“I am the True Vine”

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” John 15:1 (NIV)

Vineyards were everywhere in Judea. Because of this, vines and vineyards are commonly found in the Old Testament as a metaphor for God’s people, Israel (Psalm 80:8-13; Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2-11; Jeremiah 2:21; Ezekiel 15:1-8; 17:5-10; 19:10-14).

Unfortunately, Israel was a vine that was never able to produce ripe and healthy fruit. As a result, those who looked merely to their ethnic identity (as Jews) as proof for their identity as God’s people were not actually able to produce the fruit of righteousness that God desired. And neither could those who looked merely to their own works according to the requirements of the Old Covenant. The story of Israel and the Law underscored the need for something greater: a healthy vine for the branches to attach to, through which lasting fruit could be produced.

Jesus makes this ‘I AM’ statement on the evening before His crucifixion. Though the disciples didn’t realize it at the time, everything would change the very next morning. Their identity would no longer be as branches of the vine of Israel, but as branches of the vine of Jesus. They would no longer continue to toil fruitlessly under the Law, but could begin producing fruitfully for God. This had even been foreshadowed by Jesus’ very first sign of turning water into wine. In this miracle, Jesus was not merely helping people out of a bind due to poor party planning. He was illustrating the truth he spelled out in his final discourse: Jesus Himself was the vine who alone could produce the fruit of a new wine that far surpassed anything that the old covenant could accomplish (John 2:1-11).

The same goes for us today. As we abide in Jesus, finding our identity in Him and keeping His commands, we too can bear much fruit for God and partake of the outpouring of the better wine of the new covenant.

SHADOW: In the Old Testament, Israel is portrayed as a vine that has been unfruitful (Isaiah 5:1-7).

CONTEXT: Jesus says this at the beginning of His farewell speech to His disciples, before His crucifixion. The Father is the vinegrower, and His disciples are the branches (15:5).

SUBSTANCE: Jesus is the new vine that can do what the old vine could never do – produce healthy, lasting fruit for those attached to Him.

Reflect:

As you read John 15:1-11, consider the implications for your own life of Jesus’ claims in this passage. How does the Old Testament’s use of this metaphor shed even more light on the nature of His claims?

If someone looked at the fruit of your life, what vine would they say you are attached to? What specific fruit that would show someone that you are connected to Jesus, the True Vine?

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