So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it. (Mark 16, the final verses of what is known as the Longer Ending)

So concludes the gospel according to Mark, our earliest narrative of the ministry of Jesus. This study began on September 15 and was completed on Palm Sunday.

Loving God, thank you for the example of your son and our brother Jesus. Bless our effort to perceive your intent in the words of the evangelist. Empower us with humility, patience, discernment, courage, and openness to approach your infinite nature.

Help us to proceed from you, cling to you, accept your loving nourishment, and bring forth a harvest of joy and thanksgiving. May we in this way serve as ambassadors of your realm to this time and place.

Above is a representation of Saint Mark from the Codex of the Evangelists, Iviron Monastery, Mt. Athos.

A new study of Paul's Letter to the Church in Galatia will begin tomorrow at http://paultogalatians.blogspot.com/

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, turn around, and believe in the good news.’ (Mark 1: 14-15)

In the action adventure of Mark the first miracle is that of a man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit (Mark 1: 23). In the more philosophical gospel of John the first miracle is the making of fine wine at Cana. (John 2: 3)

Both can be read as saying we abide in God’s realm. The unclean spirits called out, “Let us alone.” Leave us detached. Allow us to be separate from God. But Jesus reaches out to the withered branch and through the vine the branch is restored to its root.

At the wedding feast a difficult and embarrassing absence of wine is transformed into an overabundance of the finest wine. In the words of Mary we are to “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5) To experience restoration and fulfillment with must attend to and abide in the vine.

If we abide in the vine we will still experience drought, disease, and death. This is the way of the vineyard. But as long as we are connected through the vine to the deep-rooted realm of God we will be sustained. We will be able to produce good fruit. Spring will return. A new season will begin.

The fruit of branch, vine, and root can take several forms: glistening table grapes, long-lasting raisins, gooey grape treacle, jam, and jelly, or juice and wine of varied kinds and quality. Each product of the vineyard has its purpose and value. Each form expresses an aspect of the realm of God.

It makes sense that at Cana the new wine was immediately recognized as being of high quality, which might mean it was well-balanced, interesting, refreshing, perhaps surprising, and just a bit mysterious. It was a complement and encouragement to joyfulness. The finest wines are characterized by a complexity that is difficult to fully explain.

The difficulty in explaining the quality of fine wine is another reason the vine parables are so effective. How can we explain the infinite? Certainly not with finite tools of language and logic. Poetry, analogy, and other art forms are often the best we can bring to the task of suggesting the nature of God and our relationship with God.

In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus I perceive a profound analogy for how I am to live and die. I am to live firmly attached to the realm of God. Today and every day I can draw sustenance from the realm of God. In doing so I will produce good fruit.

The fruit is good when it can bring pleasure – even joy – to others. If this branch holds onto the vine and the vine’s root reaches deeply into the realm of God, then season after season, life after life, the fruit produced by root, vine, and branch can offer a taste of God’s intention. How others use this fruit is not for me to decide.

Together with the fruit of other branches I can contribute to a perpetual banquet of God’s bounty. It is an ongoing harvest feast. The banquet is available today and everyday - even in the midst of storm, pestilence, and drought – for all those gathered in the vineyard.

And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterwards Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. (Mark 16, the so-called Shorter Ending)

In the vineyard moderate stress will push the roots deeper. Once deep roots are established significant stress can improve the quality of a vintage.

In 2005 the Bordeaux region of France experienced a serious drought on top of several years of below-average rainfall. The result is what some call the vintage of the century – with 95 years still to come. Here is how Susan McCraith, a leading wine merchant, describes the 2005 vintage:

The dry conditions of previous years had already forced the vine roots to delve deep into the soil to find nourishment and they consequently did not suffer as much from the excessively dry conditions. Over the year there was 48% less rainfall than the 30 year average. When the rain did come it was timed perfectly to encourage the budding, flowering, the veraison (where the grapes change colour) and the final ripening. Temperatures were regular and warm with lots of summer sunshine and cool nights. The lack of rain also ensured a good, healthy crop with no sign of rot.

Jesus did not resist his persecution and passion. He understood what was ahead. Jesus perceived in this the fruition of his mission. Timing is everything in the vineyard. Jesus understood it was his time.

To ripen is to die. When the grape is hard and green it is growing. Early in the season the grapes drink deeply and grow quickly. But at some point – it is different each year and for each branch – growing stops and ripening begins. Dying begins.

Everything a grape may become is present in its first budding. Despite what we seem to see, the grape does not truly grow, rather it is transformed from hard and green to luscious with taste and color. The number of buds does not change. But the contents of the buds change considerably.

The sun creates sugar, color, flavor, and character. The sun’s light and heat takes the early potential and brings it forward… or not. Too little sun and the grapes remain simple and unsatisfying. Too much heat and the grapes shrivel. A balance of heat and light is needed to reveal the complex potential there from the beginning.

For the owner of a vineyard the key decision is when full potential has been achieved. That is the moment when the grapes should be harvested. That is the perfect moment of fulfilling death.

