Final I Am The True Vine with Revisions
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I AM The True Vine
Amy A. Taylor
RLGN 301- Research and Writing for Religious Disciplines
June 20, 2023
1
Within the Gospel of John, there exists seven significant “I AM” statements: I Am the Bread of Life, I Am the Light of the World, I Am the Door, I Am the Good Shepherd, I Am the Resurrection and
, I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life
,
and I Am the True Vine. Author, John C. Hutchinson, states
declares
this about the I AM
Am
statements: “The unique presence of these statements in John’s Gospel provides great incentive to investigate their meaning and John’s purpose in including them.” (1)
1
Among them, one stands out as a powerful embodiment of Jesus’ diving
divine
nature and his
His
pivotal role in humanity’s salvation- the declaration, “
I Am the True Vine
. ”. In the book, Approaching the New Testament
, chapter author, Cara L.T. Murphy
, author,
expresses that the statement, “
I Am the True Vine
,
”,
“…reinforces his message of deity using metaphor and vivid imagery, asking for the kind of belief that fosters intimate depth.” (2)
2
Therefore, it is important to understand the meaning
,
and
significance
,
of “I Am”
and the deity behind why Jesus called himself
Himself
the True Vine. In the
Jesus’
statement, “
I Am the True Vine
, reflects Jesus’ ”, in John 15:1-8, is a self-declaration of His deity because it provides fulfillment of by pointing out the grammatical similarity of egō eimi
(I Am) to YHWH, symbolism by describing Israel as God’s vine in the Old Testament prophesies and symbolism, it
,
establishes that He is the source of salvation
,
and that He is the conduit between God and
through
His divinity, when
believers
. abide in Him they will produce a life that is obedient to the will of the Father.
In Jesus’ own words in John 15:1-17, He explains to His disciples at the Passover meal, using the
metaphor of: a vineyard, the vine, branches, fruit, and actions of the vinedresser, are all 1
John C. Hutchinson 2011. “The Vine in John 15 and Old Testament Imagery in the ‘I Am’ Statements.”
Bibliotheca Sacra
168 (669): pg
.
64.
2
Cara L.T. Murphy “John” in Approaching the New Testament: A Guide for Students
. (Nashville: B & H Academic,
2022) pg.
98.
2
descriptions and imagery of the relationship with the Father and Himself and those who put their faith in Jesus. To understand the meaning, significance, and deity behind why Jesus called himself
Himself
the True Vine twice in John 15:1 and 5
; we must first take a deeper look into the definition of the phrase, , it is important to understand the meaning and significance of “
I Am
. I Am that Jesus stated
”
in the statements declared by Jesus in the Gospel of John
. In Greek, egō eimi
(
γώ ε
μι
ἐ
ἰ
)
is translated to egō eimi
(
γώ ε
μι). In the ἐ
ἰ
“I Am”. By Jesus using this grammatical form of “I Am” with a predicate and the article THE, He is signifying the same usage in the Hebrew language
, the phrase I Am that is connected to God’s name YHWH
(
הוהי
). “The predicate “I am” statements appear with the absolute “I am” statements according to the same pattern as the development of the divine name in the book of Exodus
.” 3
In the translation of the Septuagint, Exodus 3:14
(NIV)
reads: “
God
said to Moses, “I am who I am
(
egō eimi ho ōn
) This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I Am (
ehyeh
) have
sent me to you.’” 4
While the
Greek translation of Exodus 3:14 in the Septuagint is not an identical translation to Jesus’ “
I Am
”
(
egō eimi
) statements, it does convey a similar meaning: the eternal existence of YHWH
.
Numerous Hebrew scholars propose that YHWH
carries the meaning of “the one who is.” The Bible Knowledge Commentary
describes “
I AM
”
as: “
I AM (
’ehyeh
) has sent me to you (v. 14). This One said He would be with His
people in their time of trouble and need. ’Ehyeh
is probably a wordplay on
Yahweh (Lord) in verse 15. Thus, the name Yahweh, related to the verb “to be,”
probably speaks of God’s self-existence, but it means more than that. It usually
speaks of His relationship to His people
.
” (3)
.
5
In John 8:58
,
3
For It Stands in Scripture: Essays in Honor of W. Edward Glenny. 2019. Saint Paul, MN: The University of Northwestern, Bersten Library, Pg. 101.
