Living in the Vine 3

The true vine

Read John 15: 1; 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Hebrew 8:7-13.

In the house where I grew up, there was always a bunch of plastic grapes in the fruit bowl and dangling from the corners of the kitchen cupboards. Completely bizarre! But for a reason known only to herself, my mother seemed to be obsessed with them and, as you might imagine, they became the object of much mirth and practical jokes, especially for her grandchildren!

Whilst the ‘root’ of the covenant made at Sinai was never plastic, or pretend, it was never the complete package, because like the artificial grapes, it lacked any real life-inducing ‘sap’ which was vital for genuine life and fruitfulness (Hebrews 8:7). 

So, Father God, well-knowing the inability of the people to keep it, always had an intention in His heart to make a new covenant: one which would reach wider and would no longer require hopeless obedience to rules and regulations which would always fall short and never truly satisfy the need for personal justification and atonement (Romans 3:23-26). The new covenant would be fulfilled purely through a living relationship – heart to heart, spirit to spirit – between God and humanity through Jesus. He is the long-promised ‘Son of David’ whose Kingdom will know no end. We, today, are the earthly incarnation of His living Temple. 

Jesus is the 'True Vine’ – the true ‘root’ – the Source of everything we need to live fully as God’s people today (2 Peter 1:3). It is only in and through Him that the personal, intimate relationship Adam and Eve once had with Father God is restored. Jesus is the ONLY Way, Truth, and Life (John 14:6). He knew all along that no-one, except His precious Son, would be capable of keeping the old covenant. So, through His flesh and blood becoming the actual covenant sacrifice, the former ‘root’ was not uprooted, but superseded, once and for all people everywhere: Jews and Gentiles (Hebrews 8:13). 

If we have a relationship with Father God through Jesus, then we are ‘branches’ seamlessly joined to the True Vine through the mystery of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This means that we now live in a completely different realm of possibilities.

Additional reading: Isaiah 11:1-5 and v.10; Isaiah 53.

Prayer time:

Think over what you have read today. Look up some of the scriptures referred to in the text.

• Have you ever considered before why Jesus is the True Vine?
• How does the sheer extent of Father’s plan and enduring love for a relationship with us make you feel?

Spend some time meditating on Isaiah 53. Write down anything that speaks to you particularly.

Give any remaining time you have, to just sitting quietly with God; rest in the wonder of His love for you and welcome His presence. Remember it is a relationship He wants with you more than anything else.

Sarah Winbow

Part 1 of this devotional is available here, and part 2 here. 


^{Image by David Kohler on unsplash.com}