And so we come to Jesus; discourse on Divine Vinology! He isn’t plucking the idea of a ‘vine’ out of thin air. Like all of Jesus’ teaching, the image has its roots (no pun intended!) in the Old Testament. The vine as an image of the Church is found in a number of places, notably throughout Ps.80, and Isaiah 5, where – just in case we’re missing the point – we are explicitly told: The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in (v.7). It’s a powerful image that works at a number of levels, not least the idea of the Lord delighting in the vine and its fruit.
Which brings us neatly into John 15. The Church throughout the Old Testament has proven overwhelmingly unfruitful; and when it has borne fruit, the grapes have been bad (Is.5:4). In spite of His loving tending of His vine, the Church has rejected her Lord, and as a result has produced only idolatry, greed, injustice, confusion, and drunkenness, slowly becoming more bitter and dark until in the end she cannot even discern truth: ‘Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter’.
Against the backdrop of this ‘false’ vine, Jesus steps forward as the ‘true vine’. The image is recast to focus on our union with Christ, and our finding life and a future through our relationship with Him. The Church becomes the true vine through her being ‘in Christ’. Outside of Him, and of the loving care the Father continues to bestow, there is only lifelessness. Such branches, Jesus warns ‘are picked up and thrown into the fire and burned’ (Jn.15:6). This is the stark choice our Lord puts before us: to endure the pruning in Him that leads to fruitfulness, and authentic discipleship (Jn.15:8), or remain fruitless and face only the prospect of destruction.
Read Isaiah 5:1-7
(you can read the whole chapter if you like, to see how this parable connects with Isaiah’s warning of impending exile in the nations, 5:26-30)
How can the Lord speak (sing, Is.5:1) of His love for His vineyard (and His delight, 5:7), when He treats it as He does in Is.5:5-7?
Can you identify eras in the history of the Church through the OT that correspond to each of the Lord’s actions in Is.5:5-6?
Do you think this reflects how the Lord would treat the Church today? What might that look like in our own experience?
Read John 15:1-8
What is Jesus getting at with the imagery of the vine ‘bearing fruit’, or not? What ‘fruit’ is He looking for in the branches?
The idea of being ‘already clean’ (15:3), and yet needing ongoing cleansing (15:2) reminds us of similar language in 13:10. What does the Father pruning / cleaning us look like? What would it be like for us? Can you share an experience of being ‘pruned’, such that you became more fruitful?
How do we remain in Christ (15:4)? What is Jesus teaching when he warns of what will happen if we don’t remain in Him (15:6)? Is He teaching us that we can be cut off from Christ?
What is the imagery of being ‘thrown into the fire and burned’ meant to represent (15:6)?
How can we make sure Jesus’ words remain in us (15:7)? How would we recognize someone for whom this was / wasn’t true?
Why is our bearing fruit something that brings the Father glory (15:8)? Does that motivate you in such fruit bearing?
