Ocean View and Frankford Presbyterian Churches (DE)

Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Sunday, May 6, 2012

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Acts 8:26-40

Psalm 22:25-31

1 John 4:7-21

John 15:1-8

I.             INTRODUCTION

A.  “You Can See Forever”

          A contemporary New Testament scholar whom I have grown to appreciate is N.T. Wright.  He is the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England.  A chapter in one of his books begins with this comment about the gospel of John.  After first describing himself, “As one who cut his teeth on Paul,” he then wrote, “I once went for a job interview where I held forth about Paul for some time, and was then asked about John.  I said then, and it is still true, that I feel about John like I feel about my wife; I love her very much, but I wouldn’t claim to understand her.  I didn’t get the job,” (N.T. Wright, Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship, page 33). 

          I can thoroughly identify with this comment.  There is the feeling when reading the gospel that it is written in layers.  You may think you understand a story, but then come to realize that there are hidden depths—hidden layers—that are yet to be penetrated.  What is true with any New Testament passage is especially true with John.  The gospel always has more to say.  I cannot read John without swallowing an enormous dose of humility. 

          But why is this so?  Wright then spoke of the uniqueness of John.  “In style, emphasis, structure—in all the things that make a book what it is—John stands out from the rest.  With Paul we are in the seminar room. . . .  Matthew takes us into the synagogue. . . .  Mark . . . writes a little handbook on discipleship. . . .  Luke presents Jesus to the cultured Greek world of his day.  John, by contrast, takes us up the mountain, and says quietly, ‘Look—from here, on a clear day, you can see for ever.’  We held his glory, glory as of the Father’s only Son.  He invites us to be still and know; to look again into the human face of Jesus of Nazareth, until the awesome knowledge comes over us, wave upon terrifying wave, that we are looking into the human face of the living God.  And he leads us on, with our awe and bewilderment reaching its height, to the point where we realize that the face is most recognizable when it wears the crown of thorns,” (N.T. Wright, Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship, page 34; he quotes John 1:14). 

          Wright’s comments provide a fitting entrance into our gospel reading this morning, though they also apply to the epistle as well.  We will be looking at the metaphor of Jesus and the vine in terms of each of the three characters involved. 

          This is a passage about what it means to be the church, what it means to be the church continuing in the world following Jesus’ death and resurrection.  It is about the church through whom Jesus is present in the world, in which the church continues bearing fruit, doing the work of Jesus. 

B.  A Matter of Relationship

1.   Looking both at Jesus and at Others

          But before we do, there is something to note when reading this gospel.  I believe that John is difficult to read because it looks at Jesus in relational terms.  Jesus does not give us some philosophical understanding of life.  Nor does he give us an ethical system of rules and regulations.  Rather, as we stand before Jesus, we hear him tell us, “Abide in me as I abide in you,” (John 15:4).  This is thoroughly relational language.  It is also language with which we are unfamiliar. 

2.   Treating Jesus (and Others) as an Object

          We are used to treating Jesus as some object, an object that we can observe and study, an object about whom we can draw conclusions, an object about which we can then hold opinions.  It is most important that we have our beliefs about Jesus.  Whether we are conservative or liberal, we must have our own unique beliefs about Jesus. 

a.   Conservative – Jesus as Object of Belief

          If we are conservative, we will be eager to show that our set of beliefs about Jesus correspond to received traditional doctrines.  We are orthodox in believing:  that Jesus is one person in the Trinity; that he is both God and human; that he was born of a virgin; that he did miracles; that he died on the cross for our sins; that he was raised from the grave; and that he will return in judgment.  It is to this Jesus that we have given our lives and to whom we witness.  Jesus is an object of belief. 

b.   Liberal – Jesus as Model of Behavior

          If we are liberal, we will be eager to show that the Jesus who inspires us is the embodiment of love:  caring and accepting; forgiving of all our faults; never angry or cross with us.  Jesus is like some warm and fuzzy grandparent who greets us with milk and cookies and is thrilled to hear all we are doing, who applauds all our accomplishments, who encourages us in difficulty.  It is this Jesus who now inspires us now to love others and to make this world a place in which others can experience his love.  Jesus is an object, a model, to emulate. 

c.   Treating Others as Objects

          Of course, if we regard Jesus as an object, we also do this to each other.  People are instrumental.  People are seen as useful.  Either they are seen as extensions of ourselves who will provide us with what we want.  Or they are seen in their utter distinction from us as objects who can be summarily manipulated, or exploited, or abused, or dismissed.  To regard Jesus as an object is to regard others as objects. 