4
Billy E. Simmons, 1988. “A Christology of the ‘I Am’ Sayings in the Gospel of John.: The Theological Education 38. Pg. 96.
5
John D. Hannah,
“Exodus,”
in
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), pg. 112.
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3
John 8:58
,
Jesus says to the Jews, “Before Abraham was, I Am (
γώ ε
μι
ἐ
ἰ
), Jesus attributed himself to
ascribed Himself
the same name that YHWH
used in the Old Testament concerning himself.
(1) John C. Hutchinson 2011. “The Vine in John 15 and Old Testament Imagery in the ‘I Am’ Statements.”
Bibliotheca Sacra
168 (669): pg. 64. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLA0001819780&site=ehost-live&scope=site
.
(2)
Cara L.T. Murphy “John” in Approaching the New Testament: A Guide for Students
. (Nashville: B & H Academic, 2022) pg. 98.
(3) John D. Hannah,
“Exodus,”
in
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
, ed.
.
J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), pg. 112.
I
n the Septuagint, in Isaiah 41:4
, 43:10,
46:4,
Isaiah 41:4
, 43:10,
46:4,
“
I Am
” in Hebrew
is translated in Hebrew as
to
ani hu
or egō eimi
.
6
This is a literally
an exact
translation to the “
I Am’s
”
in John
’s Gospel
. The usage of eg
ō
eimi
by Isaiah is a reference for the name of God Himself (
YHWH
). While YHWH
embodies exclusive qualities of eternality, self-existence, and changelessness; through Jesus’ identification as Yahweh (
egō eimi
), he affirms his own eternal nature, self-existence, and unchanging essence, thereby proclaiming himself as the manifestation of Yahweh’s presence on Earth. Regarding the deity of Jesus in the Old Testament, J.C. Ryle’s noted:
“
Let us carefully note what a strong proof we have here of the pre-existence and
divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He applies to Himself the very name by which
God made Himself known when He undertook to redeem Israel. It was “I AM”
who brought them out of the land of Egypt. It was “I Am” who died for us upon
the cross. The amazing strength of the foundation of a sinner’s hope appears here.
Believe on Jesus we rest on divinity on One who is God as well as man
.” (
4
)
. 7
6
IBID. Simmons. Pg. 96.
4
Jesus’ deity is pronounced throughout Old Testament Scripture and provides enough evidence that I Am (
By Jesus using the Greek word egō eimi
)
with a predicate and the article THE, He
is indeed Jesus
showing the Jews and His followers His divinity by referring himself as deity.
to Yahweh. In the Old Testament, the vine is often used as a symbol for the nation of Israel based upon Psalm 80
, Isaiah 5:1-5
, Hosea 10:1-2
, Jeremiah 2:21
, Ezekiel 15
, 17:1-21
, 19:10-15
and Isaiah 27
. The symbol of the vine (Israel)
represented God’s chosen people and their designed relationship with Him. God, as the vinedresser, planted Israel under perfect conditions that they would produce healthy vines and fruit. However, Israel was far from producing the fruit that God
had intended. Instead, they were a nation and people that produced wild grapes of bloodshed, sin,
and idolatry. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezequiel use the imagery of the vineyard (Israel) when discussing the sorrow of Yahweh’s judgment upon His chosen nation. Isaiah 5:1-7:
“
In the Old Testament, the vine is often used as a symbol for the nation of Israel based upon: Psalm 80
, Isaiah 5:1-7
, Hosea 10:1-2
, Jeremiah 2:21
, Ezekiel 15
, 17:1-21
, 19:10-15,
and Isaiah 27
. Isaiah 5:1-7 reads:
Let me sing a song for my beloved (Yahweh) my love song concerning his
vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared
it of stones and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of
it and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild
grapes. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem, and people of Judah, judge
between me, and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I
had not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild
grapes? And now, I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its
hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be
trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall
be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they
rain no rain upon it. For the vine-
yard
vineyard
of Yahweh of hosts is the house of
Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice but
saw bloodshed; righteousness but heard a cry
!” !
7
J. C. Ryle 1985.
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
. Welwyn Garden City, England: Evangelical Press.
pg. 5.
