The Messiah’s Secret – Jesus the Vine
The Psalmist referred to the people of Israel as a vine.
The nation of Israel described as a vine when they left Egypt for the Promised Land. God tended, cared for and pruned the vine as they made their journey towards the Promised Land. God’s tangible and visible presence led them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He provided water from the rock, Moses was instructed by God to strike the rock with his rod as he did water spewed out from it. God provided “manna” bread and “meat” quail (birds). The bread appeared like dew in the morning and quails descended on the camp providing meat.
“Thou didst bring out of Egypt a vine, thou didst drive out the nations and plant it. “ Psalm 80: 8-19 RSV Bible
When they arrived in the Promised Land the vine was planted, the nation took root in the land of Canaan.
God watching over his people was described as sitting under the vine.
“And Judah and Israel dwelt in safety, from Dan to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon.”
1 Kings 4: 25
1 Kings 4: 25
“ But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Micah 4: 4.
“In that day, says the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbour under his vine and under his fig tree.” Zechariah 3: 10.
The Messiah’s Secret
Isaiah wrote of God identifying his vineyard with Israel. “For the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the house of Israel.” Isaiah 5: 7.
Alfred Edersheim describes the symbolic importance of the vine. “Two doors with gold plating, covered by a rich Babylonian curtain made up of the four colours of the Temple (fine linen, blue, scarlet, and purple), formed the entrance into the Holy Place. (Not the Most Holy Place.) Above it hung that symbol of Israel, a gigantic vine of pure gold, made of votive offerings each cluster the height of a man.”
Edershiem “The Temple” page 58
Jesus the Vine.
John the Apostle recorded Jesus’ words in referring to himself as the vine.”I am the true vine.” Therefore if Jesus is the vine then Jesus is embodied in the people of Israel.
The beloved vine Jesus embodied Israel
Embodied meaning – be an expression of or give a tangible or visible form to.
God identifying himself as the vine, the people of Israel, and gave his tangible and visible form to them when God’s Son Jesus was born the descendant of King David.
Isaiah prophesied Israel’s vineyard would produce wild grapes this was fulfilled in Jesus’ day.
”When he looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yielded wild grapes?” Isaiah 5: 4.
The Pharisees and Lawyers neglected justice they had taken away the key of knowledge; they added extra laws to the Laws of Moses these laws laid a heavy burden on the people, as they earned their righteousness under law. Luke 11: 42-52
Justice.
Jesus the true vine looked for justice; he taught that it was right to do good on the Sabbath Day. He acted on compassionate love very often going the extra mile to heal a sick person. The Pharisees, Sadducee, Layers and scribes their hearts were hardened, for them it was more important to keep the Sabbath day laws than for a person to be healed.
Love.
Jesus taught that the commandments were fulfilled in love: firstly to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind and secondly to love your neighbour as yourself. Loving the Lord with all your heart involves all the love we are capable of; with all the soul means giving the whole of our life to the Lord; with all our strength means doing everything to show love to him and with all our mind involves getting to know God especially through his word, for increased knowledge of him brings increased love.
The Parable of the Vineyard
Luke 20: 9-16
Luke 20: 9-16
The owner sent his servant to collect some fruit from the vineyard, but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty handed. Another servant was sent but they wounded him and treated him shamefully. He sent another whom they killed him. Many others were sent some they beat and some they killed.
Jesus here has changed Israel position from being the vine to the tenants of God’s vineyard. He explains why through the servants who he sent to collect the fruit, Jesus’ referring to the prophets sent by God like: Elijah, Jeremiah and Isaiah to the leaders of Israel the vines of his vineyard to convict them and the people of their need to turn back to God and repent.
Finally God the owner of the vineyard sent his son, surely he thought that they would respect his son, but they treated him the same as the prophets.
An example of the battle for Israel’s vineyard that took place in the days of Elijah.
Elijah spoke out against Israel’s King Ahab and Queen Jezebel’s dishonesty. King Ahab and Queen Jezebel desired Naboth’s vineyard, but Naboth would not give or sell his inheritance to them. Jezebel plotted against Naboth, she wrote a letter in King Ahab’s name to the elders and nobles who lived with Naboth in his city, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people; and set two base fellows opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” The elders and nobles of Naboth’s city did as Jezebel had requested in the letter. Naboth an innocent man was killed by being stoned to death. As soon as Ahab heard from Jezebel that Naboth was dead, she encouraged him to go and take possession of the vineyard so King Ahab went and took possession of it. 1 Kings 21: 1-16.
Jesus prophesied his death, “This is the heir, let us kill him and the inheritance is ours.”
The unseen principalities and powers of darkness were hoping that by killing Jesus the devil had a claim on Israel’s vineyard.
