Faithfulness Comes First
THE FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 8:26-40 • 1 John 4:7-21 • John 15:1-8
In his letter to the Philippian church, written in the first part of the second century, Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna, wrote, “I also rejoice because the firm root of your faith, famous from the earliest times, still abides and bears fruit for our Lord Jesus Christ” (1.2). Those words must have been a source of deep encouragement for the Philippians because if anyone knew what it meant to bear fruit for Jesus it was Polycarp.
A disciple of John the Apostle, Polycarp was made Bishop of Smyrna by the apostle before John’s death. Although not a very learned man, Polycarp used his first-hand experience and knowledge of the apostles to help the early church remember what Jesus had taught. He was counted on to identify with authority what teachings should be followed and which ones should be thrown away. But that doesn’t mean that everyone always listened to him.
A year or two before his death, Polycarp made a trip to Rome to consult with Pope Anicetus over a controversy that had begun to spread throughout the church. Quartodecimanism, from the Latin for “fourteenth,” was the practice of observing Jesus’ death on the day of Passover—the fourteenth day of the Jewish month of Nisan—regardless of what day of the week on which it fell. Polycarp, like John the Apostle, was a Quartodeciman, but the Western practice of commemorating the crucifixion on Good Friday, after the tradition of Peter and Paul, had become widespread.
Records of their conference suggest that neither Polycarp nor Anicetus was willing to budge, but Polycarp, the Fourteener, through his deep faithfulness, succeeded in showing the pope that this was not a matter worth breaking fellowship over. As a sign of deep respect for his philosophical opponent, Anicetus invited Polycarp to celebrate the Eucharist in his own church. It was moments like that which made Polycarp’s name ring true. Historians are not sure when Polycarp was given his name—a name that literally means “much fruit”—but it is clear that he came by it honestly, reminding even those who disagreed with him that to remain rooted in Christ is the means by which Jesus’ disciples bear much fruit. [1]
“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 wonder how many times Polycarp heard John say those words, which he, in turn, had heard Jesus say. The concept of abiding in God by abiding in Jesus is central to the John’s understanding of the Chrisitan faith. This is the third week in a row in which our lessons from John’s gospel account and his first letter have reminded us of the importance of abiding in him. And next week we will hear it again.
As the Way of Jesus spread across the globe and different leaders brought different traditions to different communities, which then took those traditions and made them their own, it was hard to know which way of being a Christian was the right way. One of the ways that the apostles and their successors used to measure the validity of a particular tradition was the fruit being born by its followers. Is a community of Christians bearing fruit for God, or has it lost its way—lost its connection with Jesus? And we would do well to use that same measurement for Christian communities today.
“I am the true vine,” Jesus said, “and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.” As Christians, Jesus calls on us to bear fruit for God—the kind of fruit that makes a difference in the world, the kind of fruit that makes the reign of God clearer and more fully manifest in the community around us. And what does that mean? It means making sure that everyone has enough to eat. It means ensuring access to quality healthcare and education regardless of economic or immigration status. It means adopting housing policies that allow everyone to have a decent place to call their home. And it means helping other people know about God’s love in Jesus Christ—the kind of love that has the power to transform lives and communities.
But what if we’re not doing enough? What if we aren’t bearing enough fruit? The needs around us always seem greater than the fruit we bear. No matter how many meals we serve, there are still hungry people in Fayetteville. No matter how many Quorum Court meetings we attend, the housing crisis isn’t going away. Jesus says we’re supposed to bear more fruit—that God will remove the branches that aren’t fruitful and prune back the ones that are so that they bear even more fruit. Only then is the Father glorified, Jesus said, when we bear much fruit and so become his disciples.
But that’s exhausting. I’m exhausted just thinking about it, and I had a three-month sabbatical less than a year ago. We live in a world that is never satisfied—in which what you’ve got is never enough—and that culture is as strong in the Christian community as anywhere else. If you’re staying put, you’re falling behind, and the good Lord knows that we can’t afford to fall behind. As churches like ours vie for more members, more volunteers, and more money, we’ve got to add more programs, more outreach projects, and more trendy opportunities for community life if we want to stay relevant.
The insatiable hunger for more is overwhelming, and it’s sickening all of us. Unless we’re the best church in Fayetteville, we’re not good enough. Unless I’m the best priest, the best teacher, the best preacher, and the best pastor, I feel like I’m failing at my job. And I’m sure you feel it, too. If you’re not the best mom, the best dad, the best coach, the best teacher, the best grandparent, the best Christian, then why do you even bother? How do you hold your head up when you pick your child up from school, knowing that you haven’t done absolutely everything you can and then some?
But none of that has anything to do with bearing fruit for God. And you know how we know that? Because that sort of obsession with being better than others doesn’t fill us with life; it leaves us empty. Being a disciple of Jesus may cost you everything you’ve got, but it will always fill you with abundant life—even to overflowing. That’s the difference between bearing fruit for God and bearing fruit for ourselves. It’s like the difference between eating a green apple and eating green-apple flavored candy. Just because something looks good and tastes sweet doesn’t mean it’s good for you. Just because the fruit you bear looks godly and seems righteous doesn’t mean you’re bearing fruit for God.
Notice that in this gospel passage Jesus doesn’t tell his disciples to bear fruit—not even once. Instead, he tells them to abide in him. And he promises them that those who abide in him will bear much fruit. So, if we want to be the best church, the best parent, the best person that God has made us to be, our focus should be on abiding in Jesus Christ and on trusting that, when we abide fully in him, God will use us to bear the kind of fruit we want to see in our lives.
That can feel like a risky strategy. In a world that expects results and in relationships that are measured in outcomes, a relentless focus on the process, the foundation, the root of our relationship with God instead of focusing on today’s action items can feel out of touch or, worse, negligent. But Jesus himself says it—the only way we can bear fruit worth bearing is if we abide in Christ.
So what does abiding in him look like as a congregation or as individuals? It looks like daily prayer every morning and every evening. It looks like reading and studying and meditating on God’s holy word. It looks like worship as individuals and as families throughout the week and as a congregation every Sunday. It looks like fasting in times of turmoil and celebrating in times of joy. It looks like sitting and listening for God’s voice and learning to quieten our minds long enough to hear it. It looks like spending time together in each other’s homes and invoking Jesus’ name whenever we’re together. It looks like giving thanks for the bounty God has given us and sharing it with those in need. It looks like all of those things that keep us rooted in Jesus Christ because, when that is our focus, the fruit will come.
Polycarp knew that, although bearing fruit is the measure of discipleship, staying rooted in faith is the disciple’s first call. I want to be a part of a church that would rather seek to be faithful than fruitful because only when we are deeply rooted in the faith of Jesus Christ will we bear much fruit.
1. Early Christian Fathers. Richardson, Cyril C., translator & editor. Macmillan; New York: 1970, p. 123.
© 2024 The Rev. Evan D. Garner
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Fayetteville, Arkansas