“THE VINE AND THE BRANCHES”

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”

John 15:1

Every person seeks meaning and purpose. We want our lives and our endeavors to mean something. However, if we are disconnected from Christ, even our best work does not measure up to God's standard of fruitfulness.

The Importance of Vine in Jewish Culture

One of the most important products of Palestine during biblical times was grapes. The first mention of it is in the history of Noah in Genesis 9. The frequent mention of terraced vineyards in Scripture evidences that grapes were extensively cultivated by the Jews. Vines were already abundant in Palestine even before the Jews took over it during Moses’ time, where the cluster of grapes was so large that the people couldn’t believe what they saw (Numbers 13:23).

Historians suggest that grapes were largely cultivated as a source of sugar, which is the juice extracted from the winepress and boiled to a liquid, known as “grape honey.” This was before sugarcane was the chief source of sugar. People considered grapes as one of God’s best gifts (Judges 9:13), especially because of wine. However, the Nazirite, e.g., Samson, could not drink wine. The mountainous regions of Judea and Samaria were highly suitable for grapes, so Jesus used this imagery to help the disciples understand His point.

Today’s verse contains one of the seven “I AM” statements in the Gospel of John. These proclamations highlight Jesus’ unique identity and purpose. He uses this metaphor to comfort and encourage the troubled disciples who are worried that Jesus will die soon.

Jesus uses a vine to describe His relationship with His followers. It highlights the branches’ dependency on the vine not only for fruit-bearing but also for life. If a branch is severed from the vine, it is cut off from its life source.

Likewise, our life depends on our relationship with Christ. Apart from Him, there is no spiritual life. Not only is He our Creator, but He also sustains us daily. He knows our needs and provides them exactly when we need them. More importantly, He calls us to have a close relationship with Him. Our intimacy with Him directly affects our ability to overcome sin and temptations. The closer we are to Him, the stronger we become.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Boudewijn Boer on Unsplash