John Brown:
Everything under the Old Testament economy [that is,
everything in the old covenant and its law] was „a shadow‟,
and [better, but] „the body is of Christ‟ [Col. 2:17]. The law,
which was a shadow of good things, came by Moses; the
truth, as well as the grace came by – in – Christ Jesus [John
1:17]. He is, personally, the true bread from heaven, in
contradistinction to the manna. He is the true priest, the true
sacrifice. He, as the Head of the church [the ekklēsia] – or,
in other words, his church [his ekklēsia], with him as their
Head – is the true mystical vine, of which the figurative vine
of Israel1 was but a type – just as they are the true
„circumcision‟ [Phil. 3:2] – the true „chosen nation‟ [1 Pet.
2:9-10] – the true „peculiar people‟ [that is, God‟s own
people] – the true „royal priesthood‟ – the true „sons of
God‟. The church [ekklēsia] of Christ, with him as its Head,
fully realises [that is, gives actual form to], in vitality, in
expansion, in fruitfulness, all that Israel,2 as the vine of
God‟s planting, figuratively represented. Such, then, is... the
import of these words, spoken by our Lord, as the Head of
his body the church [ekklēsia]: „I am the true vine‟. „My
church [ekklēsia], united to me, and in consequence of being
united to me, shall completely verify the ancient emblem
under which Israel,3 itself an emblem, was represented‟ |
