This passage from John is one that has created great comfort for many people, and at the same time has created profound pain and suffering for others. It has pulled us together and brutally split us apart. This simple story of a vine, growing in a vineyard, both heals and destroys. Many who read this story see it as a reason to turn away from the biblical story.

Let’s begin by recognizing what was going on when Jesus first told this story of the vine. It will help us to remember that stories about a vine and vineyard have been told since ancient times, so it is not something new with Jesus.

The Old Testament prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, talked about vines and vineyards. It’s important to remember that these prophets arose and spoke during times of great threat to the country.…