Vine
Typological treatment in the corpus
The vine is identified by Nee & Lee as a type of Christ in His self-offering life. In Jotham’s parable (Judg. 9:13), the vine refuses the kingship because it will not abandon its wine — which cheers both God and men. Nee & Lee see in this the type of Christ, who gives His life as joy for God and humanity.
Biblical Anchoring
| Reference | Context |
|---|---|
| Judg. 9:13 | Vine in Jotham’s parable: “Should I leave my new wine that cheers God and men?” |
| John 15:1, 5 | ”I am the true vine” — Jesus’ own identification with the type |
| Ps. 80:9 | ”You brought a vine out of Egypt” — Israel/Christ as vine |
| Isa. 5:1-7 | Parable of the vineyard: God’s expectation of His people as vine |
Typological Treatment by Author
Watchman Nee & Witness Lee
Lee discusses the vine in The All-inclusive Christ, ch. 5, as one of the food products of the Canaan type. The foundational text is the vine’s declaration in Jotham’s parable (Judg. 9:13):
“Should I leave my new wine that cheers God and men, and go to sway over the trees?”1
The vine refuses the kingship not out of ease but because its self-offering character — the new wine that gives joy to God and man — is its essential calling. Nee & Lee typologize this as Christ’s self-offering life: Christ refuses to detach glory from sacrifice, because the joy He brings to God and mankind is inseparable from His self-giving.
The vine typology connects to Jesus’ own words in John 15:1 (“I am the true vine”), where the vine functions not merely as a metaphor but as the typological fulfillment of the Canaan-land image: the vine is one of the riches of the land that Christ is as the all-inclusive One.
Related Types
- Connected: Wheat (grain type of incarnation/death, contrasted with vine as self-offering type)
- Connected: Barley (grain type of resurrection)
- Connected: Canaan (vine as one of the products of the Canaan-land type)
- Connected: Passover (wine as element of the Passover ritual)
Footnotes
Footnotes
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Watchman Nee & Witness Lee, b1 (The All-inclusive Christ), ch. 5 (The Goodness of the Land — Its Unsearchable Riches II. Food); Judg. 9:13 as foundational text. ↩