• 1dalm@lemmings.worldOP
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    19 hours ago

    I would say that specific verse you are citing it’s actually specifically calling people to community in the church. The vine is wrapped around the tree, tangled among the branches. If a branch grows to far away from the main tree that’s holding the vine, that’s when the branch is cut off.

    • m0darn@lemmy.ca
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      18 hours ago

      I think the branches are branches of the vine, I don’t think there is a tree involved. Yeah the text is pretty clear it’s talking about branches of the vine. Not tree branches.

      I think this is one of those faith vs works things. Like it’s saying if you abide in Jesus you’ll do good deeds.

      • 1dalm@lemmings.worldOP
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        14 hours ago

        No no…

        This is a ancient grape cultivation metaphor. They didn’t have grape farms like we do today, with rows of grapevines strung on wires.

        They would grow bushes and let the vines grow up through the branches of the bush. Tthe bushes would hold the vines.

        In this metaphor the bush a the church and the branches are the people. (Or individual diocese or parishes depending on the interpretation.) But the bush is the Church. And the vine is Jesus abiding in the bush.

        Jesus is the vine. You ain’t Jesus. You gotta be something else in the metaphor.

        • m0darn@lemmy.ca
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          9 hours ago

          Where is your position coming from? Like it seems like you’re coming to this verse having already decided what it means.

          Your explanation about the tree/bush doesn’t seem compatible with John 15:1-2. It doesn’t make sense to prune the branches if they’re just support structure, it won’t make them bear more fruit. It could be a fruit tree/bush that’s being used for support but then verse 5 doesn’t make sense.

          I think the metaphor only makes sense if the branches are branches of the vine. Like the part labelled shoot or cane on this diagram and the “vine” means the central connective part of the plant, (ie the scion, arm or cordon on the above diagram). The vine (Jesus) nourishes the branches (Christians) and enables them to grow fruit (good acts).