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.
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).
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.
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).