Jesus says I am the true vine, and so on. What does that even mean?
True means real – ultimate. Definitive. Jesus isn’t, like, one vine among others. He’s the true fucking vine – the new covenant. The source of life itself. And his disciples are the branches of the vine.
And what’s the false wine?
Babylon’s wine, for one thing. False wine, in its golden cup. Which looks beautiful. Which promises pleasure and power. But only produces drunkenness.
What’s wrong with drunkenness? I like drunkenness.
And then there’s Israel, who are supposed to be God’s people. God planted the vine – Israel – and cares for it. And the wine of Israel is supposed to be the redemption of the creation and all that kinda thing. But God’s vine fails to produce good fruit. Or it goes wild. It fails to bear the fruit of justice, faithfulness and love. That’s, like, half the Old Testament.
So when Jesus came along and said, I am the true vine, everyone knew what he meant.
Work in Progress 