Vine

Read Aloud: Isaiah 5:1-7

Open

1. Describe a time you went to a vineyard. What was most memorable about the experience?
2. Come up with your own analogy: “Vinedresser is to vine as _______ is to ________.” Try to capture the relationship between the two as best you can. How does your analogy succeed and how does it fail to capture the relationship that Jesus is describing?
3. Though many of us may live close to agriculture or even vineyards, it is more likely that we know the taste of wine better than the process that brings wine to our table. “Vinedressing” is simply foreign, but the metaphor can’t be lost on us. Throughout the pages of John’s Gospel account, we consistently run into questions posed by those who come into contact with Jesus. It is as if John wants to have a single question floating in the back of our minds: “Who is this Jesus?” so that each of Jesus’ dialogs and these “I am” metaphors can shed new light on His identity and purpose. This week’s passage is no different, and it is in this statement that Jesus is presented in relation to another—the Father. 

Reflect

1. Imagine a farmer. What is the farmer’s job? What is his goal? What can get in the way of that goal? Why might Jesus use this idea for God the Father?
2. In John 15:3-4, Jesus speaks of abiding in the vine. What else does He say to “abide in” in the following verses and what is the parallel that John is creating? How do you interpret this parallel?
3. Read Matthew 21:33-46. What is purpose of the story? Who is the “vinedresser” (vineyard owner)? To whom is Jesus addressing the parable? 
4. If Isaiah 5:1-7 describes God’s relationship to Israel, what does today’s passage communicate about the relationship between God, Israel, and Jesus?
5. There is a progression from John 15:1 to John 15:5. What are the implications of these relationships to the “vine”?
6. What are the Father’s specific tasks in this metaphor? What do they have in common? Do you see the tasks as more positive or negative? Why?
7. Have you ever felt like God saw you as dead wood that was being “cut off” only to realize later that He was pruning you so you could create more and better fruit? Explain.

So, I am . . .

The Book of John has very little ethical teaching. Unlike Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount, John rarely points the listener to “be this way” and “not that way.” However, the metaphors that we hear coming from the lips of Jesus are insanely powerful. 

“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.”

“If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.” 

This should give us pause. Where these ethical “word pictures” lack detail they make up for in potency. What does “bearing fruit” mean in your life? Does it align with Jesus’ words in today’s passage? Take this week to write down three “fruitful” activities that you want to increase, and three “unfruitful” activities you want to decrease. Make a plan and ask your group to help you stay accountable. Most importantly, look to the Vine as your source of fruitfulness and change.