JESUS, THE VINE

Whenever a tragedy causes the deaths of many people—a natural disaster, a terrorist attack, a building or bridge collapse—some people speculate about the deeper causes. Is it God’s punishment? Did sin cause this suffering?

When we try to determine the meaning of historical calamity, at best we can usually offer only guesses. In today’s reading, Jesus rebukes those in His day who would blame all suffering on sin (vv. 2–4). We can’t assume a mechanistic connection between sin and tragedy, although it’s true that without repentance, everyone will die. But those who are victims of tragic events are not inherently more sinful. Indeed, as Jesus reminds us, every human life, like a fig tree, will be uprooted when it fails to produce the fruit of repentance (v. 7).

No doubt the Jews of Jesus’ day couldn’t help but think of the many Old Testament writings that referred to Israel as a vine. The psalmist had characterized Israel as a vine that God had transplanted out of Egypt (Psalm 80). The prophet Jeremiah had called Israel a “corrupt, wild vine” that grew up in rebellion to the Lord, her vinedresser (Jer. 2:21). Ezekiel had compared the Babylonian exile in which Israel was cast out of the Promised Land to the violent uprooting of a vine from the vineyard (Ezek. 19:10–14). Clearly, Jesus is confronting the Jews with their sin and its consequences when He talks about the fig tree given one last season to yield fruit.

To round out the agricultural imagery in today’s reading, if Israel is a vine growing wild fruit, the kingdom of God is like two things: a tiny mustard seed and a small amount of yeast. Both begin as impossibly small and nearly invisible but grow to great proportion (vv. 18–21).

APPLY THE WORD

Jesus is the true and faithful vine who has never grown corrupt and wild; only when branches remain in Him do they thrive! When Jesus was betrayed, He lifted His glass, filled with the fruit of the vine, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). Are you deriving strength and identity from your relationship with Him?

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