A Walk in the Clouds

5^th Sunday of Easter

Cycle A

There was a movie that came out in 1995 called “A Walk in the Clouds”, about a married soldier returning from World War II who poses as a pregnant woman's husband to save her from her father's anger and honor. Her family had come from Mexico several generations before and owned a vineyard and winery outside of Sacramento, California. Her father was very strict and stern, and his family’s heritage and honor was the center of his life.

He took special pride in an ancient vine root that his ancestors had brought from Spain to Mexico and subsequently to California. That root was the grandfather of all the vines in the vineyard, and from it came the special character of the grapes. When a fire broke out in the vineyard that destroyed all the vines, the root survived and from it the family was able to take a pruning that they used to seed the revival of the vineyard.

That ancient vine root was the foundation on which every branch in the vineyard depended. Without it there would be no other vines, and without it the vineyard would bear no fruit. It was more than just a vine, it was the foundation and lifeblood of the family itself. As long as it endured the family would endure and flourish.

Jesus used many metaphors to describe his relationship with his disciples. In last week’s gospel he called himself the Good Shepherd. Today we hear Jesus claim to be the root vine.  In all of them there is a theme of dependency and unity. We are the sheep that follow our shepherd, and there is one flock. We are the branches that are part of the vine, each distinct yet dependent on the vine for survival and bearing fruit.

A vineyard owner has no use for vines that do not bear fruit. The whole reason for a vine’s existence is to provide grapes. The vineyard owner takes great care to provide the vines everything they will need to thrive and prosper, so that they can give him what he needs. The Father is the vineyard owner, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. The Father sets up the vineyard so that it can bear fruit. He plants the vine and takes care of it. The vine provides the structure and foundation on which the branches can flourish. The branches cannot survive on their own. They must be attached to the vine. But it is not on the vine that the fruit grows, it is on the branches. The plant seems to be one, but each part has its role to play.

Just as a vine cannot survive without being connected to the earth, to water and to sunlight, so the vine of the church cannot survive without being connected to Christ. The church cannot be fruitful apart from Christ, and we cannot truly be fruitful apart from the church.

St. John tells us today, “Let us love not in word or speech, but in deed and truth.” The whole idea of bearing fruit means we actually have to do something. Words are useless unless they inspire us to act. We heard today that the early church did not trust that Saul of Tarsus had had a change of heart and become a disciple until they saw his actions. Words were not enough. They had to see results. And Saul on his own did not bear fruit, in fact, he was destructive to the church. It was only when Saul was part of the vine did he do great things.

The second part of John’s admonition is truth. We can only bear fruit through deeds done in truth. It is possible to do good deeds while professing no faith, but every good act is always done through Jesus, whether we acknowledge it or not. Jesus says today that apart from him we can do nothing. Think about that for a minute. Apart from Jesus you can do nothing. Nothing at all. As St. Paul says, “In him we live and move and have our being.” That is the truth we believe in and profess.

Every spring we find that something in our yard has not survived the winter. Branches in the trees have died, the grass is spotty in places, bushes have been crushed by the snow. And so we have to go along and cut out the deadwood, aerated the lawn, and rake out the flowerbeds. If we don’t, then not only will the dead things be an eyesore, they will actually hinder the healthy plants from growing strong.

Jesus talks about the necessity of pruning the vine of those branches that do not bear fruit. The image of pruning can seem a bit harsh, almost a violent act, with Jesus cutting off those branches that don’t measure up. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of mercy there. But Jesus doesn’t cut off the entire branch - the person - only those parts of the person that do not bear fruit. We all have parts of our souls that have died or withered up. Every time we sin a bit of ourselves dies. Every sin is a wound and leaves a scar. And if we do not remove the vestiges of that sin, unless we are healed through reconciliation to God through Jesus, it’s as if that dead branch clings to us as a dead weight.

I believe there is a deep need in all people to connect with the spiritual, to be attached to the vine. Everyone, consciously or unconsciously, seeks fulfilment and meaning in their lives. Everyone is searching for their creator in some way or another. For those who do not have God or seek God, they will create their own, and most times that God is themselves. They prune themselves from the vine and think they can still have life. But that is self-deception, because it is working against everything they were created to be. God created every human being to be a part of him, to be an extension of him, and to be his face in the world.

Pruning is a painful but a healthy thing. We prune the deadwood of our lives, hearts and souls so that what is left can grow stronger and thrive. The church also prunes out unhealthy practices, thoughts, and ideas so that the truth, the things that make the church the vine of Christ, can continue to thrive and bear fruit. The church does not cut off people, it just removes the barnacles so that the people can enjoy the fruit of salvation.

So in a way pruning is a great act of God’s mercy. God is constantly renewing us and is constantly renewing the church, so that we can be rid of anything that will keep us from living as he intends us to. Like a grapevine, we are rooted firmly in the soil of the gospel, and we draw our sustenance from God himself. Like a vine, we are all interconnected and unified, yet maintain our own particular character and fruit.

I think it is interesting that Jesus chose the image of a vine rather than a mighty tree. A tree might be more imposing and stronger than a vine, but a tree has deep roots that fix it in place. A tree grows vertically, a vine spreads out in all directions, always reaching out with new branches that extend indefinitely yet are ultimately connected to one another and to the vine. Even the mightiest tree can be blown down in a strong gale, and once it falls it dies. A vine is much more resilient, and, like in “A Walk in the Clouds”, even fire cannot destroy it, as long as it is rooted in ancient stock.  

The ultimate fruitfulness of our discipleship is to bring others to salvation in Jesus Christ. That is the ultimate truth because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He said that no one comes to the Father but through him. We are called to work and bear fruit so that the vine will flourish and grow, filling all the earth.