Alive on the Vine: A Look Into Johnනියැදිය

Day 1: The True Vine

I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener (John 15:1, NLT).

Isaiah told a parable that portrayed Israel as a vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7; 27:2-4). God, the vinedresser, carefully and lovingly tended his choice vine, but it yielded no good fruit. He would therefore have to uproot it—a strong warning to his people in a time of rampant unfaithfulness.

Despite this negative outcome in Isaiah’s parable, the vineyard became a symbol of Israel (Ezekiel 19:10-14; Psalm 80:8-16). In some prophecies, fruitful vineyards point toward Israel’s messianic age. This rich image filled God’s people with hope.

The other three Gospels portray the Kingdom of heaven as a vineyard. In John, Jesus tells his disciples that he is the true grapevine—the fulfillment of Israel’s fruitfulness and the Kingdom itself—and that his Father is the vinedresser Isaiah wrote about. His message is clear: The messianic age has arrived in him.

This declaration has huge implications for all disciples throughout history. Remaining in him—attached to the vine—means inclusion among God’s people. Those who accept the Messiah’s covenant and see him as its fulfillment and the source of life are like grafted branches. They remain on the vine. After all, branches can’t live apart from the vine. They live and grow simply by being connected to it.

Jesus assured 11 disciples—one had already left the room—that they had already been pruned and purified by his words. They had gone “unharvested” for the prescribed three years (see Leviticus 19:23-25), and now they were kosher fruit. They were ready to do what branches were ordained to do.

Many Christians have been terrified by the image of the vinedresser cutting off fruitless branches (15:2), but Jesus wasn’t condemning any of his genuine followers. He was referring to that generation of Israel’s religious elites, who would suffer the same consequences as the nation in Isaiah’s parable. Authentic faith in Jesus is a fruitfulness of its own; if you have it, you’re fruitful. The difference between those who remain and those who are cut off is their connection to Jesus by faith.

Re-Envision Your Connection

Jesus has already established the relationship between his followers and his Father, promised to send the Holy Spirit to live in them, welcomed them into the divine family as beloved children, and pledged to prepare a place for them as his bride. The image of vine and branches represents it all. But there is no connection without enduring, abiding faith.

Press into that faith. It isn’t tenuous; if you’re born of the Spirit, you already have it. But cultivate it with all your heart. This isn’t part of your life; it is your life—and the key to experiencing all that Jesus has promised. Rest in that life and those promises. In Jesus, you are the fruit the vinedresser has always longed for.