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This OP is to open up a discussion on the biblical terms of vine and root, as they were applied to both national Israel and Jesus, and search out the theological implications.
In the OT Israel is referred to as the vine and the root. The explicit vine imagery applied to Israel is corporate and covenantal.
Is 5:1-7 "My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill---
He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild
grapes...
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of
Israel..."
Ps 80:8-9
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
9You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
Jer 2:21 "I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed.
How then have you turned degenerate..."
Hosea 10:1-2
Israel is a luxuriant vine
that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built;
as his country improved,
he improved his pillars.
2Their heart is false;
now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will break down their altars
and destroy their pillars.
In reading the full text of the scriptures mentioned it is clear that Israel is God's vineyard/vine, expected to bear covenant fruit but fails.
The root imagery is slightly different---it emphasizes origin, covenant, and inheritance.
Is 11: 1-2
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Here the "root" is tied to the Davidic line (not corporate Israel, but its royal source. In the body of Is 11:3-9 it is clear that what is being spoken of parallels Rev 21.
Now we move into the NT and the words of Paul in Romans: 11:16-19 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
The root equals the patriarchal promises (Abrahamic covenantal foundation). The natural branches are Israel. Gentiles are grafted into that same root.
In the NT we see Jesus referred to as the vine.
John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me, 5. I am the vine; you are the branches.
It is crucial to note here that Jesus does not say he is a vine, but he says he is the true vine. This implies a contrast with Israel as the failed vine. What Israel was called to be, Christ is.
The NT also identifies Christ as the root itself.
Rev 5:5 The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered...
Rev 22:16 "I am the root and the descendant of David..."
Christ is both the source (root) and the offspring (branch). He embodies and fulfills the entire covenant structure.
When we put this together
What does this do to the Dispensationalist view of two peoples of God and a restored national Israel?
In the OT Israel is referred to as the vine and the root. The explicit vine imagery applied to Israel is corporate and covenantal.
Is 5:1-7 "My beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill---
He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild
grapes...
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of
Israel..."
Ps 80:8-9
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
9You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
Jer 2:21 "I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed.
How then have you turned degenerate..."
Hosea 10:1-2
Israel is a luxuriant vine
that yields its fruit.
The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built;
as his country improved,
he improved his pillars.
2Their heart is false;
now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will break down their altars
and destroy their pillars.
In reading the full text of the scriptures mentioned it is clear that Israel is God's vineyard/vine, expected to bear covenant fruit but fails.
The root imagery is slightly different---it emphasizes origin, covenant, and inheritance.
Is 11: 1-2
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
10 In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.
Here the "root" is tied to the Davidic line (not corporate Israel, but its royal source. In the body of Is 11:3-9 it is clear that what is being spoken of parallels Rev 21.
Now we move into the NT and the words of Paul in Romans: 11:16-19 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you.
The root equals the patriarchal promises (Abrahamic covenantal foundation). The natural branches are Israel. Gentiles are grafted into that same root.
In the NT we see Jesus referred to as the vine.
John 15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me, 5. I am the vine; you are the branches.
It is crucial to note here that Jesus does not say he is a vine, but he says he is the true vine. This implies a contrast with Israel as the failed vine. What Israel was called to be, Christ is.
The NT also identifies Christ as the root itself.
Rev 5:5 The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered...
Rev 22:16 "I am the root and the descendant of David..."
Christ is both the source (root) and the offspring (branch). He embodies and fulfills the entire covenant structure.
When we put this together
Israel as the vine (corporate, covenantal, but fruitless in itself)
Christ as the true vine (faithful, fruitful, fulfills Israel's calling)
Patriarchal promise as root (Romans 11)
Christ as root (ultimate source and fulfillment)
Israel is not replaced in a crude sense---it is reconstituted in Christ. There is one tree, not two parallel peoples. It defines one people of God.What does this do to the Dispensationalist view of two peoples of God and a restored national Israel?
