True Vine is one of the I am names of Jesus (Yeshua‘) found in the Gospel of John.
When Jesus (Yeshua‘) used this descriptive name of Himself He was drawing from the Old Testament. There, Israel is God’s vine, gone wild (Ezek. 19:10-14; Jer. 2:21; Hos. 10:1-2; Ps. 80:8-13). In that sense, people who follow Jesus, the true vine, are the replacement “Israel” as in Rom. 9-11 and Gal. 6:16. God’s new Israel of faith includes Jews who follow Jesus.
The vine was also a Messianic picture in the Apocrypha. Jesus presented Himself as the Messiah, His Father the Vinedresser, and His followers as branches that are an intricate part of the new messianic Israel and destined to bear fruit for that kingdom. The branches of a vine can be pruned right back but it will spring back to life and fruitfulness in the next season.
I am the True Vine in Greek:
Jesus said, “I am the true vine.” The Greek text of John 15:1
Hē ampelos hē alēthinē
Strong’s Concordance numbers: 288, 228
Bible references: John 15:1, 5 (I am the Vine)
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 bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:1-5)
