Juiced: The Inner Life of Vines
by Ken Wilson
Last week: Jesus Brand Spirituality--Earthy, Mystical, Curious. New series on earthy & mystical teaching of Jesus in John 15. "I am the vine, you are branches" Earthy, because vine image is rooted in the earthy history of Israel, a contested patch of earth in the Middle East then and now. Mystical, because it's about intimate union between us--hence the title of this series: Juiced--The Inner Life of Vines.
John 15: 1-17 Begin with understanding this earthy vine image and how it resonated in time & place Jesus first spoke these words.
Words are history bearing units. "Freedom" is a history-loaded word for Americans. It's meaning varies depending on history we identify with. To a person of European ancestry = freedom from King George and the British. We got our freedom long ago; now we're defending it against those who want to take it from us. To those with African ancestry = freedom from slavery, or more recent freedom to vote or travel cross country knowing motels can't refuse you a room because of your skin color. Freedom for someone of native ancestry conjures something lost when European settlers brought their guns & germs, decimated population by 90%, herded them into reservations.
In the Israel of Jesus' time, "vine" was as loaded a national word
as freedom is to us. When Jesus said, "I am the true vine…" he was planting himself in middle of Israel's messy history.
The vine was a national symbol, like eagle is for us, only much richer.
Israel was understood as vineyard planted by God, the vinedresser.
Isaiah 5: 1-7 A strong note of warning. Israel is blowing it; impend-ing distress. How Jesus is using the vine image 500 years later.
Remember, Jesus came as a prophet to Israel. More than a prophet, but not less. He came warning Israel that their current strategy of violent resistance to the armed occupation of Rome would end in the nation's destruction. Toward the end of his ministry, when he spoke these words, he knew that Israel was rejecting his alternate strategy--one based on non-violence, turning the other cheek, loving enemies.
As nation stands on the brink of destruction, he is re-forming Israel. Romans about to put down the resistance, destroy temple, crush the nation. 70 AD. In preparation, Jesus offers himself as the nation, suffering impending disaster in advance, becoming a kind of seed carrying the nation's DNA to preserve, renew, expand God's people while the storm passes. ["How I long to gather you as a hen gather her chicks"--as barnyard hens did during a barn fire]
"I am the true vine…" Imagine it's America, not Israel. A prophet comes to us saying "renounce violence or the nation will be destroyed by violence." We'd call him soft on security, unpatriotic. Then he says, "I am the true eagle, true America; I'll carry you on my wings"
"Why haven't I read it that way before?" Because we read the bible thru cultural lense, and some lenses blind us to message of the bible.
One of most blinding of our cultural lenses: radical individualism. Why do you think our sense of history is so short? All the important history began when I was born. To us, individual is highest form of humanity. Community is there as an add-on. So in spirituality, we think the key is to have an individual, personal relationship with Jesus; if we've got time & inclination, also nice to be part of a community.
It's why we take the promises made to Israel and apply them to ourselves as individuals without batting an eye. "I know the plans I have for you"--actually that was given to a people, not an individual.
When radical individualism has run its course, we wonder why it feels like we're in this alone, so preoccupied with ourselves all the time.
"I am the true [genuine] vine and my father is the gardener. [God is first portrayed in Genesis as a gardener who commands us to take care of the earth with and under him] He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes [cleans] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches."
"Remain in me, and I will remain in you."Sounds mysterious. Mystical. Mysticism scares us; not because we don't want it, but because we think we're incapable of it.
Vine image is prominent in another book with mystical overtones:
The erotic love song called Song of Songs. Woman's body in Song of Songs is the vine. The lovers do their loving in a Vineyard.
Mysticism intimidates because it seems too intimate for us; it feels like we'd be lousy God-lovers.
Which is exactly why Jesus is using this concrete, tangible, earthy image of the vine and the branches.
Take a look at a vine: Tell me where vine ends and branches begin. That's the point isn't it? Can't easily distinguish vine from branches.
A vine is planted in the dirt. It draws nutrients and water from the earth into a kind of life sustaining juice or sap. This vine juice flows through the vine and its branches. Eventually, in time, manifests as fruit. Which in time becomes fine wine, enjoyed around a table.
