NOTES for Eze 15:1-8
The uselessness of Jerusalem after it turned away from its calling is compared to the uselessness of a grapevine: too fragile for construction, unsuitable for weaving mats, and unfit as fodder for livestock. It is good only for being thrown into the fire, and even there the vine quickly burns away without producing heat comparable to that of other fuels.
But if this is so, why will Jesus compare Himself specifically to a grapevine when He bids farewell to His disciples? Is His self-emptying revealed in this comparison as well? Or perhaps, by likening Himself to a “worthless and good-for-nothing” vine, did He wish to show us that in His eyes everything people are accustomed to reject—and all the more those whom society habitually looks down upon because of their unappealing appearance—also possess a value that eludes human perception?