5
In this passage, Yahweh is the vineyard owner and caretaker, Israel is the vine and Israel’s job was to produce fruit and to make Yahweh’s name known throughout the nations. When they failed to do that, Yahweh had to remove the protection He gave to Israel when He rescued them from Egypt. In John 15:1, Jesus declares that “I Am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vinedresser”. (4) J. C. Ryle 2019.
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publish House, n.d) pg. 57.
In this parable, the symbol of the vineyard is Israel who
represented God’s chosen people and their designed relationship with Him. God, as the vinedresser, planted Israel under perfect conditions that they would produce healthy vines and fruit. In this way, the parable describes “God’s election of Israel as a nation (Deut. 7:7-11) and his providential care of it. As with any vineyard, the vinedresser does all the work with the expectation of a fruitful and bountiful harvest.” 8
However, Israel was far from producing the fruit that God had intended. Instead, they were a nation and people that produced wild grapes of bloodshed, sin, and idolatry which in the end results in God’s judgment. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel use the imagery of the vineyard when discussing the sorrow of Yahweh’s judgment upon H
is chosen nation, Israel. The Vinedresser did everything that was right to make Israel become fruitful. Since they did not produce the fruit that the Vinedresser had intended and created them to fulfill; He provided His Son to bring restoration and be salvation to everyone.
8
Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds.
Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
. Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 1998. Accessed June 30, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central. Pg. 915.
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6
John 15:1, Jesus reveals: “I Am the True Vine, and my Father is the Vinedresser”. When Jesus addressed His Father as the Vinedresser, He was referring to the same owner and tender of the vine
, (
Israel
,
)
that was declared in the Old Testament and is now describing the same Vinedresser who provides the same attention and care to the New Testament believers.
Author John C. Hutchinson says this about Jesus’ claim to be the True Vine: “Jesus’ claim was not just identity with any vine. He does this through His Son and salvation.
The statement made by Jesus,
"I Am the True Vine," holds far deeper significance than a mere metaphor. It serves as a representation of His Messianic identity, His ministry, and His attributes, all rooted in the rich imagery and Scriptures of the Old Testament. Jesus employed this profound "I Am" statement to enlighten the Jewish people, helping them understand that He was the long-awaited Messiah, and
that salvation was being offered through Him. “
Jesus affirmed that in him all of Israel's hopes and aspirations are fulfilled. What Israel was to have been ideally, he is in reality. He is the hope of humanity”
.
9
The book of Hebrews further expounds on this idea, revealing that Jesus fulfilled and surpassed the practices of Old Testament Judaism. Hebrews 2:9-10 declares, "But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered." Through His selfless sacrifice and resurrection, Jesus has opened the door for reconciliation with Him, extending this opportunity to all who seek it.
Author John C. Hutchinson expresses this about Jesus’ claim to be the True Vine:
Jesus’ claim was not just identity with any vine. Rather He is the true
or genuine
one, the messianic fulfillment of Old Testament imagery. Further John 15 is an
9
IBID. Simmons. Pg. 101.
7
example for interpreting all the “I am” statements of Jesus. In them particular Old
Testament metaphors were chosen by Christ to describe His messianic identity in
the New Covenant, and in the process to contrast Israel’s failure under the Old
Covenant
.” (5)
. 10
Jesus as the True Vine presents himself
Himself
as “the faithful remnant discharging the purpose of God.” (6)
11
and “the highest, most ultimate realization, the perfect replacing the imperfect. He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesied Messiah.” (7)
12
It is through His divinity that salvation is offered. Jesus’ statement, I Am proclamation that He is the True Vine, is much more than a metaphor. It represents his Messianic identity, his ministry, his attributes through Old Testament Scripture and imagery. The reason Jesus used this I Am statement was to bring understanding to the Jewish people that the Messiah was present in himself and that through him salvation was being offered. The book of Hebrews shows that Old Testament Judaism had come to an end through the fulfillment by Jesus. Hebrews 2:9-10 states this about Jesus: “
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor
because he suffered death,
so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists,
should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.”
Through the selfless sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, we all have the opportunity to be reconciled with Him.
