This past week, I had an appointment with my doctor.  The doctor mentioned something he considers to be an important health issue.  I took note of the advice.  Then, the doctor repeated his medical advice and later, he repeated it again. 

I was going to point out that he had made the same remarks three times, but I wondered if he thought I was the sort of patient who needed to hear the same advice repeatedly. 

A similar dynamic occurs in today’s Gospel reading.  The author of John’s Gospel seems to have been of the same opinion as my doctor, namely, that the patient needs to hear a helpful message numerous times. 

Last Sunday, we heard the “good shepherd” metaphor in which Jesus said his disciples know and follow him in the way that a flock of sheep know and follow their shepherd.  In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus likens his faithful disciples to branches that draw sustenance from the vine and bear fruit as a result of the life they receive from the vine.   

The familiar vine and branches metaphor in John’s Gospel appears to be little more than a repetition of the equally familiar sheep and shepherd metaphor.  Both metaphors speak about remaining connected to Jesus in a life-giving relationship.  Both metaphors describe the positive consequences of a faith relationship with Jesus, and both echo the meaning of Jesus’ statement, “I am the bread of life.” (Jn 6:35)  One might wonder why the repetitions seemed necessary in the mind of the Gospel author. 

It is helpful to understand the historical background of the Gospel’s composition.  The author of John’s Gospel intended to address several internal conflicts troubling his church congregation.  There were some members of the congregation who struggled with basic beliefs about the person and teachings of Jesus.  Specifically, they could not reconcile their belief in the divinity of Jesus with the Gospel’s witness that Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine.  These “hirelings” corrupted the apostolic preaching and created the sort of confusion that led some congregation members astray. 

A second internal conflict facing the Gospel author’s church congregation was the result of a faction which thought Baptism relieved them of any obligations of morality and justice.  This group had a slogan, “We know him.”  The “him” mentioned was Jesus and the erroneous belief was that Baptism conferred hidden knowledge that made one better than other people.  As they thought themselves better than others, this faction thought they had no obligations to the world. 

The vine and branches metaphor intended to reinforce the belief that knowing Jesus required a living connection to Jesus that ‘bore fruit’ in the form of good moral behavior and real concern for the world.  According to the Gospel author, true knowledge of Jesus was not a passive possession but an obligation to produce the kind of good acts Jesus produced during his lifetime. 

Just as there were many ways to stray from Jesus’ flock during the lifetime of the author of John’s Gospel, there are many ways today to wander from the fold.  The possibility of losing one’s connection, either intentionally or unintentionally, to Jesus the Vine is sufficient reason for the Gospel to repeat a familiar message. 

In addition to doubt about Jesus’ humanity and an over-inflated sense of privilege, there are many ways to become separated from Jesus and the community of his followers.  Complacency about one’s faith life can end in faithlessness.  Worry about life’s burdens can lead to distraction from one’s obligations to God; worry about the afterlife can have the same effect.  Perhaps, the most common killer of faith is the inability to trust that God offers only mercy to human nature and offers it to every person at every moment. 

Because of these many possibilities for straying from God’s flock, we need to be reminded repeatedly of how to remain connected to Jesus. Reading the Scriptures daily and praying daily with the Scriptures develops our familiarity with the voice of Jesus, the good shepherd. 

Like the repeated but helpful instructions from a doctor, the message of the Gospel and the obligations of discipleship are worth speaking and hearing repeatedly – so that we and the world can hear and understand.