafted into the tree because the Jews were cut off, or pruned, for a time (Ro 11:33-36). Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Try one and see where it takes you: 1. The fruit referred to by Our Lord is the holiness of a life made fruitful by [our] union with Christ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2074).. 5 I am the vine ; you are already clean through the Eucharistic sacrifice, God makes us partakers his! 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