Today’s Gospel passage is a repetition of the Gospel we heard on Sunday, the familiar parable (I AM statement) about the vine and the branches. There are three different influences on this passage that make it easier to understand.
Historically speaking, St. John’s Gospel was written late in the first century of the Christian era. By the time John’s Gospel was written, Jewish Christians were being expelled from the local synagogues because they had placed their faith in Jesus. The Temple of Jerusalem had been destroyed, and some blamed the destruction on those who professed their faith in Jesus. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Jews referred to Israel as God’s vine. The most familiar passage that uses this metaphor comes from Psalm 80: “You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out nations and planted it. You cleared out what was before it; it took deep root and filled the land. The mountains were covered by its shadow, the cedars of God by its branches. It sent out its boughs as far as the sea, its shoots as far as the river.” (Psalm 80:9-12) The Jewish people believed that as long as they were “connected” to the vine of Israel, they were connected to God. As the Jewish Christians were being expelled, they feared that they would be “disconnected” from God. John’s parable of the vine and branches is written as a way to calm their fears.
Culturally speaking, the parable of the vine and branches is informed by the economic system of the day whereby the poor are taken care of by the more affluent who acted through a steward or agent. The affluent were objects of honor for their generosity which they dispersed through their stewards. As we read this parable, it becomes evident that God is the “patron,” Jesus is the “steward,” and those who believe in Jesus are the “beneficiaries.” God is honored and glorified by the fact that God’s generosity makes it possible for the people to “bear fruit” as long as they are connected to Jesus by faith.
Finally, let us consider the wood of the branches which, according to the parable, is sometimes pruned because of its failure to bear good fruit. The wood of grape vines comes close to be the most perfectly useless kind of wood. It is not fit for use in construction. It makes poor fuel for fires as it burns so quickly. So another way to look at the parable is to realize that we, the branches, are useless unless we are connected to the vine. As we so often pray, “without You, we can do nothing.”
Bearing good fruit happens when we allow Jesus to act through us. When we realize that any good that we do is really being done by Jesus, we bear good fruit that gives glory to God’s name.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator