Section 121 IX (John 15:1-17), The True Vine

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit." -John 15:1-2

Note the adjective--"I am the true vine."

In Jesus's assumption and continuance of the vine imagery, it's clear that the different parts of the scripture speak and answer to each other.  The image of a vine was associated with the nation of Israel historically.

Interesting vine imagery and messianic anticipation from Jacob's blessing in Genesis 49:

"The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes: His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk." Genesis 49:10-12

Also:

Psalm 80:8-19--"Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land." v.8-9

Futhermore, Israel's prophets picked up the vine imagery again and again:

Isaiah 4:2--"In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel."

Isaiah 5:1-2--"Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes." 

Isaiah 11:1-2--"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD."

Jeremiah 2:21--"Yet I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?"

Hosea 10:1 " Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images."

"The vine was a symbol of the ancient church. See the passages cited above, and Hos_10:1; Mat_21:33; Luk_13:6." -VWS

"In His eighth "Ego Eimi" or "I AM" statement, Jesus says, "I am the True Vine." I find this intriguing. Why would He use the word "true" at this time? Perhaps it is because as we go through this chapter into the next, we'll see that Jesus knew His disciples would soon be kicked out of temple worship, barred from the synagogue, ostracized from the glory, tradition, and beauty of Judaism. Thus, I believe it is in this reference that Jesus declared, "I am the true Vine," as if to say, "Don't be deceived. It's not Judaism. It's not religion. It's Me."-Courson

Jon Courson has a different interpretation of this passage than most.  He views the "every branch that bears not fruit he taketh away" as meaning "lift up," in the sense of restore.  I'm not sure what to think of his interpretation.  It's more encouraging than the idea of being cut off, but I don't know that his argument is strong enough to overcome more traditional interpretations for me.  The four translations I've consulted maintain the sense of "take away" which argues further against it.

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you." -John 15:16

The choosing is clearly his:

"The pronoun is emphatic: 'It was not ye that chose me.'"-VWS

"That whatsoever, etc. (ἵνα)
Coordinated with the preceding ἵνα, that, as marking another result of their choice and appointment by Christ. He has appointed them that they should bring forth fruit, and that they should obtain such answers to their prayer as would make them fruitful" -Vincent's Word Studies

The teaching of loving each other as his command is also clear.  It seems to me that this starts with who he is and then moves to who we are because of him.