| | Grafted into the True Vine and the Removal of the Dead WoodYesterday, with the help of my wife and son, I removed a dead, …, a dead something. I don’t know if it was a tree or a bush, so let’s just call it a tree sized bush. It took an enormous amount of effort. It took me hours to tune the carburetor of the old chain saw just to get it to the point it would run (that’s a lot of starter cord pulling). It took exhausting hours to cut through the numerous branches and trunks, hack them down to size, bundle the small ones, and move the larger ones from the side of the house, and my back just is not as young as it used to be. Frankly, it would have been less trouble to let the tree sized bush rot in place. It was not visible from inside our house, or from the backyard. It did not bother us at all. However, it was right in the face of our next door neighbor, mere feet from her front door. And she is thinking of selling her house; and though she never mentioned the bush-tree to me, just imagine greeting her prospects with a view of a dead tree sized bush. And everyone from the street could see it. So, down it came, with effort. Removing this dead wood reminded me of John 15. Jesus had just entered Jerusalem on a colt, washed the disciples’ feet, and had finished the Passover/last supper/communion. And then He instructs them that He is the true vine, the true source of Israel’s existence--Israel being the original branch to grow from the vine--and He is the true God. We Gentiles are now grafted in to the true vine, since the original branches have been pruned out of the way for lack of the fruit of faith. And if we are not productive, we too will be pruned out of the way. And like my dead tree sized bush, the wood is good for nothing but burning. Each time I walk past the stump(s) of the dead tree sized bush, I suppose it ought to act as a reminder for me to be productive. Who wants to be cut off from serving the Lord and unceremoniously discarded? Below is my rudimentary compilation of the “true vine” symbol, and the analogy of the vine, as it is developed across Scripture. By the time Jesus called Himself the true vine, the term was rich with Scriptural implication and meaning. It is staggering to note how many of these passages are prophetic of the ministry of Jesus as the Messiah. Genesis 49:8-11, Judah will become the lion, the father of the ruler, and all will be obedient to the ruler, and it is the ruler who will tie his colt to the vine, and He will wash His garments in wine--the "blood of the grapes." Leviticus 19:10, the cast off of the vineyard is for the benefit of the need and the stranger (Gentiles), after the children (the Jews) have partaken Numbers 6:1-8, Nazirite vows of dedication required avoiding all of the fruit of the grapevine. There are very many theories as to why the Nazirite was forbidden the fruit of the vine. Let me add another of my own making. The Nazirite was symbolically to be set apart wholly to God, in other words, to be entirely holy. If Jesus, the Messiah, the sacrifice for sins, was the vine and His blood was the fruit of the vine, then what need has a perfectly holy person with sacrifice? True, the Nazirite was entirely holy in symbol only, yet, the symbol is a powerful one. Joshua 24:13-14, vineyards were provided to the chosen people for which they did not work, labor, or earn. If Jesus is the vine, and Israel the chosen ones, together they symbolize that Christ’s salvation is given, not earned. Psalms 80:8, Israel is the also called a vine, the original branch to grow from the true vine, the symbolic offspring of the true vine. Isaiah 5:1-7, when the vine, planted by the true vineyard owner, does not produce fruit in keeping with the reputation and expectations of the owner, it is cursed. Matthew 20:1-2, kingdom of heaven is called a vineyard, quite similar to how Israel was described. And this vineyard has laborers. Who are they? Matthew 21:28-31, disobedient son is one who does not work in the vineyard, obedient son does. Obedience is a precious word to God, and helps identify those who are the laborers in the vineyard of the kingdom. Revelation 14:11-20, a day is coming when the vineyard will be fully cultivated, the blood of the grape will run free Romans 11:13-36, we Gentiles are grafted into the true vine, grafted into Israel, grafted into Christ, because Israel rejected her Messiah. The only difference between Gentiles and Jews is their faith, or lack thereof. John 15:5-6 Unproductive branches are pruned off. Similar to Paul’s warning about being worthy of the Vine. John 15:3 Jesus tells them they are clean. Why? They are washed in the blood of the crushed grape, Jesus’ blood. John 15:4-6 Grapevine branches have only one good use, to grow fruit. Nothing else can be done with the wood, except incineration (Ezekiel 15:1-8). As grapevine branches we have only one good use, to bear fruit for the vine. |
