April 2, 2006

 

The True Vine

John 15:1-8

 

 

Darryl C. Evans

First Presbyterian Church

 

Our text this morning takes place during Jesus’ last week on earth.  Here Jesus gives a good deal of teaching in John’s Gospel in chapters 13 to 17 in which Jesus gives his final teachings, which are often referred to as the “Farewell Discourses”.  The days of Jesus’ earthly life are winding down, and the time for the Passion is picking up steam. 

Let us recall that in the two chapters before today’s passage, Jesus has already washed his disciples’ feet.  Jesus has already predicted that Judas will betray him.  Jesus has already foretold that Peter will deny him.  And Jesus has already promised that the Father will send the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name.  And Jesus and the disciples have left the Upper Room after the Last Supper and are now walking in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

And this brings us to today’s text, which is one of the most well-known and beloved texts in the Bible.  Here we have the wonderful image of being connected to Jesus, the True Vine, with God the Father pruning us.  This text is often noted for that intimate and beautiful relationship that we have with Jesus.  This is true.  And it is a wonderful metaphor for that.

But today, let us think of a different meaning in this text.  Imagine that you are with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Jesus says, “I am the True Vine.”  I started wondering about this phrase, the “True Vine.”  The True Vine?  What did Jesus mean when He said that??

Does this mean there is a “false” vine?  Is there an “old” vine or some other type of vine?  How on earth does a vine – how does a plant – of all things become “true?”  What was Jesus trying to say when he said he was the “True Vine?”  We often remember that Jesus said, “I am the vine.”  But if you’re like me, we don’t always remember that Jesus said he was a True Vine.

So imagine this morning that you are with the original disciples.  Imagine for a moment that you are a disciple walking with Jesus.  And let us think what the image of the vine may have meant to them, before Jesus gave this teaching.  What DID the image of the vine mean to them during their time 2,000 years ago??  What did it mean to them thousands of miles away from this place?

As I began to study this, I realized it was a familiar image that has a long history in the Old Testament.  And since the original disciples were Jewish, they certainly knew it. 

We know that the vine appears frequently in the Old Testament.  It is a metaphor.  It is a metaphor that stands for Israel.  And it is a negative metaphor.  The vine is an image that stands for Israel, and it is an image that is only used when Israel has messed up.  The vine is a metaphor that is only used for an unfaithful Israel. 

Each time this image is used in the Old Testament, it is clear that the vine has been planted by God to produce good fruit.  But through Israel’s own sins, the vine has become useless.  The vine is a metaphor for Israel, and it is negative metaphor.  It has a long history through the Bible. 

 

It is an image that consistently bears the same cycle: what started off as good, what started off as a creation of God, has become corrupted.  It has not lived out the function for which God created it.  Let’s take a look at some of these passages. 

First, we see this in Jeremiah.  Jeremiah says that although Israel was planted as a “choice vine” it has now gone astray.  The Sovereign Lord speaks firmly to Israel.  God tells Israel in Jeremiah that:

I had planted you like a choice vine of sound and reliable stock.  How then did you turn against me into a corrupt, wild vine?”  (2:21)

Clearly, God has created something good.  God has created Israel.  But like Judas, Israel has turned against God.  And what was intended for good has been corrupted. 

The prophet Isaiah also likens Israel to a vineyard.  To a vineyard that produces bad fruit (5:1-7).  And again Isaiah uses the image of the vineyard for something that God has created that has gone from good to bad.  Isaiah tells us that Israel is like a vineyard dug on a fertile hillside that was planted with the choicest of stones.  But when it was searched for good fruit, it gave only bad fruit.  Isaiah even writes,

The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight.  And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress (5:7).

But the image of Israel being like a vine does not stop there.  The list goes on and on.  Recall the prophet Hosea.  God told Hosea to marry a prostitute as a metaphor for Israel’s unfaithfulness to God.  What an incredible image!!  But amidst this picture of unfaithful Israel, Hosea also likened idolatrous Israel to a spreading vine.  And as that vine spread, its pagan altars also spread.  This corrupt vine is increasing its production of bad fruit (10:1).  Listen to the words of Hosea:

Israel was a spreading vine; he brought forth fruit for himself.  As his fruit increased, he built more altars; as his land prospered, he adorned his sacred stones.  Their heart is deceitful, and now they must bear their guilt.  The Lord will demolish their altars and destroy their sacred stones (10:1-2).

And Ezekiel also likens unfaithful Israel to a vine.  Ezekiel, striking at the very heart of the holiness of Israel speaks to Jerusalem.  To Jerusalem the Holy City.  To Jerusalem, the city of the Temple, which contains the Holy of Holies, which should hold the very Shekinah glory itself!  But, says Ezekiel, Jerusalem is as useless as a burnt vine (15).  A burnt vine.  A gnarled, black dead vine.  Apparently, Israel’s unfaithfulness was so bad that the negative image of the vine was not bad enough for Ezekiel!  Not even when compared to Hosea’s image of a prostitute!  He takes it one step further!  Being called an Unfaithful Vine was not enough of a slap in the face to Israel; he had to make it worse.  Things have gone from very bad to even worse, so he called it a BURNT vine.  Israel has strayed so badly that they are called a “burnt vine”.  Israel was then conquered by foreign nations.  And Ezekiel went with them into Exile.  And then Israel was kicked out of the Holy Land.  In one of the biggest events of the Bible, they were Exiled to Babylon.

It even seems that this passage is alluded to when Jesus says in John’s Gospel, “Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

In other words, what we repeatedly see is this cycle that God is responsible for planting a good vine.  But the vine produces bad fruit; it does not give the good fruit that God created it to give.  The vine goes from good to bad.  The vine goes astray and ends us becoming nothing more than fodder for the fire.  Nothing more than a burnt vine. 

Do you know what the amazing part of this is?  The Vine did not even know it had gone astray.  It did not realize it had strayed so far from God.  So God sent prophets.  And they were rejected. 

In the same way, our sin can so cloud the picture of our lives that we fail to see how easy it is to stray from our Heavenly Father, who so dearly loves us.  But that is what can happen when it is left all up to us. 

So God responded in a new way.  He gave us more than a prophet.  Because now… Now we come to Jesus.  And I can picture him in my mind’s eye in the Garden of Gethsemane.  In a peaceful place with olive trees and plants around.  And I can picture in my mind’s eye a number of vines climbing within sight.  In my mind, I wonder if they were sitting down in a circle with Jesus gesturing to the vines that encircled them. 

And the disciples are with him.  Imagine what it would be like if you were that 12^th disciple with them.  I imagine that they were first surprised when Jesus started saying he was a vine.  They may have even been stunned.  Why on earth would Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ of God, be starting off taking about himself with an Unfaithful image??  What does this mean??  

But notice that Jesus is smart.  Jesus is smart because as Jesus begins to teach in these first couple of verses, He does not tell us that He is the vine.  He tells us He is the TRUE vine.  Jesus takes the negative image of Israel, the image of the good vine gone bad.  And he does what only Jesus can do. Jesus takes what was corrupt and unclean and He turns it changes it.  Let me say that again: Jesus does what ONLY Jesus can do.  Jesus takes what was corrupt and unclean and He turns it changes it.  Jesus takes what was bad and twisted and makes it straight and good.  Jesus takes what has been tainted by sin and He prunes it and makes it good.  Jesus takes even a dead burnt vine and makes it alive and produces good fruit.  Jesus redeems what is corrupted and makes it pleasing again to God.  In fact, Jesus is so good at this, that he can even take a black, burnt, useless vine, and make it whole again.  He can even make it pleasing to God.  He can take what is lifeless and death and turn it and make it bear good fruit.    

The Bible itself seems to mirror this transformation.  In the Old Testament, as we have seen the vine imagery is always negative.  But in the New Testament, whenever we heard about the fruit of the vine, it is always positive.  Jesus has taken what was negative and turned and changed it.  Jesus has broken the bad cycle of the past and has restored it.  We see this throughout the New Testament, which always refer to that fruit with words such as peaceful, gentle, kind, and loving.  This is a sharp contrast to the unfaithful and lacking image of the OT.

And how does Jesus’ transformation in us take place in our lives today?  What does this transformation look like?  How does Jesus help us to bear good fruit?  Today I want to suggest two things from this text:

First, Jesus redeems our past.  Recall Jesus brought up the bad, unfaithful image of Israel to his disciples.  He brought up a part of their heritage that wasn’t exactly flattering.  It’s not the best way to start off by reminding us of the areas of our lives that need fixing.  And I wouldn’t suggest that you go around all the time trying to do this to others.  

But that is – this is – what Jesus does to us.  Jesus does not love us for our accomplishments or just the parts of our lives that we feel good about.  But God loves and extends grace to every part of our lives.  Jesus even looks at those areas of our lives that are like brunt vines.  Areas that we would rather not look at ourselves.  He does this not to shame us, but because he does not want to leave us there.  He wants to redeem our past; redeem our mistakes; and keep us growing onward and upward.  Only Jesus can do this twisting, this changing of taking what is bad and making it good.  And when Jesus heals the hurts of our past, it changes us today. 

And we are not alone because we have been given the Holy Spirit to empower us as we lift these areas up to God.  This transformation only comes through Jesus.  Deep down, we will not feel a lot better about our problems or our hurts by surrounding ourselves with more money, accomplishments, degrees or success.  What we need is a Savior to change us from the inside.  A Savior who will mold us more and more into who we should be.  

Secondly, according to this text, the key to this transformation is when Jesus says, “Remain in me.”  This does not mean we need to “do” all the right things.  This does not mean our works are key.  But it does mean that it is good to focus on the grace that God has given to us.  So today consider: What is your mindset like?  Do you think about Jesus?  Are you focused on Him?  What do you surround yourself with and what do you fill your mind with? 

In John’s Gospel, we saw that Judas was pruned and taken away.  And we see that Peter was forgiven and renewed and changed.  And if you were among that Twelve, how would Jesus touch you?  How would God touch you so that you might bear more fruit?

Because when we are honest with ourselves, we realize that we all need help.  We all need God’s grace and forgiveness.  We all need God to prune away the sin that creeps into our lives.  This is the point of the vine that was used again and again in the Old Testament; the point of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Hosea and Ezekiel’s use of the vine; the point of the vine image and its bad results is that we human beings cannot do it on our own.  We cannot on our own strength live a life pleasing to God.  This is why our Heavenly Father sent Jesus.  This is why Jesus came and offers us his Holy Spirit.  Jesus did something for us that we cannot do for ourselves.  He takes what is corrupted and makes it right.  And He can take our lives and transform them.  Only Jesus can restore our lives.  Only Jesus can help us fulfill God’s plan that we stray from when left up to our own strength. 

 Brothers and sisters, what area of your life today feels like a burnt vine?  Maybe it is that relationship with a family member or loved one that just never seems to go right.  Maybe it is that cancer or sickness that you can just never seem to get rid of and get back to normal.  Maybe it is that job that always seems to come up a little short.  Maybe it is a bad habit or addiction that we would rather not admit we have.  Or maybe it seems that no matter how hard you work and try things just never end up how you want them to be.  Whatever relationship or area that seems to fall short, let us lift them up to Jesus. 

Jesus is the True Vine.  He is the only True Vine.  He is the only One who can faithfully fulfill God’s plan.  This is why He is true.  So Jesus is telling us something fundamental about His identity when He says, He is the True Vine.

Let us return again to Jesus.  Let us return again to the True Vine.  May we surrender those areas of our lives that feel like burnt vines to Jesus that need to be transformed.  May we surrender those areas of our lives that need to be changed.  May our sins be taken away from us.  Jesus is faithful and He will help us.  And may this be done so that we might bear good fruit to the Glory of God the Father.  Amen.