John 15:1-8, the Gospel appointed for the 5th Sunday of Easter in the Year of Mark, comes on the heels of the Great High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in the preceding chapters. It seems out of place to have Jesus talk about remaining in Him when He has just said that he is leaving. What is evident, then, is that it is the Resurrected One to whom we will be attached. It is the Resurrected One and the Spirit of this One who will enable us to bear fruit in life. Being fruitful in our union with Christ, that is the goal. The preacher's task is to challenge the listeners to hear this call.
(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but have been designed to highlight the function of the Word in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. The function of the Word is important because the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must, at least in part, function. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com and amazon.)
1. How does the Word function in the text? There is both Law and Gospel in this text, both promise and a call to repentance. The Law is present as we hear the need for pruning and the dangers of becoming separated from the vine. We need Jesus. He is life for us. The Gospel is present in the promises that fruit will be borne as we abide in Christ, and more than that, our prayers to God, as God's abiding ones, will be heard and answered.
2. With whom are you identifying in the text? We are, as Augustine says, "the twigs." We are the branches whose very life depends on being attached to the vine. We are also those who are lovingly cut and pruned in order that God's will might be done in God's vineyard.
3. What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? The primary call is to abide in Christ. We who have been grafted into the vine are called to remain in this life-giving relationship. Also implied in the first verses is that we must be open to the pruning that the Word does in us.
4. What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text? Using the language present here we might consider the following couplets to guide us: separated from/attached to Christ; dead wood/fruitful branches; dirty/clean.
5. Exegetical work: The opening line is the last of the "I AM" statements of Jesus: I am the true vine. The word translated "true" can also be translated "genuine" or "real." This is a reminder to us that there are "fake" vines, other voices that offer to be our source of life. None of them are capable of giving the life Christ gives. Staying connected with this true vine, "abiding in" this vine is what is required of us. Many ancient writers, reformers, and contemporary writers recognize this. Augustine writes, "Why, your assertion that a person of himself works righteousness, that is the height of your self-elation...For whoever imagines that he is bearing fruit of himself is not in the vine, and whoever is not in the vine is not in Christ." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. IVb, p. 168). The reformer, Oecolampadius says, "...in Christ is the divine Spirit that he transmits into his members and branches - that is, into his true disciples. And as the branches bear fruit because of the sap...so we too do good works..." (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. V, p. 68). Craig Koester, in his modern commentary writes, "...for the disciples to abide in Jesus means that they abide in his love like branches on a vine, drawing strength from the main stalk and thereby bearing fruit." (Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, p. 272). Abiding is, however, not the only call in this text. We are also called to be open to "pruning" by the Word. Koester's commentary is particularly helpful in discussing this call: "The need for pruning...assumes that sin remains an issue even for those who belong to Jesus, and God addresses the problem of sin through Jesus' word." "Cleansing by the word means confronting the sin that separates people from Jesus the vine." "Pruning...is God's corrective judgement on sin rather than a final condemnation." (Koester, p. 274).
6. How does the Crossings Community model work with this text? Chris Repp, in his 2021 analysis, does a masterful job in describing our fruitlessness as lovelessness. It is clear, then, that Jesus' love is the necessary antidote to our lovelessness. Go to crossings.org/text-study for the entire analysis.
Blessings on your proclamation!
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