Then Jesus began to say to them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, "I am he!" and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs. (Mark 13: 5-8)

The most serious threat to a vineyard is an infestation of phylloxera. This is a small aphid that eats away where the root and vine meet. The pest can gradually cut off all moisture and nutrients to the vine, branch, and fruit.

There are threats that would cut off my connection with the realm of God.

The vineyards most resistant to phylloxera feature sandy soil so that rainwater is quickly washed away. A dry climate also serves to minimize the threat. The less hospitable the surface – the more dependent on the depths – the healthier the vineyard.

There is much in this life that we should be happy to see drain away.

The example of Jesus encourages us to allow the rains of this realm – its worries and rewards – to wash over us quickly. Jesus enjoyed fine wine, fragrant oil, and the occasional feast, but he did not allow these superficial joys to distract him from deeper purposes and greater fulfillment. His time on the cross was surprisingly brief.

Times of spiritual drought are needed to produce the highest quality harvest.

Jesus went into the desert to confront his temptations. In a parched place he communed with Satan and through this experience dug deep into the realm of God. A life of superficial satisfactions and distractions will leave us without the deeper roots needed to survive - much less benefit from - profound drought.

Healing of dis-ease comes through reconnecting with our deepest origins.

A long-term solution to phylloxera is to graft the branch of an infected vine onto a healthy root of disease-resistant stock. The miracles of Jesus all depend on the diseased and detached "branch" being reunited with the realm of God.

Is my branch united with its intended root?

Above is a detail of demons and angels from The Fall of the Rebel Angels by Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

They said to one another, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? (Mark 8: 16-18)

Jesus seldom explains his parables. The power of the technique is to evoke images and relationships largely beyond logic. The more that is done to deconstruct the images and relationships the more likely the value of the parable will be lost.

But still - if the realm of God can be compared to a grapevine’s deep source and Jesus to the vine and each of us to the branches - then we are already parts and members of the realm of God.

The kingdom of heaven is truly at hand.

If the realm of God is as a seed, then in partnership with the vine and source this branch – and every branch – can play a role in bringing forth in our fruit the realm of God on earth.

We abide in the kingdom of heaven.

We also abide in another time and place. This is often a sunny and pleasant place. But it may bring sudden frosts, pests, and plagues that threaten the fruit and branches. We are creatures of both places.

We emerge from the depths of God’s realm.

Our fruit is formed – or not – in a place where God has chosen to reign, but not to rule. Conditions encountered in this outer realm will effect the vineyard. In any particular season the branches may produce less fruit of lower quality. This does not, however, determine the potential of the vineyard.

The depth of our origin determines the potential of branch and fruit.

In the life and death of Jesus we can perceive how we are to draw on these depths and avoid dependence on other resources that may delay or impede our ability to draw life from the realm of God.

Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 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. (John 15: 6-11)

If the realm of God is the source of the vine, and Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches of the vine how are we to understand these seed parables?

In particular, what does this tell me of the resurrection and its application to my life?

The purpose of the branches is to produce fruit. "My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.

Pruning the branches is essential to producing the best fruit. The mid-winter or early spring clipping stimulates new growth. "He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit." (John 15:2)

Jesus explains that his words have already done the pruning. We are branches prepared for bearing fine fruit.

In the vineyard there is an inverse relationship between vigor and quality. The more vigorous the vine – well fed and well watered – the less flavorful the grape. Studies of the very best Bordeaux wines have found that the most common feature is a "relative poverty in soil nutrients." The finest wines are products of near starvation and drought.

The fruit with greatest potential is the result of branch and vine drawing from the deepest possible source. In the greatest vineyards rain is quickly drained away. The vine and branches draw their sustenance almost exclusively from far below.

In each grape – the seed of vine and branch – we taste the character of a particular time and place. Temperature, rainfall, and sunlight are influential. But the most important is the depth of the vine’s source.

If I am a branch, Jesus is the vine, and the source of the vine is the realm of God – then I can draw on very deep resources.

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. (John 15: 1-5)

Jesus suggests he is as a seed. Or he is the sower of God’s seed. Or he is the vine that proceeds from the seed.

Jesus is our source for - or connection to - the realm of God.

In this realm we have our origin. From this source we receive what we need to grow. Cut off from the seed we shrivel and die.

The introduction of the vine analogy – which is consistent with Mark 12 – is a helpful corollary to the seed parables.

A seed of grain is separate and depends entirely on its context. It can be a fantastic seed, but if it lands on a rock or there is no rain, tough luck.

Grapes are not alone.

A grapevine will flourish in harsh conditions. The best wines are often produced from rocky hillsides where little else would grow.

In the Medoc – one of the premier wine regions of France – the topsoil is sandy, almost a gravel. The hot dry summers would stunt or kill most grain crops.

But grapes do very well. Wine connoisseurs agree that old vines produce the best vintages in seasons that are hot and dry.

Difficult conditions encourage the vine to dig deep to find whatever moisture is available. The same conditions that would burn off a seed grain will produce the finest grapes.

Is the realm of God like a vineyard?