The Purpose of the Vine
Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
John 15:1-11
John 15:1 “aI am the true vine, and My Father is the bvinedresser. 2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He 1prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3 “aYou are already 1clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 “aAbide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit 1of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he abears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is athrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. 7 “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, aask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 “My aFather is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so 1bprove to be My disciples. 9 “Just as athe Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. 10 “aIf you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as bI have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. 11 “aThese things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your bjoy may be made full.
This story was written for a community that suffered from membership decline because of Roman persecutions. It is documented that the Roman Empire persecuted the Christians. In 66 CE, Nero blamed Jews and Jewish-Christians for causing fires that destroyed Rome, leading to their persecution. The Jews and Christians were ordered to leave the city and the general area. When the Christians declared they were not a Jewish sect, but a new religion, the faith opposed Roman law about what religions were acceptable. Judaism was accepted, not preferred, in the Empire. No other religion was acceptable. The emperor was considered a god and whatever religious rites and rituals he selected became the religion of the Empire.
Domitian was the Emperor of the Empire when the Gospel of John was written. The persecution of Christians was at its heights. Members of the faith were banned from holding any government job. Members of the faith struggled to get a job because a Roman official could punish their employer. Christians came together into commune type of communities. It was done for self-protection and because together they could grow crops and raise animals to feed the community. The Christian communities had to learn to be self-sufficient.
Even though the Christians kept to themselves, they could not help but spread the Word of Jesus Christ. Evangelism was a large part of their lives. Jesus told His disciples to spread the Word about God’s love and grace. The faith grew, and the communities grew, while the Roman government probably watched in amazement. As the persecutions grew more intense, it fueled the growth of the Jesus movement. The message of hope, love, and grace through faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ is much stronger than anything humankind ever created.
So, why does John’s Gospel need a narrative that discusses staying in the community and the faith? There must have been disciples who determined that the confined community life was not for them. Perhaps, as more Christians were being killed because they were disciples of Jesus Christ, they lost their courage and left the faith. An analogy would be what happened to banks in the United States at the beginning of the Great Depression of the twentieth century. Once people learned that large sums of money were being withdrawn from a local bank, a bank run occurred. The bank would run out of cash and would collapse. If a community had several people leave because of the Roman persecution, it could easily evolve into a “run” on the faith and would leave the community devastated or destroyed.
The narrative insists that to be connected to Jesus Christ is something you do not want to quit. Each disciple is metaphorically a branch of the vine. Jesus is the vine and connects us together. The vines that do not bear fruit and are cut off are metaphorically the people who were part of the faith and then left the faith. While being a member of the Christian community, one is connected to the other members through Jesus. If a person left the community, then metaphorically, they are a branch that bears no fruit. Therefore, bearing fruit is the metaphor for staying in the community. Unproductive branches and ex-community members are removed and cast into fire in the story. This would have meant that the disciples who left the community were no longer under Jesus’ protection.
Early disciples had to understand that Jesus blessed them from Heaven while the Roman Government killed them. The blessings of an afterlife are wonderful. However, that does not help the person who was struggling just to survive. As new disciples entered the community of believers, they had to sell most of their possessions and give the money to the community (as described in the book of Acts). When a person left the community, it is doubtful that they would receive their money back. They left penniless, but they could reestablish themselves in the Roman world by returning to pagan worship.
Therefore, the intent of this narrative is to convince members of the faith that they must stay connected with Jesus Christ and stay in the community. These communities must have believed that only the followers of Jesus Christ could join Him in Heaven. If they did not, then they might not have been so concerned about people leaving the community. This belief still exists today in the Catholic and Orthodox church. The Catholic priest tells his congregation that the only way to heaven and to Jesus Christ is to be 100% Catholic. The Orthodox priest says the same thing, except you must be 100% Orthodox. Both groups say that taking communion outside of their denomination is a shortcut to hell. This is a long-held tradition of the church that appears to date back to the beginning of the church.
Today, this narrative is viewed as Jesus protecting His disciples from evil inclination and Satan. One must stay close in discipleship to Jesus to please God. Salvation comes from Jesus and is transmuted to His faithful by becoming connected to Him. The connection occurs at baptism. Once this occurs, the power of the Holy Spirit comes upon the faithful. In addition, the blessings of Heaven are showered down. Certainly, once a person connects with Jesus, it would be foolish to leave the faith. The concern about leaving the church community no longer exists. Perhaps when Constantine made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire, this concern was dropped. Yes, it is sad when someone leaves the church community. However, observing the church today it is not as concerned about the drop in membership. Since 1958 (or so) in the United States, church attendance and membership has been dropping. What have the churches been doing about it? It appears to be very little because the problem continues to accelerate. If the bills are being paid, the local church does not do much about evangelism.
The vine narrative has become a personal thing. Today, the church espouses a personal connection with Jesus Christ. After all, that is why the church exists. But the result of leaving Jesus is not mentioned. The church does not like to discuss leaving Jesus and the consequences. If a person leaves the church and is told the truth about their future afterlife, they may become even more angry with the church and never return. So, the church is soft on this point and says nothing. In John’s day, the people appear to be told exactly what was going to happen. The church today needs to look at what the church did in 90 CE and learn from it.
The greatest gift from God is Jesus Christ. In good or bad times, Jesus is there. Cling to Jesus as a grape clings to its vine because Jesus will spiritually feed you. You will be a part of a Godly community who loves God and loves neighbor.
