Symbolism in the Bible
young grapes on grape vine
There are many authors that talk about symbolism in the Bible. To name only three who have been influential in my thinking, there are Watchman Nee, David Chilton, and Frank Viola. Watchman Nee wrote, "Search Ye the Scriptures." Chilton wrote two that I have read, "Paradise Restored", and "The Days of Vengeance." The latter being a commentary on the book of Revelation.
I am currently reading, "Jesus, a Theography", by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola. In the introduction they make the following comment:
"Many Christians grew up reading red-letter editions of the Second Testament (New Testament). Those are the Bibles wherein the words of Jesus are printed in red. Now imagine a First Testament (Old Testament) where every reference, every prophecy, every shadow, every image, and every allusion to Christ appeared in red. If such a red-letter First Testament existed, it would glow in the dark."
We could better understand symbolism in the Scripture, if we did a survey of the symbol's use throughout the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. As an example, Jesus said in John 15 :1, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful." First of all, the account of Mankind begins with Adam being placed in the Garden. Concerning the Vine, there are early references in the Old Testament. One of the most interesting to me is found in Genesis 49 where Jacob speaks the blessing for Judah...
vs. 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[c]
until he to whom it belongs[d] shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
11 He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[e]
When I was a young man, I had a first hand experience with Biblical symbolism. I worked for a contractor and we were clearing brush from wooded lots on a new lake development. We were using a brush cutter that looked like a string trimmer, but it had a steel circular saw on the end instead of a nylon whip. These machines were used just like a weed whacker, swinging it back and forth, it could cut two inch brush with one swing.
One particular day I was working in thick brush and looking down I could see spots of "blood" on the ground. I immediately stopped and looked at my hands and legs to see where the blood was coming from. I wasn't bleeding.
A closer look revealed I was working in the middle of wild grapes..."the blood of grapes."
In the contrast with which the Scriptures love to speak, the following is found in Deuteronomy 32:31-33:
For their rock is not like our Rock,
as even our enemies concede.
32 Their vine comes from the vine of Sodom
and from the fields of Gomorrah.
Their grapes are filled with poison,
and their clusters with bitterness.
33 Their wine is the venom of serpents,
the deadly poison of cobras.
Jesus says , “I am the true vine." "In Me you will find life and every good thing."
In Isaiah 5:1-7:
I will sing for the one I love
a song about his vineyard:
My loved one had a vineyard
on a fertile hillside.
2 He dug it up and cleared it of stones
and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it
and cut out a winepress as well.
Then he looked for a crop of good grapes,
but it yielded only bad fruit.
3 “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
4 What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?
5 Now I will tell you
what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled.
6 I will make it a wasteland,
neither pruned nor cultivated,
and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds
not to rain on it.”
7 The vineyard of the Lord Almighty
is the nation of Israel,
and the people of Judah
are the vines he delighted in.
And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;
for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
Jesus, in His goodness and love, wept over Jerusalem and gave His life, crushed like grapes, in place of that vine which had become corrupt. His robes were "washed in the blood of grapes," His own blood poured out on the Cross.
Scripture quotations are from the NIV translation: https://www.biblegateway.com
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