Today, as with last Sunday, we have been reading through the 15th chapter in the Gospel of John, with the wonderful image of the vine and the branches. In this image, God the Father is the gardener, Jesus is the vine and those who believe in him are the branches. Jesus uses this metaphor to make a number of striking points. For instance, the branches that bear fruit are the ones that get pruned, in order that they may bear more fruit. What is more, our fruitfulness depends, not on our own abilities or worthiness, but on our staying connected to the vine, for, as Jesus starkly warns, “apart from me you can do nothing.” (v. 5)

Retaining this vital, ongoing connection is described as ‘abiding’, which carries much more than a sense of simply ‘staying’ or ‘resting’. Rather, throughout the chapter, Jesus’ repeated instruction to ‘abide’ in him conveys the sense of consciously allowing Jesus to dwell spiritually inside us. We are to open ourselves, and to remain open, to Jesus’ spirit coursing through our beings, just as sap within a vine flows throughout the branches.

Jesus implies that what abiding in him actually means is to abide in his love. Love is the ‘sap’ that enlivens the whole vine and is what ultimately produces the fruit. To emphasise the point, Jesus explicitly commands his followers to “love one another as I have loved you.” (v.12) Jesus indicates that he loves his friends the way that his Father loves him and that we are to follow his example by loving one another.

Jesus then comes out with a rather startling statement, claiming that laying down one’s life for one’s friends is the way of showing the greatest love. He is, of course, referring to his own forthcoming sacrifice on the cross, when he will die in order to transform forever the nature of the relationship between a broken, sinful and hurting world and a perfect God.

But because very few, if any, of us, will ever be called literally to lay down our lives for our friends, we can also understand Jesus’ statement to mean that it is in the sacrificial nature of how we live our lives, and in our relationships with those around us, that reveal the depths of our love – a love made possible and sustained by our abiding in Jesus.

There is much more to be drawn from these verses, but the one inescapable imperative for those who follow Jesus is that we are to ensure that we remain connected to the vine – and the sign that we are connected will be visible in how we love one another.

One final thought: yesterday was the 648th anniversary of Mother Julian receiving her ‘shewings’, or visions. On 8th May 1373, Julian had 16 vivid and powerful visions, which she reflected on for the next 20 years and eventually wrote into a book, Revelations of Divine Love. One of her deepest impressions was of a God who loved us completely and who took joy in us and who cared for us with unending tenderness and compassion. There is much in what Julian wrote that reminds me of the relationship between us and Jesus implied in the image of the vine and the branches.

Christina Rees