Sermon: Going Under the Knife

Going Under the Knife"

Easter 5

May 21, 2000 John 15:1-8

Sermon by Rev. Dr. John K. Luoma

The story is told of a young man who absolutely refused to go to church. It's a story many parents have faced on Sunday morning. It is so hard to get them out of bed. His mom went into the room several times and said, "Son, you have to get up or you are going to be late." Each time he would grunt in acknowledgment but refuse to move. Finally, he replied, "I'm tired. I don't want to go. Besides, no one there likes me. Give me two good reasons why I should go." His mother replied, "First of all, you are twenty-nine years old. Second of all, you are the pastor."

Well, whether you are a pastor or not, it is not necessarily an easy thing to be a disciple of Jesus. It is the most glorious thing anyone can be, but it is not easy. And Jesus says as much in his story of the vine grower, the vine and the branches. And it is a story that packs a punch because Jesus is in the last hours of his life and he wants them to know the cost and the glory of being a disciple.

Who is the vine grower and what is it that the vine grower does? The vine grower is God the Father. And what does the vine grower do? The vine grower prunes or cuts the branches. Now, ust as human beings don't want to have surgery even though it is necessary, I doubt whether branches really want to be cut. Those who have seen the process of pruning, as Jesus had, know that it is a fairly brutal process. William Willimon talks of visiting some of the finest vineyards in Australia. He says that he was amazed at how bare the vines looked. Beneath every vine was a huge pile of branches. The grape growers were absolutely ruthless in cutting the branches. But they knew that it was absolutely essential to a good harvest and healthy vines.

And Jesus is saying that just as it is necessary to cut back the branches of the grapevines for their own sake, it is also necessary that human beings be pruned so that they can be the people they should be and produce the fruit they are meant to produce. How does this pruning take place in our lives? In verse three Jesus says that it takes place through the word of God. The Greek word in this verse is translated as "cleanse", relating it back to the story of Jesus washing the disciples' feet; but it also can be translated "prune." We experience the word of God as cutting because it often goes against our nature.

And we know why that's the case. We've heard the story before. It is one of the very first stories told in the Bible, and it is as true today as it ever was. There were two people in a garden along with the God who created them. And God said that they could eat of any of the trees in the garden, but they could not eat of the tree in the center of the garden. And what did the couple decide to do? They made the incomprehensible choice of going against the God who loved them and created them and only wanted the best for them.

One of the greatest Christian thinkers of all time, Karl Barth, states that human history is simply the living out of this story again and again with all its tragic consequences. And he is right, isn't he? Again and again we choose against God, and again and again we suffer the consequences. We think that we know better than God..

Then Jesus goes on to share some comforting words, words that enable them to deal with their sinful situation. Once again in verse three he says, "You have already been pruned by the words I have spoken to you." He is referring to all the words that he speaks to them and models for them as they participate in their last meal together. (chapters 13 and 14)

The first word is given in John 13. On the night in which he is betrayed Jesus ties a towel around his waist, gets a basin of water, and washes his disciples' feet. This was the work of a slave and his disciples object that their master should not perform such humiliating and lowly work for them. Then Jesus tells them that this is exactly why he was born into the world. He was sent not to be served but to serve. And this is what they are called to do also. They are not called to live for themselves and endlessly repeat the sin of Adam and Eve. They are called to live for others.

A couple of weeks ago I attended a Bible study workshop. It is called Crossways. At this conference they had a very interesting T-shirt for sale. It had a bible verse on the front and on the back were the words "we do feet." What a wonderful slogan. That's what we are created for and that's what we have rebelled against ever since that first rebellion in the garden. We are called to live for others and not for ourselves. Only as we do that do we find life.

The second pruning word Jesus gives to us comes in the form of a meal. We call it Holy Communion. In this meal we are reminded that Jesus' body was broken for us, and his blood was shed for us. We are reminded that he did what we could not do. He bridged the gap between us and God that was created by our self-centeredness. In this meal we receive forgiveness. In this meal we receive the power of Jesus that enables us to be new people.

And the third word is a promise that we hear repeated in our Gospel for today: he will not abandon us. He will abide in us. As sinners we sometimes loosen our grip on him, but he will never loosen his grip on us. He takes up residence in us at baptism and will not depart. In chapter fourteen he says that he will not leave us orphans; he gives us an advocate.

Now, I would be remiss today if I did not point out that Jesus issues a word of warning to his followers. And the word is this: if they do not abide in his words, if they do not use the gifts God has given, they will gradually grow weak. They will become more and more susceptible to the ways of the world and the unimaginable may happen-they might cut themselves off from God. And that's not just a word for young people. That is also a word for adults. Christ promises to abide in us, but we must abide in him by means of his word.

But the final word shouldn't be a word of warning because that's not what Jesus focuses on. Jesus focuses on the joyful consequences that are going to occur as we abide in him. And this is what we should focus on too. The first consequence is that as we abide in Christ we are going to make God the father happy. And what greater blessing could there be than that you know that you are pleasing the God who created you? The second consequence is that as we abide in Christ we are going to be among those people who make a difference in life. We are not going to come to the end of life and see only a long trail of sin in which we have damaged practically every person we have ever come into contact with. And the third consequence is maybe the greatest of all. When we abide in Christ we are going to draw so close to him that our prayers are going to become prayers of great consequence-prayers that can literally change the lives of others.

What a privilege it is to be claimed by Christ and given the gift of his words. There is no greater calling than to abide in him.

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