Last Sunday, we were given the image of Christ as the Good Shepherd. This Sunday’s image of how the risen Christ shares his life with us is the image of the vine. Jesus says, “I AM the vine and you are the branches… Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Such words bring comfort but may also be difficult for a self-reliant, individualistic culture such as our own, focused on personal achievement and success. Yet, these are gracious, gospel words from Jesus. God is the vine grower, Jesus the vine, and we the branches, who, separated from the life-giving vine, can do nothing. Baptism grafts us to the vine, making us a part of Christ’s living and life-giving self and makes us alive with Christ’s life. As the vine brings food to the branches, so Christ feeds us at his table. As the vine extends into fruitful branches, so we are sent out to bear fruit for the life of the world.
image: Christ the Vine and Lives of the Disciples Lorenzo Lotto, Suardi Chapel, Italy. In the Public Domain.