3.   Jesus Calls Us to Relationship

          The Jesus we meet in the gospel of John will not allow us to reduce him to some object, whether an object of belief or a model to emulate.  The Jesus who steps out from the gospel is a person.  He is and remains a person in his own right. 

          And he is a person with whom we are called into relationship.  We are summoned into relationship with the person of Jesus, into a living and dynamic relationship, one that is ever growing and developing.  The gospel of John would force us to think relationally.  In relationship with Jesus, we find ourselves in relationship with other believers, and with the larger world. 

II.           BODY

          We find three characters in this gospel passage.  There is God, the gardener.  There is Jesus, the vine.  Lastly, we find the church, corporately portrayed, as the branches.  We are viewed not as individuals, but in corporate, because, again, John thinks in relational terms. 

A.  God – the Gardener

          Jesus presents us with a vineyard.  This is a special vineyard for, as Jesus said, “my Father is the vinegrower,” (John 15:1). 

1.   The Vineyard as a Representing God’s Affirmation of the World

          The vineyard was a common Hebrew Scripture metaphor used to describe God’s activity in relationship with God’s people.  Yet we cannot ignore how elegant this is.  God is presented as one who loves the world (John 3:16), that God had made.  When you think of it, Jesus uses many such elemental earth symbols:  water, bread, light, door, sheep, seed, vine, blood, fish.  These natural symbols serve to affirm the goodness and significance of creation (Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament, page 156).  But the crowning affirmation comes in the simple fact that the Word, who “was with God,” and who “was God,” (John 1:1), “became flesh and lived among us,” (John 1:14).  Who but a God who truly loved this world, and who anguished over its rejection of God, would become a creature, would become a human being? 

2.   The “World” as Opposed to God

          Actually, the “world” in John does not appear in a favorable light.  The world has turned away from God, preferring darkness over light.  The world rejects Jesus.  The world rejects Jesus’ followers.  And yet, this is still the world that God loves.  It is still the world into which Jesus entered in order to restore it to relationship with God. 

3.   Through the “Vineyard” God Is Present in the World

          The same God—who in the beginning “panted a garden in Eden,” (Genesis 2:8)—now expresses delight in planting a vineyard.  This vineyard is the church.  The church is firmly entrenched in this world, much as the roots of the vine are sunk down into the earth.  And yet, in the church Jesus continues to be present and to do his work.  This occurs as the vineyard produces fruit. 

4.   The “Flow” – from God, Through Church, to World

          What is vitally important to note here is the flow of things.  God in love is turned word the world.  The Word takes up residence in this world, becoming one with it, a creature.  The church exists for the sake of bringing God’s life to the world.  The flow is downward—from God.  The flow is outward—to the world.  God’s concern is for the world. 

          This is the exact opposite of what we have been taught.  We have been taught that the flow of things is upward, from the earth to God.  We have been taught that our sole concern in life is to prepare ourselves, not for fullness of life in this world, but to escape this world into some heavenly realm.  In fact, we have been taught that one day the earth and all in it will be destroyed, while we enjoy the glories of heaven.  The flow is upward, away from the world, away from all that is material and earthly. 

          That God could actually love the world and its inhabitants, that God could actually delight in the world, that God could sacrifice so much for the sake of the world is an idea pervading Scripture, yet one that we have turned upside down, turned into something world-denying.  We need to see where the flow is:  not upward, but downward, not directing us to heaven, but pointing us to life and mission in the world.  All this is predicated upon God who affirms this world. 

          God is a vinegrower.  God has planted a vineyard in the world.  God has seeking to bring life and joy to the world through the fruit that the vineyard will produce. 

B.  Jesus – the Vine

          Our reading began with Jesus saying, “I am the true vine,” (John 15:1). 

1.   We See Jesus – Wearing Crown of Thorns

          N.T. Wright said that this gospel takes us up a high mountain from whose lofty height we can see forever.  What we see is Jesus.  What we see as we look at Jesus is “the human face of the living God.”  It is a face that is “most recognizable when it wears the crown of thorns.”  This is not apparent from our reading itself, but becomes so when we look at its context. 

2.   The Context – the Last Supper

          The context of this teaching is Jesus’ last supper with his disciples.  Unlike the brief supper that is recorded in the other gospels, John presents us with an event that takes five chapters to relate (John 13:1—17:26).  The scene begins with this statement, “Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father,” (John 13:1).  And so, this is a gathering that takes place beneath the shadow of Jesus’ cross.  This is the disciples last time alone with Jesus before his crucifixion. 

