The Scottish Parliament Building and
quotation from Act 3, Scene II, 'Julius Caesar'
1. The political landscape has certainly registered some tremors over the past few days. Claims and counter claims; virtue-signalling and name-calling have done little to progress a challenging situation in an already difficult environment. We cannot help thinking of the 'Friends, Romans and countrymen' speech by Mark Antony, the funeral oration in 'Julius Caesar'. This embittered commentary in the aftermath of Caesar's assassination, dripping with sarcasm, alerts and alarms the populace, so much so that a riot ensues. We can only hope that our representatives in high places are indeed 'honourable men' and that they will conduct themselves honourably in the days to come.
Our First Reading this Sunday takes us into troubled waters also. Saul makes his appearance in Jerusalem and consternation follows. One can imagine factions, claims and counter-claims, character assassination etc - not entirely unlike the events of recent days. Barnabas calms the situation and allows progress to take place; harmony in place of strife, and the preaching of the Gospel in place of internal wrangling.
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3. The Second Reading for this Sunday continues from 1 John. The sacred writer tells us straight away that 'our love is not to be just words or mere talk, but something real and active.' It is easy to stop at the level of mere words and to give every impression that there might be more to it. John's admonition, 'non diligamus verbo neque lingua' - let us not love merely by word or with our tongue, 'sed opere et veritate' - but actually by our works and in the reality of our living. This is the perennial challenge for the Christian disciple. John is clear that our vocation is twofold: we must believe in the name of Jesus Christ - and love one another as he told us to.
'See how these Christians love one another' - the famous quotation from Tertullian's Apology (cap. 39). This must always be our standard, even if it is not entirely verifiable in the way we relate to each other here and now.
John has every hope that disciples of Jesus will live in the power that the Spirit give us. We do have the potential to live in love and harmony. There is always progress to be made.
2. In our First Reading, continuing through the Acts of the Apostles, we now see the arrival of Saul in Jerusalem. Naturally, this sends panic through the Christian community. Saul was clearly well known as an enthusiastic persecutor of the Church. His virtual participation in the stoning of Stephen would have been well noted. Understandably then, 'they were all afraid of him'. The disciples may have thought that he was inserting himself into their company in order to continue his programme of persecution.
For some reason, Barnabas feels able to deal with the situation and allay the fears of the disciples. He 'took charge of (Saul), introduced him to the apostles and explained how the Lord had appeared to Saul and spoken to him on his journey.' We can imagine that the apostles would have been prepared then to give credence to this conversion account and that they would observe carefully as Saul now went round with them in Jerusalem and 'preached fearlessly in the name of the Lord.'
We are given further insights into the make-up of that early Christian community. It was far from remaining the icon of harmony that was described earlier in Acts. Factions continued and we see here that the 'Hellenists' actually became determined to kill Saul. The 'brothers' clearly decide that discretion is the better part of valour and dispatch Saul to Caesarea from where he can return to his native Tarsus.
This Reading is instructive for situations of strife within and outwith the Church. As always, we can apply the wisdom of Sacred Scripture to our own lived reality.
'I am the vine; you are the branches.' (John 15;5)
4. The Gospel for this Sunday is taken from chapter 15 of John's Gospel. Here we have Jesus identifying himself as the true vine. The metaphor allows Jesus to describe the relationship that exists between Christ and his Father and between Jesus and his disciples.
The branch that bears no fruit is to be cut away. The branch that does bear fruit is to be pruned, to make it bear even more fruit. Possibly, these are not comfortable words. The mandate to bear fruit is clear. We are back at the same message from the Second Reading. Our discipleship cannot remain at the level of mere words. The passage also dwells to some extent on the fate of those who are cut off from Christ. By the time John writes his Gospel, there were already those who wandered off from complete union and unity in the Church. Jesus makes it clear: they are like branches that wither: 'for cut off from me you can do nothing.'
The alternative - of remaining in Christ and bearing much fruit - is the challenge presented to us. This needs to be a task that we set before ourselves each day. Perhaps it might be no bad thing to reflect at the end of the day just what fruit we have produced.
The metaphors that Jesus uses are those that refer easily to the daily lives of his hearers. This does not mean that they lose something of their force for us. These days, even in our own parish, a short walk would take us quickly into the pastoral landscape, with sheep and lambs very much in evidence. Apparently there are still vestiges of one of the biggest vines which thrived for many years in Kippen, not nearly so remote as the vineyards that we may envisage in far off lands. Jesus' metaphors still apply.
Tending the famous vine under glass at Kippen.
I am the Vine
Not just to see the vineyard from afar
Or even pluck the clusters, press the wine,
How might it feel to be part of the vine?
But to be grafted in, to feel the stir
Of inward sap that rises from our root,
Himself deep planted in the ground of Love,
To feel a leaf unfold a tender shoot,
As tendrils curled unfurl, as branches give
A little to the swelling of the grape,
In gradual perfection, round and full,
To bear within oneself the joy and hope
Of God’s good vintage, till it’s ripe and whole.
What might it mean to bide and to abide
In such rich love as makes the poor heart glad?
Rev. Dr. Malcolm Guite,
Parable and Paradox
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