Jn 15:1-8
In the film St. John’s Apocalypse, the viewers are given an idea of the life of John the Apostle and Evangelist. Tradition has it that he lived the remaining days of his life in the island of Patmos, near the ancient city of Ephesus, at the time of the persecution of Christians by the Roman emperor Domitian. The film is a beautiful and touching portrayal of how the Risen Jesus lives on in the person of his beloved disciple and how the frightened believers find inspiration and strength in the person of this last living apostle of the Lord.
The film also provides a visual representation and interpretation of today’s Gospel message: “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing” (v 5). At one point in the film, a young Christian slave acting as assistant to John in prison expressed his desire: “I wish I had your strength.” To this, John responds, “My strength is not my own; it comes from the Lord.”
The image of the “vine” used in the Gospel today is actually not a new one. It runs in the tradition of Israel and has always been present in the Hebrew Bible. It originally alludes to Israel in relation to Yahweh (see Is 5:1-7; 27:2-6; Ps 80:15-16). Israel is the “choice vine” planted by Yahweh himself which unfortunately degenerated and became “a wild vine” (see Jer 2:21).
There is continuity as now Jesus reappropriates the metaphor to himself. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower” (v 1). Jesus is the new and true Israel, the faithful one in whom the Father is well pleased. To speak of the “vine” is always to speak in the plural: the vine is not alone but with “branches”—referring to Jesus and his community of disciples. And the vine grower remains one, the Father.
The novelty and the power of the symbol lie in the immediate chain of relations emerging from this basic and vital relationship: the vine (Jesus) and his branches (Jesus’ disciples) are all subject to the vine grower’s actions (the Father). The Father removes the unfruitful branches and prunes the fruitful ones so that they may bear more fruit. But the cleansing is also done by Jesus through the word spoken to his disciples: “You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you” (v 3).
At the heart of the triadic relationship (Father-Jesus-disciples) is the relationship of love, expressed in mutual indwelling. The Greek word menein, used in this Gospel and translated in various words as “abide, dwell, live, stay,” does not indicate only spatial sense, but also temporal. It is an indwelling that is “lasting, enduring, continuous.” Indwelling is meant to be a permanent state of existence which then becomes the source of power and fecundity for Jesus’ disciples. To be fruitful is to be empowered by Jesus himself to continue his mission, the heart of which is LOVE.
The Gospel message today is also the living testimony of John the Evangelist who passes on to us the words of Jesus, the Crucified and Risen Lord. What gave strength to the elderly apostle, as portrayed in the film mentioned above, is the same presence, the living memory of his Teacher Jesus. What empowered him to face persecution and continues inspiring other believers is the same mystery of love, the Paschal Mystery of the Lord, the blood of the sacrificial Lamb poured out in love and for love.