“I am the vine, you are the branches” (Russian Icon)
Jesus is recorded in the Gospel According to John (Jn 15) as having made this statement to his disciples during the course of their last Passover meal together on Maundy Thursday after Judas has left the table (Jn 13) and before going out to the garden where he is arrested (Jn 18). The claim comes in the midst of four chapter long discourse on love. Jesus opens the discourse with the statement: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also.” (Jn 14:6-7) Jesus says he is in the Father and the Father is in him and, “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” (Jn 14:15) And Jesus promises to ask the Father to send an Advocate, “the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you and he will be in you.” (Jn14:17) After another half chapter of describing the interdependency and mutual love of the Father and the Son, and the Son and the disciples and the agency of the Advocate in the lives of the disciples, Jesus says, “I am the true vine and my Father is the vine-grower”(Jn 15:1) He describes the actions of tending and pruning the vine, and then announces, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” (Jn 15:5) The pruned branches bear fruit, to the glory of the Father and Jesus continues, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.
‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (Jn 15:8 – 15:13)
After two more chapters describing persecutions, trials and tribulation, sorrow and loss, Jesus affirms that there will also be joy and love. And concludes his dissertation on love with a prayer:
‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’(Jn 17:25-26)
This Russian icon provides a very literal interpretation of the simple statement, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Against a dark blue “cosmic” background there is a large golden yellow multi-branched, deeply rooted vine covered with leaves and bunches of fruit. Jesus is enthroned as a Pantocrator but is dressed more as a teacher than a judge. He does not bear the marks of the stigmata, thus he is being depicted in the vine as being alive. In his lap, Jesus has an open book, bearing the titular inscription. His halo bears the the traditional Greek abbreviation for “One Who Is” or “I AM.” In the branches around him are twelve haloed figures. One could easily say that these figure represent the twelve disciples, and that is indeed one possible interpretation, but none of these figures have their names inscribed and only one of the figures has a uniquely identifiable attribute. Because the specific “I am the vine” statement comes in the context of a “known” direct teaching by Jesus of his disciples, we need to expand our definition of disciples to “follower” of Jesus for the imagery to make sense. The top two figures are easy to identify. The elderly white haired, white bearded figure robed in yellow holds two keys in his left hand. The keys represent the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, thus the figure represents St Peter. Because the icon uses hierarchical perspective as exemplified by the large figure of Jesus and the relatively smaller stature of the other figures, the younger figure opposite St Peter would have to be his equal in the eyes of the church. The younger figure has a short beard, short hair and receding hairline. The figure hold a codex, a compendium of papers or letters. St Peter's peer would be the Apostle to the Gentiles, thus I would name the second figure St Paul. The four figures on the same level as Jesus each hold a book. Because the four figures are basically in a line with Jesus they share a commonality. I suggest their shared commonality is found in the life of Jesus. Though none of the richly decorated book covers bears a cross, I would hazard that the four book bearers represent the four Gospellers. Each of the lower three figures on either side of the central trunk holds in a hand a rolled up scroll. In traditional iconography a rolled up scroll represents knowledge or teachings. These six figures could represent the disciples. Each of the twelve figures has distinctive individual hair color, they have long hair or short hair, they are beardless youths and long bearded elders. Each of the figures has their own color combinations in their clothing. In spite the fact that only white males are depicted in this icon, the icon displays an astonishing amount of diversity.
The icon shows the centrality of the teaching of Jesus as the vine to the expansion and growth of the church as the branches. Our mutual dependance on each other, our diversity and divergent ministries are on display. We are each important member of the whole body of the church. Together we can only thrive if we are nourished and nurtured by the love of God in Christ Jesus and center our communal life on Christ.