We continue exploring the Gospel of John in our readings for this Sunday. In them Jesus makes his seventh and final "I am" statement, comparing himself to the true vine. Combing through the Old Testament we discover that vine imagery is often associated with Israel, but an Israel that is unfaithful and disobedient. It is Christ then, the faithful son, and we his disciples who are to embody a new Israel, radically faithful to the Father. How do we achieve this faithfulness? Our Gospel reveals the secret. Diving deep into our Gospel we'll spend our episode looking closer at: - The seven "I am" statements in John, the last of which forms our Gospel - The image of the vine in the Old Testament and how it helps us interpret Our Lord's analogy - How our Gospel both demands and promises radical faithfulness - The ancient heresy that our Gospel was employed to refute - What it means to abide in Christ and a tangible way to practice that abiding