Isaiah 53:2
"We brought a report as [of] a child before him; [he is] as a root in a thirsty land: he has no form nor comeliness; and we saw him, but he had no form nor beauty."
John 15:1—Was Jesus the vine or the root?
Contrasting Link: John 15:1 →
John 15:1—Was Jesus the vine or the root?
Problem: John portrays Jesus as the vine of which believers are the branches. But elsewhere the Bible calls Him a “root out of dry ground” (Isa. 53:2).
Solution: Both of these are appropriate figures of Christ, each describing a different aspect of His ministry. Jesus was a root (source of life) in relation to the vine (Israel) in the OT. But He is the vine in which believers abide for spiritual life in the NT (John 15:1, 3).