Now that Jesus has been identified as the True Vine, John 15:5 Jesus states that we are his
His
branches
. The purpose
was revealed in John 15:5. The primary objective
of the branches (his followers) is to abide in him
Him
and produce
to bear
fruit. The word abide (
menō), in its plural imperative verb form-(
m
einate
) μένω
μείνατε,
is mentioned eleven
six
times in John 15:1-17. The Strong’s Concordance Lexicon
defines abide (
μένω) as: abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present
μείνατε
) as: to stay
, remain, stand, tarry (for) thine own (8).
This word
live, dwell, abide; to
be in a state that begins and continues, yet may or may not end or stop.
13
To abide in Christ
is to 10
John C. Hutchinson 2011. “The Vine in John 15 and Old Testament Imagery in the ‘I Am’ Statements.”
Bibliotheca Sacra
168 (669): pg. 64.
11
A M. Okorie 2001. “The Self-Revelation of Jesus in the ‘I Am’ Sayings of John’s Gospel.”
Currents in Theology and Mission
28 (5): pg. 490.
12
IBID Hutchinson. Pg. 67.
13
James Strong,
A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible
(Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009), 3306
8
follow His example of a life obedient to the will of God. Easier translated
meinate means a desperate
, persistent
desire to remain. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane
because Jesus was anguished and distressed
, he whispered to Peter, James, and John to stay (m
einate
)
and keep watch with him
Him
because his
His
soul was crushed with grief to the point of death
.
(Matthew 26:38). The intensity
usage
of abide in Matthew 26:38 has the same
intensity of the abide present in John 15:4 (Abide in me and I will abide in you). (5)
John C. Hutchinson 2011. “The Vine in John 15 and Old Testament Imagery in the ‘I Am’ Statements.”
Bibliotheca Sacra
168 (669): pg 64.
(6)
A M. Okorie 2001. “The Self-Revelation of Jesus in the ‘I Am’ Sayings of John’s Gospel.”
Currents in Theology and Mission
28 (5): pg 490.
(7)
John C. Hutchinson 2011. “The Vine in John 15 and Old Testament Imagery in the ‘I Am’ Statements.”
Bibliotheca Sacra
168 (669): pg 67.
(8) James Strong,
A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible
(Bellingham, WA:
Logos Bible Software, 2009), 3306 To abide in Jesus as his branches, we are to produce so much fruit that people will know that we are disciples of Christ (
John 15:8
). In John 14:23, Jesus had already told his disciples that he and the Father would abide in them through the Holy Spirit. “Thus,
the role of the Holy Spirit in the analogy is as the Life-giving sap that flows through Jesus, the vine, into
the
disciples, the branches. To complete the analogy, the Father would be
the
root of the vine, in addition to the vine grower, for the Life in the
vine flows
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9
out from the root. Jesus is positioned in the analogy as the
intermediary between the Father and the disciples through whom they
receive the Life-
giving Holy Spirit.
” (9) We can only abide in Jesus if the Vinedresser has grafted us into His Son- the True Vine.
Jesus’ desire for His branches is to be grafted into Him, and He wants His branches to have such an intimate relationship with Him; they desire to be in constant meinate
.
J.C. Ryle describes the union between the branch of the vine and the main stem as: “The closest that can be conceived. I
t
is the whole secret of the branch’s life, strength, vigor, beauty, and fertility. Separate from the parent stem, it has no life of its own. The sap and juice that flow from the stem are the origin and
maintaining power of all its leaves, buds, blossoms, and fruit. Cut off from the stem, it must soon wither and die.
”
14
To remain and abide in Christ, His branches must keep and maintain constant and close communion with Him. The branches must keep His words etched and grafted in their minds so that He can guide their actions. They must remain and abide in His love so that their dependence in Jesus Christ blossoms and grows. The branches will only have life if they are attached to the Vine,
and they will only produce fruit by the life-giving sap from the Vine. fruit. Cut off from the stem, it must soon wither and die.” (10)
To remain and abide in Christ, we must keep and maintain constant, close communion with him. The branches must keep his words etched and grafted in their minds so that he can guide their actions. As we remain in his love, our dependence in declaration of Jesus Christ blossoms and grows. Branches only have life if they are attached to the vine, and they only produce fruit by the life-giving sap from the vine. 14
J.C. (John Charles) Ryle. “Gospel of John”. Welwyn Garden City, England. Evangelical Press. Pg. 39
10
I Am
as
the True Vine in the Gospel of John identifies the deity of Jesus through
establishes His divine nature, drawing upon
Old Testament Scripture. It is through this
Scriptures. This profound
statement that it provides fulfillment of Old Testament prophesies
not only fulfills the prophecies
and symbolism found in the Old Testament, but also reaffirms Jesus' divine identity
. It establishes that He is the source of salvation and that He is the conduit between God and believers. Through his
His
deity as the True Vine, believers are established as his
His
branches and are rooted in him in order
Him
to produce fruit that the Vinedresser designed from Creation.
