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 I was thinking, recently about John 15.  You recall that is where Jesus spoke of himself as the true vine, and promised that if we abide in him, we would bear fruit.  Usually when I hear this preached or taught in church, the emphasis is on abiding. That’s not wrong, of course, but I wonder if there is more at work in abiding than we often consider. In fact, I think the word “true” in Jesus’ reference to himself as the true vine might be too often overlooked. So, I think we should ask why he referred to himself as the true vine. Does that mean there is a false one?  

Well, I think yes, sort of. I think we read this best if we read John 15 against the background of Isaiah 5 where Israel was the vine.  In that case, though, the vine did not bear fruit.  There is probably more to say about Israel’s failure to abide in the true vine, but I think that goes a bit beyond the intent in John 15.  So, I suggest that Jesus as the true vine is also the true Israel.  He is the one who does what Israel did not or could not.  They were commissioned as a kingdom of priests, but never lived up to that.  Jesus is the one who can and did, and thus offers a salvation to the world that Israel did not offer.  So, the disciples could choose to remain in the failed, useless fruitless vine and do nothing. Or, they could join the radical new. In the face of all the pressures to conform to our own culture, we choose Jesus as well.


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