The devil, who knew that Jesus was the Christ, but he did not know God’s plan of redemption through Jesus’ death and resurrection, which secured the victory over the devil’s power over death, sin and causes of sin. Mark 1: 24, 34.
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power over death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to life long bondage. Hebrews 2: 14, 15
In the parable of the Vineyard the tenants took the son they had killed and cast him out of the vineyard.
This prophecy in the parable, was fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross outside Jerusalem’s city walls, the Jews made a sin offering of a red heifer outside the city walls. This sacrifice had the highest significance to atone for “death” itself. Page 349 Alfred Edersheim, “The Temple”.
The red heifer’s ashes were used for purification rituals for the removal of sin and were kept at the gates outside the walls of the city for the people to use. Numbers 19: 3, 9. Hebrews 9: 11-17.
Death has no more dominion over us.
The sin that leads to death has been dealt with by Jesus when he bore our sin on the cross and paid the price for it by lying down his innocent life and in his risen life. we see the victory over death.
Through God given faith, hearing or reading, the living words of Jesus are received into the heart, the center of our being. The Holy Spirit dwelling within us acts upon the words and by a miracle we are changed, our hardened hearts are transformed, made new, we know that death has lost its capacity to reign over us. I noticed when this happened to me the fear of death had gone.
The Gentiles are an integral part of the vine
Jesus concluded his parable when he spoke of the vineyard being given to another nation to bear the fruit of it. When we read Luke’s account of this parable, the other nation being the Gentiles from whom many would come to faith in Jesus, this nation comprised of both Jew and Gentile. The cross breaking down the barrier between Jew and Gentile. Ephesians 2: 11-22.
Jesus speaking to his disciples paralleled the functions of the vine with Discipleship
Jesus said, “I am the true vine and my Father is the vine dresser. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15: 1-5
Jesus described himself as the true vine and said that his disciples are branches of the vine drawing and receiving their life and strength from the root and stem of the vine. The branches are tended, cared for and pruned by the Father and are called to abide in the vine. Jesus said, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.” John 15: 7.
This word “if” speaks of making a choice to either make Jesus the Lord of our lives or to put ourselves as Lord of our life. With Jesus the Lord of our lives we are called to abide in his words: to read, and study/meditate on the words of Jesus, also of putting his words into practice, prayer is an important integral part of it.
We make these choices daily when we decide how to spend our time. Some days are busier than others, how we are feeling etc. To get through any day, it is best to bring all that we are hopefully going to do and hope to say before the Lord in prayer. Very often the word of scripture that we have read will give guidance, assurance and a blessing as the Lord walks with us.
Our prayers often lead us to bring Jesus’ promises into focus, “ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you,” Love (Jesus) intercedes and contends on our behalf to fulfil his promises to us. God given promises to us can be like Christmas presents that are given to us, but for some reason are left unopened. When in response to hearing the Lord’s call we take that step of faith to share the good news of God’s love with another person. In doing so we are opening the gift of the promise of salvation and afterwards share in the joy of their entrance into God’s kingdom.
Last week’s visit to the opticians opened up an opportunity to make Jesus known. In conversation with the optician I explained that I had been studying and reading a great deal. He asked me what I had been studying; I explained that I had been studying the Bible, Jesus being the Messiah and the book that I was updating. By his reaction he was surprised, but listened.
The True Vine – Christ in You
The Jews sat under the vine as they kept the Law of Moses. Jesus calls us to abide in the vine as we are part of the vine, its branches.
Under grace the branch (disciple) is called to bear the fruit of Jesus’ word abiding in love and faith working through love, with the help of the Holy Spirit. John 6: 63. 15 v 16, 17. Colossians 1 v 4.
The branches are totally dependent upon its life’s source from the main stem and roots and we need the care and attention of the vine dresser to help the vine to produce good fruit.
I knew a lady whose family owned a vineyard in Guernsey; she told me that they pruned the vine removing the suckers so that the branches could bear more fruit. God the Vine dresser takes from us the things in our life that take up our time and energy, by doing so he releases us to further his kingdom.
A branch is complete, all that is required of it, is to grow and bear the fruit of its own harvest and it is equal to all the other branches in its composition and description. The fruit of the vine the grape is widely used to make wine as it has more spirit content when fermented than other fruits.
The Spirit of God’s love is the sap that rises from the root of the vine to the branches. The Holy Spirit fills each believer with the love of God.
The abundance of fruit does vary. Working with the Lord a Christian male or female has the potential to be Christ-like using the gifts of the Spirit and is responsible for the working out of our calling in Christ’s body, the church. We take responsibility for our commitment to the Lord’s work.