11
Bibliography
Hannah,
John D. “Exodus,”
in
The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures
, ed.
J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), pg. 112.
(9)
Daniel W. Kreller 2018. “The Gospel of John: A Commentary Noting Its Jewish Content”. Smashwords. Scribd.com. Pg 385.
(10)
J. C. (John Charles) Ryle. “
Gospel of John”
. Place of publication not identified: Dracaena, 2015. Print. Pg. 393
Hutchinson, John C. The Vine in John 15 and Old Testament Imagery in the ‘I Am’ Statements.
Bibliotheca sacra168: 63-80. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLA0001819780
&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Okorie, A M. The Self-Revelation of Jesus in the ‘I Am’ Sayings of John’s Gospel
.
Currents in Theology and Mission
28, no. 5 (October 2001): 486–90.
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lsdar&AN=ATLA0001407524
&site=ehost-live&scope=site.
Murphy, Cara L.T. Murphy “John” in Approaching the New Testament: A Guide for Students
. (Nashville: B & H Academic, 2022) Ryken, Leland James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds.
Dictionary of Biblical Imagery
. Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 1998. Accessed June 30, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central. Ryle, J. C. 1985a.
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels
. Welwyn Garden City, England: Evangelical Press.
Ryle, J. C. 1985b.
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John
. Welwyn Garden City, England: Evangelical Press.
Simmons, Billy E. 1988. “A Christology of the ‘I Am’ Sayings in the Gospel of John”. The Theological Education 38. Pg. 96-102.
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12
Snyder, Robert A. For It Stands in Scripture: Essays in Honor of W. Edward Glenny. 2019. Saint Paul, MN: The University of Northwestern, Bersten Library, Pg. 101-126.
Vine, and Strong. 1999.
Strong’s Concise Concordance and Vine’s
. Nashville, TN: Word Publishing.
Summary of Revision
The primary focus of the revision process in my paper was to ensure that the topic of my paper answered my research question and showed my thesis statement throughout it. It was to take the time to dissect my paper and make sure that it flowed and presented that Jesus’ I Am statement, I Am the True Vine identified His divinity through Old Testament Scripture, the usage of egō eimi, the relationship of Israel being identified as God’s original vine, through the divinity
of Jesus salvation is available through Him, and as believers by abiding in Him they will produce
the fruit that God intended since Creation. I focused on making the paper read smoothly. I spent a significant time formatting my footnotes, block quotes and bibliography properly according to Turabian formatting. I identified my primary focus by reading over and over my paper. Each time I read it, I found ways to improve my writing or moving paragraphs or sentences to make my point come across better.
The methods I used for revision was to look at my outline and to follow each point of my outline to a new paragraph of my paper. I read my paper out loud several times, and I had someone else read my paper to see if it flowed and followed my outline.
13
The area that the professor pointed out and questioned was “Your reader will want to know how this is different than the use of “I am” in English. “I am hungry” does not declare my self-existence. Why is the Greek different? What has your research shown?” I spent a day looking at sourcing cites and couldn’t find anything that was different than what I had already written. I did include in my paper the significance of the usage of I Am with a predicate and the article THE. However, I did not expand on the difference of someone saying I am hungry with the Greek egō eimi
since I feel that I explained the significance of the Greek word in my paper originally. After I have revised my paper, I believe that it has improved. I have learned more about correct formatting and making the paper read better and smoother. I believe I answered my research question and I believe I revised my thesis statements to reflect what was written about in the paper. I have learned a great deal about the significance of the I Am statement “I Am the True Vine” and found it important to understand the meaning behind those powerful words.