Jesus said to his disciples: “I am the true vine, and you are the branches. Remain in me if you want to bear fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” The Gospel passage for today is part of what has generally come to be known as the discourse on the vine and its branches. It is a teaching on the union of Jesus with his disciples and comes to us as among the multiple farewell talks given by Jesus as he neared his passion. This “talk” about the union that ought to characterize the relationship that exists between Jesus and his disciples was geared probably as a reminder to the disciples about their identity and mission. The disciples were not mere followers of Jesus. They had committed to him and had thus become an important part of both his life and mission. The disciples were to always keep this in mind, especially during those difficult times that were soon to unfold. The success of their mission (cf. Matthew 28:19ff) depended entirely on them remaining united to the true vine.
On this fifth Sunday of Easter, however, we read the discourse on the vine and its branches, not as part of a farewell discourse, but rather as a post-resurrection recollection which the community of disciples was having. The period following the arrest and execution of Jesus was a difficult time for this small community. Jesus had been their master, leader, and guide. He had been the captain of this small ship. With his arrest and execution, this ship suddenly found itself without an experienced captain. To keep the ship afloat and on course, the disciples had no choice but to step up and assume the responsibility of steering the ship. Fortunately for them, they had in their quiver the words that their master had spoken to them while he was still with them. All that they needed to do was to call Jesus’ words to mind, listen to them once again, and use them as their pointers as they entered the unchartered waters of life without the physical presence of their Master.
Whereas the disciples might not have initially paid much attention to the teachings of Jesus because of the “veiled” nature of the teachings (especially those that we encounter in the Gospel according to John and which we read on these days of Easter), the phenomenon of Jesus overcoming the powers of darkness opened the eyes of their minds to the meaning of the words that Jesus had spoken. The fact that Jesus had risen from the dead just as he had told them challenged them to re-visit and re-live their time with Jesus. For they soon came to realize that the answers to the questions that might arise as they tried to navigate the difficult maze of building their identity were contained therein. The primary question that they had to answer and which was essential to their mission and survival as a group was to understand who they were in relation to Jesus. The discourse on the vine and its branches is one of the answers to this question.
Jesus likened the relationship that existed between him and his disciples to that of a vine and its branches. It was a depiction that not only pointed to the close nature of the relationship but also to their union. The disciples were “members” of the person of Jesus. As members of his “band,” the disciples derived their existence from Jesus. Consequently, only by remaining attached to Jesus could the disciples retain their relevancy to the mission of Jesus. Such a realization could not have come at a better time and to a group that was greatly in need of it than the post-resurrection community. To move on with the mission that Jesus had entrusted to them, they needed the assurance that Jesus was still with them and that he was still in charge of the mission.
We are part of the post-resurrection community of the disciples. We too have received from Jesus the mandate to keep the mission afloat, on course, and relevant. As such, whenever we read the words of Jesus, we do so with the knowledge that those words are addressed to us in the same manner that they were addressed to their initial recipients. Through our baptism, we have been incorporated into the person of Jesus and have become members of his body. The mandate which we received at baptism of preaching the good news to the ends of the earth can only get to be successful if we retain our membership in the body of Christ. Jesus is not only the head of the mission (cf. Colossians 1:18), but he is also its mainstay. It is from him that the members of his body draw their strength and life-line. May we remain united to Jesus as our true Master and teacher.