St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary - Events - Orthodox Education Day Education Day Articles 2004

“I Have Chosen You”

John H. Erickson
Dean of St Vladimir’s Seminary

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit.  Every branch that bears fruit he trims clean 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.  Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing….

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….

This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  No one has greater love than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you.  I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will abide—so that the Father will give you whatever you ask Him in my name.  I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another (John 15:1–5, 7–10, 12–17).

In one of the icons in the seminary’s Three Hierarchs Chapel, Christ holds a Gospel book open to these words from John:  “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bring….” These words are particularly appropriate for a theological seminary devoted to the training of future clergy.  In fact, in the icon the text reads, “chosen you and ordained you,” offering another possible translation of the Greek text.  But Christ’s words are addressed not only to His immediate band of followers or to those who afterward would serve as ordained bishops, priests, and deacons.  They are addressed to everyone who would be His disciple.  And Christ does not list all the specific ways that His followers can serve Him, whether in ordained ministries or in other ways.  He says very simply, “Go and bear fruit.”  This is something that all of us are called to do.

It is possible to “bear fruit” in a variety of ways.  On Education Day this year, our workshops and other activities will explore some of them.  But one thing is certain.  We cannot bear fruit on our own, by relying simply on our own strength and natural talents.  In order to bear fruit, the branch must abide in the vine.  We can bear fruit only by abiding in Christ.  The initiative is His:  “You did not choose me, but I chose you.”

Christ’s words, of course, run counter to what our prevailing North American culture tells us about “bearing fruit.”  Our culture values success.  It measures worth in terms of personal achievement.  But worldly success and achievement are not “fruit that will abide.”  To bear “fruit that will abide,” we must abide in Christ’s love.  And this means that we must keep His commandment of love:  “Love one another as I have loved you.”  We must express Christ’s self-sacrificial love in our love for one another, showing ourselves to be His disciples in all aspects of our life.  Without this, our successes—in our careers, in our churches, in our seminary—will count for nothing.