Isaiah Week Six: A Tale of Two Vines

I’m not going to write all of the verses here, but I encourage you to go read Isaiah 5:1-7 either before or after you read this blog. It is a remarkable picture of a landlord that does everything possible to set up his vineyard for success. If you were writing a manual on how to be a good vinedresser in this period, this description would come up. He spared no expense or effort. He placed them on a fertile hill = Jerusalem. He cleared the stones that might cause them to stumble = he defeated the nations that inhabited the land before them. He planted choice vines = his chosen people who experienced his special guidance. He built a watchtower = he sent prophets, judges, and some godly kings. Then, he built a wine vat. Apparently, this was not simply a place to tread the grapes into wine. Rather, it was a complicated press and filtration system. It was a place of storage and fermentation. The nation of Israel didn’t have to go far to reap the benefits or fruits of their labor. They had everything they needed…but…

But the field yielded wild grapes. Now, apparently there are several differences between “domesticated” grapes and wild grapes. Not only do wild grapes tend to be sourer but they also are split into female and male plants. However, this statement is highlighting more than just those differences. The word “wild” here literally has the idea of poison berries. They stink and are an abomination. This statement isn’t claiming that the nation of Israel strayed a little bit away from God’s design for their lives. Rather, the fruit they produced was so far removed from God’s original intent that it could not be consumed at all. It was not only useless, but it was also, arguably dangerous.

Now, I want us to notice that the verses never say that he is going to destroy the vines. Rather, he is going to remove his hedge of protection. He is going to stop productive pruning and weeding. The rain (often associated with God’s blessing) would stop falling. He leaves them to their own devices because they were not following his guiding hand to begin with. The devastation that was coming from Babylon, then the Seleucid Empire, and eventually Rome was horrific. Torture, starvation, captivity, sexual violence, slavery…the cost was almost unfathomable. A part of me wonders if they would have repented sooner if they had realized the true price? Still, instead of repenting, their rebellion (arguably) culminated in the execution of the Son of God, so perhaps not.

In the New Testament, we encounter another vine. Jesus declared, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes that it may bear more fruit” (Jn 15:1-2). This time, instead of a fruitful field, those who have surrendered their lives to Christ are placed directly into him. We are grafted into the true vine as spiritual children of Abraham and sons of God. We receive a new nature and the very Life of Christ fills us – new wine in new wineskins.

While we may not always be as fruitful as we should be or while we may sometimes make decisions that are not in line with God’s will, we should not be producing wild grapes or poison berries. The author of Hebrews cautioned, “That no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled” (Heb. 12:15).  Bitterness: A claiming of rights, an unwillingness to forgive, refusal to accept the grace of God to endure trials, unfulfilled expectations…those things can all take root in our hearts if we are unwilling to let God’s grace meet our needs. Jesus plainly taught that, “Apart from me you can do nothing…Abide in my love” (Jn. 15:5, 9). The nation of Israel was chosen as the vessel through which the Messiah would be born into the world. They are the Father’s bride, just as the church is the Son’s. While Isaiah five is talking about the nation and not necessarily individual salvation, the root issue when it comes to bearing fruit is the same – you have to be connected to and surrendered to the right vine. Israel trusted and loved almost everything more than their rescuer. Let us, as the church not make the mistake of thinking that we can produce fruit that remains out of our own efforts, programs, or hard work.

The Father is the vinedresser, the Son is the vine, and the Spirit produces the fruit. We must choose to be an active participant as we obey what they call us to do. However, we must not ever misunderstand our place in the stories of the vines. It has always been about surrender and the reciprocation of a lavish love spent on us while we were yet sinners. Apart from him…we can still, do nothing - at least nothing that will last for eternity.