15:1 I am the true vine. As elsewhere in this Gospel, “true” means “genuine.” Jesus is the final, real “vine,” as compared to Israel, which was a type foreshadowing the reality. Israel is called God’s “vine” or “vineyard” in the Old Testament (Ps. 80:8–16; Jer. 2:21). Israel is judged for not bearing fruit, while Jesus is and does what the type signified. This is the last of the “I am” sayings in the Gospel (6:35 note).