ἄμπελος

Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινὴ — κατὰ Ὶωάννην 15:1α

Ego eimi he ampelos he alethine — kata Ioannen 15:1a

“I am the vine, the true one” — John 15:1a, translation mine

Christ introduces the metaphor of the vine to his disciples with an implicit dichotomy. That He qualifies Himself as the true vine suggests that other false vines exist. Strengthening this suggestion, the adjective ἀληθινὴ, true, receives extra emphasis through its postnominal appositive placement. The English equivalent would be the difference between Jesus saying, “I am the vine, the true one,” versus “I am the true vine.”

The identity of the false vine or vines is not explicitly related. The commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, however, infers a reference to Isaiah 5, wherein the prophet talks of a vineyard planted by the Lord. Isaiah prophesies:

For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!
Isaiah 5:7, ESV

Israel and Judah themselves were false vines, having abandoned God's righteousness for man's licentiousness and true worship for lip service. God's displeasure was made known through the prophets, but when the people did not turn from their wickedness, He sent them into exile. In the time of Jesus' incarnation, many prided themselves on slavish devotion to their interpretation of God's Law. Jesus, though, decried their devotion as false and their worship as hollow.

Lest we rest secure in our historical distance from Jesus' words or God's words through Isaiah, we should be mindful that Israel and Judah are not the only false vines. Any society or subculture that promises instant wealth, immense power, or a painless life on sheer human effort ignores the brokenness of the world and the incapacity of man. In such a vine, the branches must feed the root. Devotees must vainly hope that their subsidiary effort will make the vine healthy.

Christ as the vine feeds the branches Himself. The only sinless life became the only selfless sacrifice that could atone for our sins and purchase our salvation. With every branch in Christ an ingraft, none can live apart from Him. Living in the true vine requires a surrender, a willingness to admit one's inabilities and accept the invitation that God extends through Jesus Christ, His Son.

This cuts across the grain of the American cult of self-sufficiency, but the cutting is necessary for the ingrafting to begin. We must humble ourselves before God and place our trust in Christ, believing Him when he says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6, ESV). If we seek other vines, there is no hope of life. If we claim Christ but reject the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the ingrafting will never take. We must allow the Holy Spirit given by the Father upon our ingrafting into the vine, Jesus Christ, to work in us and through us. Thereby we can receive eternal life, not by our own herculean efforts at righteousness, but by God's outpouring of His righteous Spirit.