She Planted a Vineyard

Old Vine/True Vine

In the city of Maribor, Slovenia, the oldest grape-producing vine is living out its days. This viny wonder clings and climbs its way up the exterior wall of a nondescript, pale-yellow house and is protected by a simple black wrought-iron fence. But don’t be misled by its humble appearance. “Old Vine” is a rare viticultural treasure that is loved, admired, and respected throughout the world.

Here’s why:

Old Vine survived the Turkish invasion, the rampage of Napoleon, and the ravages of World War I. When its hometown was seized by the Nazis during the Second World War, Old Vine produced fruit, in spite of the bombs that fell.

The Great French Wine Blight in the mid-1800s was no match for Old Vine either. When most of the vineyards of Europe were destroyed by an onslaught of aphids, Old Vine held its ground.

But the stresses might well be the reason for its longevity and its production of great wine. It is a well-known saying among wine makers that “a struggling vine makes the best wine.”

The stress that a vine incurs is what causes the plant to focus its energy on the production of fruit as it instinctively fights for its life. The fruit contains seeds that give the plant the longevity it craves through its generational lines.

The quantity of Old Vine’s clusters has decreased as the years have gone by. But the quality of what it does produce has intensified. Its age has brought forth both richness and rarity, so it makes the most exquisite of wines.

Its wine is so rare, so extraordinary, that only a select few are privileged to partake of it. But the wine is too wonderful for merely a few to experience. So each year, the city leaders give a graft of Old Vine to a dignitary of another city or country. When the cuttings grow and bear fruit, the love of the wine spreads throughout the world.

But there is a vine whose history is unfathomably deeper and richer and wider. Its roots extend through eternity past; the proof of its earthly life extends through 2000-plus years.

I am the True Vine and my Father is the vinedresser. (John 15:1 ESV)

And just like the stewards of Old Vine, we are called to spread the love of the True Vine all over the world. Christ’s wine—rare, rich in heritage, born of superb root, abundant, and overflowing—is available for all.

Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37b ESV)

If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It’s free! (Rev. 22:17b CEV)