          What is intriguing is Jesus’ pastoral concern that dominates that last supper.  Jesus takes the time to prepare his disciples for this traumatic event.  And one way he does that is by revealing to us what he is doing for us.  During the meal Jesus—whom they know as their “Teacher and Lord” (John 13:13)—performed the task of a slave.  He stripped off his outer robe, got down on his hands and knees and washed his disciples’ feet (John 13:1-11).  This act of humility and loving service helps bring the cross into focus.  Jesus will enter into the darkness of death.  He will go where we dare not go.  And in so doing, he will defeat the power of death.  He will end its domination over our lives.  The face of God we see in Jesus is the face of one who willingly and humbly does that in which frees us.  The face of God we see in Jesus bears a crown of thorns.  God is the suffering God.  God is the servant God. 

3.   Jesus Cannot Be Reduced to Object

          Jesus cannot be for us a mere object:  whether an object of belief or a model of behavior.  Jesus is the one who washes our feet.  No object can do that.  Jesus washes our feet.  Jesus assumes the role of slave.  Jesus is rejected and is crucified for us.  Jesus is no object.  Jesus is the person who has done these things to us and for us.  God in Jesus has done this to us and for us.  In these acts of humiliation and weakness we experience God’s intense love for us in Jesus.  In the person of the rejected, suffering, and dying Jesus we see the indwelling God. 

4.   Our Response is to “Abide” in Jesus

          Our response is not merely one now of believing that Jesus was so-and-so and did this-and-that.  No, the only response that we can possibly make is that of “abiding” in this Jesus who loves us to such an extent.  Jesus said, We are to abide in Jesus. 

          The image is that of a vine.  The vine gives birth to branches, branches that it lovingly and faithfully nourishes.  The vine continues to “abide” in those branches.  In like manner, the branches are summoned to “abide” in that vine. 

          Notice how relational this language is.  Respecting the individuality of each person, yet each abides in the other.  Above all, the branch cannot withdraw and attempt to stand alone.  Being alone is unthinkable for, “apart from me you can do nothing,” (John 15:5).  The branch can only survive by accepting the nourishment that the vine offers. 

          “Abide in me as I abide in you,” (John 15:4).  What a beautiful image we are given to understand what it means to live in Jesus. 

C.  The Church – the Branches

          Jesus continued, “I am the vine, you are the branches.  Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit,” (John 15:5). 

1.   Jesus Ministers by Giving the Church a Glimpse into the Future

          We mentioned that one way Jesus ministers to his disciples, even prior to the trauma of the crucifixion, was by interpreting who he was and what he was doing in being crucified.  But the other thing Jesus did was to provide them a vision that would carry them into the future.  There is life after crucifixion, life for Jesus, life for the church.  Jesus will continue to be present to and active in the world in and through his church. 

2.   All You See Are Branches Laden with Fruit

          When you look at a vine, what you really see are all those branches, branches laden with beautiful fruit.  The vine’s sole purpose is to bear that fruit. 

3.   Fruit as the Love Shared in the Church – An Alternative to the World

          Earlier in this last supper, Jesus said that we will distinguish ourselves as his disciples by the love we have for each other (John 13:35).  How is our love for each other an offering of fruit to the world?  It is a sign to the world of another way of living.  It is a sign to the world that we are called by God to be in relationship with each other, to not treat each other as objects to be manipulated, but to see the welfare of each other.  The church, then, is a sign that there is a better way of living, a way in harmony with God’s will for us, a proper response to the sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated on the cross. 

4.   An Invitation to the World to Relationship with God

          The branches are also an invitation to the world to cease seeing life on its own and to become part of that vine.  It is an invitation to relationship with God in the context of the church, and in relationship with Jesus. 

5.   Movement of Life from God, in Christ, through Branches and Their Fruit, to the World

          Again, we see that movement, that movement which is the flow of life:  that movement from God the winegrower, through Jesus the vine, and out into the world through the fruit borne by the branches.  In that vine Jesus continues to be active in the world.  In that vine, Jesus offers life to the world. 

III.          CONCLUSION

A.  The Abundant and Very Best Wine

     The gospel of John began with a story about a wedding.  The wine ran out.  Jesus had the servants fill six stone jars with water.  When jars were taken to the steward, he was incredulous.  Not only was it an incredible abundance of wine, but as he said, “you have kept the good wine until now,” (John 2:10).  This is wine that comes from the fruit borne by those branches, those branches that draw their life from the vine, that vine that is planted by the vinegrower.  This is wine that makes our hearts glad.  It is wine that livens the celebration.  It is wine that reveals that life is worth living.