This is the way it is between-among us, he's saying. I'm the vine, my father, the gardener; you're the branches. When a branch isn't bearing fruit because the sap isn't flowing, vinedresser cuts it off. (In context: those who want no part of him. Already cut off from the vine-life. If you're saying "Is it me Lord?" you're not a candidate. Also remember, vinedressers know how to graft in)
If there's any sap in you, there will be pruning to contend with. In business pruning is necessary. A company gets involved in things not central to its mission. Feels like a great opportunity but it just dilutes focus. Starbucks had its own magazine for a while. Nice magazine but had to be pruned. K-Mart bought Borders, but K-Mart had no business in the book business.
Pruning=removal of some growth for better growth down the road.
Some growth is just good for show but not for dough and gets pinched off. Ever had good things pinched off? Not pleasant, but good for long term growth. Good for the wine that's to be made of us.
If that's the way it really is between us--he's the vine, we're the branches--then all we have to do is participate. We don't have to
"make it happen." Just concern yourself with staying put.
Remain in me. That means, stay put. In historical context, stay put in the face of impending national crisis-distress.
We all live in the face of some impending distress. We fear the loss of what's near-dear. In the face of impending loss, Jesus says, I'm the vine. Stay put in me and we'll have wine when the crisis is passed.
"I am the vine and my father is the vinedresser….I am the vine and you are the branches; remain in me and I will remain in you."
This vine image is relational through and through. The "me" we remain in is a vine: a relational, connectional network.
Jesus himself is the vine, nation, new community….planted by the Father, made up of branches, us. Jesus and followers of Jesus intertwined with each other--same sap flowing thru him, flowing thru them, flowing thru us; us being us and them and him intertwined.
The connections constitute the vine through which the juice flows.
Without connections the vine has no inner life.
When your vision is blinded by radical individualism, all the weight that's meant to be sustained by a network of connections has to be sustained by each individual.
Reasons marriage is such a hard go in our times has nothing to do with marriage per se. It's to do with how isolated we are from others. Not enough family and friends, people to lean on, when pressure is on. Puts all the pressure on one person (spouse) and line snaps.
[Difference between a single fishing line and a net]
Of course faith is personal. Individual decision needed. But we're part of a vine. Jesus is the vine. A relational network.
If it's just me & Jesus, oh what a burden! I have to pray, by myself. Read the Bible, by myself. Do good deeds, by myself. Live exemplary life, by myself.
(In our crooked thinking, the church is nothing but a pep rally to fire us up to do Christianity by ourselves.)
Instead whole thing (Jesus!) is relational, connected, net-worked.
Stay put in that…and all else--life, fruit, fruitfulness follows.
Vision drives experience. Where would this vision drive us?
Beyond spiritual isolation….the search for life (give me the juice!) would be a search for connections…
+ IJBS-Alpha course
+ Small group
+ Serve in a ministry with others
Cost of connecting? Pride. Have to acknowledge need for others.
Price of remaining in the vine? Pruning.
When you're connected with others you're affected by others...
errant & erring others.
My errancy meets up with yours and one of us wants to skeedaddle.
That's the modern M.O.
When tensions arise in relationships, we often push the eject button.
Someone offends us and we complain to everyone but the person.
We do a lot of passive-aggressive skee-daddling.
To remain in vine might subject us to pruning of our fear. Of conflict. Of tending our messes rather than walking away from them.
Pruning self-centeredness, tendency to become easily irritated, hold grudges, hold others to standards we would wither under ourselves.
What does a branch say when it's pruned? Nothing.
What does a person say when pruned? Ouch.
To what end, the pruning? Fruitfulness. Fine wine.
This vision of the vine shapes our experience of things like prayer. Prayer is more than pious thinking. Not just conversation with God in our heads.
Prayer can also be awareness of connections. We pray--even alone--as part of a communion of saints. Surrounded by cloud of witnesses.
Ever had a baby lock eyes with you? Just content to look.
Awareness of others can happen wordlessly.
Other day, instead of praying for loved ones with words, just closed my eyes and through my memory, I guess, just looked at face of each one. Like you would be content to just look at a baby's face, since conversation with a baby is limited. Each face, a life connection. Vine-life flowing.
Wasn't half bad. It was at least half good, half wonderful.
Coming weeks--how it is we experience the vine-life as word, love, and joy.
Ministry:
A time to re-connect. With God. With others. With God through others. With others through God.
Eyes to see others as God does. Aware of faults but seeing through them. Eyes of acceptance.
Eyes to see Jesus in others. Eyes to catch a glimpse of him in the unlikeliest places. [When was the last time you caught a glimpse of Jesus in someone else? If a long time, you're not looking!]