Vine
Israel was a land of vineyards. Grapes were used for food and for producing wine, so they were symbolic of provision and celebration. Vineyards were typically surrounded by a protective hedge or fence, and at harvest time someone would sit in the watchtower to guard the crop from thieves. Vinedressers pruned and tended the plants to ensure a bountiful harvest, and the treading of the grapes to make wine was cause for celebration.
Israel the Vine
The vine became a symbol for the people of Israel. Psalm 80:8–9 illustrates this point: “You brought a vine from Egypt. You forced out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it so that it took root and filled the land.” God prepared the land, planted the seed of Israel, and tenderly cared for it. He did these things in expectation of a fruitful harvest. Unfortunately, in the metaphor of Israel the vine, we learn that God’s people turned away from him and produced bad fruit. Isaiah 5 tells about God planting and caring for the vineyard; then we read, “What more could have been done for my vineyard than what I have already done for it? When I waited for it to produce good grapes, why did it produce only sour, wild grapes?” (v. 4). Despite God’s tender care and protection, Israel turned away from him. The image of Israel the fruitful vine was replaced by the image of Israel the rotten, unproductive plant. It was not fulfilling the purpose for which it had been created.
God’s Judgment
In time, God will judge the unfruitful vine. Isaiah 5 goes on to describe the removal of the hedge around Israel and the subsequent trampling and death of the vine. Jeremiah 6:9 gives us the image of the vine being plucked clean: “Thoroughly pick through the faithful few of Israel like someone picks through a grapevine.” The vine has become a symbol of God’s judgment. Ironically, the place that should be full of celebration and fruitful harvest—the vineyard—becomes a place of weeping (see Isa. 16:10; Amos 5:17). In the book of Revelation we again see the vineyard as an image of God’s judgment: “The angel swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the grapes from the vine of the earth. He threw them into the winepress of God’s anger” (14:19).
The use of a vineyard as a symbol of God’s judgment is also found throughout Scripture in descriptions of people planting vineyards but not being able to enjoy the fruit of their labor. In Deuteronomy 28:30 we are told that those who break God’s law “will plant a vineyard, but . . . won’t enjoy the grapes.” When God restores his people, however, the vineyards will once again be healthy, and God’s people will enjoy their fruit. “Once again you will plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria. Those who plant them will enjoy the fruit” (Jer. 31:5). The ability to enjoy a productive vineyard was evidence of God’s blessing. This is further illustrated by the fact that security and peace were apparent in Solomon’s day: “As long as Solomon lived, Judah and Israel (from Dan to Beersheba) lived securely, everyone under his own vine and fig tree” (1 Kings 4:25). When a person has a vine and fig tree, he or she has ready access to the good things in life.
Jesus promised that if we abide in him, we will bear fruit.
Jesus the Vine
In John 15, Jesus further expanded on the image with himself as the vine, his people as the vine’s “branches,” and God as the vinedresser. He said, “I am the true vine, and my Father takes care of the vineyard. He removes every one of my branches that doesn’t produce fruit. He also prunes every branch that does produce fruit to make it produce more fruit” (vv. 1–2). The key difference between this description of Israel the vine and the vine image in the Old Testament is that here Jesus himself is our life source, the vine. We are the branches of the vine, and when we remain connected to him, drawing our energy and sustenance from him, we are productive and fruitful. We don’t have to do anything, only remain in Christ. If we fail to produce fruit as we should, God the gardener will prune and discipline us to make us more productive.
The development of the vine symbolism in the Old Testament—Israel being tenderly cared for but then judged if they are unfruitful—into this image of Christ as the vine illustrates the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan throughout Scripture. Rather than only caring for us as a gardener, Jesus has connected himself to us and become our life source. Our spiritual health and productivity are no longer dependent on our own actions but on our connection to Christ.
Key Verse
I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can’t produce anything without me. Whoever doesn’t live in me is thrown away like a branch and dries up. Branches like this are gathered, thrown into a fire, and burned. (John 15:5–6)