I Am The True Vine.
Why did Jesus say, “I am the true vine”? Ray continues the I AM series by examining the meaning of this phrase, and relevance for us today.
The True Vine
Some of us may have the privilege of living in or near grape and wine producing regions. While many countries like France, Italy, Spain, Australia and others are well known for their grapes, Israel is perhaps less well recognized. However, Jesus grew up and ministered in the country and chose to reference the vineyards that He was familiar with. In this, the last of the “I AM” statements, Jesus stated in John 15:1
I am the true vine.
It appears that Jesus made the statement as they were leaving the Upper Room and heading for the Garden of Gethsemane, making these some of the last words that He spoke to His disciples.
As with all the “I AM” statements, Jesus was using an everyday object that the disciples would have been familiar with to teach a deeper spiritual truth. Vineyards and the wine making industry associated with it were extremely common in Israel in Jesus’ time, although outlawed after the Muslims conquered the holy land during the 7th century. Perhaps Jesus pointed out a vine as they were walking towards the Mount of Olives. Certainly the disciples would have understood Jesus’ reference.
Israel the Vineyard
Vineyards and fruit are commonly used as illustrations in the Bible. In fact, it is quite possible that the disciples understood Jesus’ illustration as having a connection to the ancient book of Isaiah.
In the book of Isaiah, God compared Israel to a vineyard he planted. (Isaiah 5:1-7) He expected this vineyard to produce good grapes, but it only produced worthless ones. In other words, Israel did not produce the kind of spiritual fruit that God had hoped for.
A similar illustration is used in the book of Hosea. In this passage, Hosea 10:1-4 Israel was seen as a “luxurious vine.” However, despite their wealth, the people were unfaithful to God, worshipping pagan gods instead of the true God. As Jesus spoke, His listeners may have known that He was referencing the same illustration.
The True Grapevine
Jesus went on to say,
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. John 15:1-5
The Jewish people had been unfaithful and failed to produce the desired fruit. But Jesus had great plans for the disciples, confident that they would be faithful to Him, and produce fruit in their lives that would be pleasing to God.
In order to be fruitful, a branch must be connected to the vine. Obviously branches that become disconnected wither and become useless. Jesus here is talking about how a person can live a fruitful life for God as opposed to living one that is unfruitful.
All true Christians should have a desire to live fruitful lives, that is, lives that are pleasing to God, attracting others to see Him in their lives. However, this is impossible unless we remain connected to the “true vine” – Jesus.
Vines and Branches
Basic biology lessons that we learn in school teach us that nutrients and water travel up the vine to the branches. If a branch gets cut off from the vine, it dies and doesn’t produce any fruit.
We need to understand and believe that Jesus is our spiritual vine. We must be connected to Him to be fruitful. To have a productive life that is successful in God’s eyes, we must remain in Jesus. If we remain connected, we will produce much fruit.
How do we stay connected? We must spend time in God’s Word, and in prayer, and allow the Spirit to work through us. The branch that is connected to the vine cannot help but produce fruit. It is the same for the Christian that is connected to Jesus.
What Does Spiritual Fruit Look Like?
Spiritual fruit can obviously take many forms and will look different from one Christian to another. However, we can be confident of this, the Spirit will produce fruit in our lives like that mentioned by Paul in the book of Galatians.
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Galatians 5:22,23
Jesus is the vine. Let us remain in Him and be faithful, producing much good fruit.
What does it mean for you to know that Jesus is the “The Vine?” We would love to hear from you. Comment below or contact us at HopeStreamRadio.
Ray Marshall
Ray Marshall was born in Scotland but emigrated to Canada in 1977 where he met his wife Kelly. In the 1990’s, Ray and Kelly served as missionaries in both Ireland and Ecuador, and after returning to Canada, they served as church planters in Belleville.
Between 2009 and 2014, Ray and Kelly spent several years teaching ESL in China. Ray currently works primarily for the Navigators of Canada as a community mentor, reaching out to international students; visiting scholars and professors; and immigrants.
He has also been providing Digital Media support for FBHInternational, and HopeStreamRadio since 2011.
More Blogs:
Jesus said, I Am The Way, The Truth and The Life
Ready for Takeoff – Trust in God
Images courtesy of:
Grapes – JillWellington
Grapes in Sunlight – Free-Photos
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