We are told by scripture scholars that the Gospel of John uses the word “remain” more than any other New Testament writer. And that there is a real significant meaning for the word “remain” for John, and that the evangelist uses the image of vine and branches to “develop a significance of Jesus remaining in the disciples and the disciples remaining in Him.” We should note that Saint Paul also uses the word “remain” as in “remain in the Spirit” in a like-minded significant way—to highlight the everlasting benefit to our immortal souls of being deeply and constantly connected with Christ.

Back to the Gospel of John: the evangelist uses the imagery of a vine and branch to high-
light the vital connection between the two to demon-strate how closely and intimately connected we are to be to Christ, if we wish to receive the gift of Eternal Life. Scholars tell us that the metaphor of the vine and branch were already part of the Jewish tradition, sym-bolic of the covenant relationship with God—and how it went “awry.” We are told that “God planted a choice vine, but Israel became a wild, untamed vine instead,” (Jeremiah 2:21)

As Jesus’ identity is the vine, the Father, He says, is the vine grower and is the One who will prune the branches so that they will bear more fruit. It is in this imagery of the vine and the branches that we see clearly that the identity of Christ is allied with His disciples—here again we come to understand the evangelist’s use of the word “remain,” meaning to be so closely identified with Christ that we come to be worthy of the title “Christian Disciple.” The word “Christian” was first used in Antioch, after the death (martyrdom) of St. Stephen. Scripture scholars tell us that Christ demands of us certain things: that we must hear His Voice and respond to it with Christian ac-tion, if we are to be welcomed into heaven eternal life. In the Gospel of John (Chapter 10) Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they
follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand.” In this we realize that no one can separate us from the love of God save for ourselves, by our failure to become His disciples. As the word “Christian” first came to be in
Antioch we must not let evil or even indifference by the voices we listen to over-and-above the Good Shepherd’s Voice, for if we do we take the chance of abdicating—by our choices—the glory of the crown of heaven.