John Chapter Fifteen
I Am...The True Vine
15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
In this seventh and last “I Am” discourse, Jesus call Himself, “The True Vine,” and He is calling His Father “The Vinedresser” (Greek ‘geōrgos’,[1] one who tills the ground, a farmer). As discussed earlier, the Old Testament often uses the terms ‘vineyard’[2] and ‘vine’[3] as metaphors for Israel. However, Israel failed to produce good fruit from its ‘vines’ (as a metaphor) and have turned away from God. Jesus now proclaims to be the “True Vine,” not necessarily replacing Israel, but to fulfill.
The OT frequently uses the vineyard or vine as a symbol for Israel, God’s covenant people, especially in two “vineyard songs” found in Isaiah.6 However, while the vine’s purpose of existence is the bearing of fruit for its owner, references to Israel as God’s vine regularly stress Israel’s failure to produce good fruit, issuing in divine judgment (Carson 1991: 513). In contrast to Israel’s failure, Jesus claims to be the “true vine,” bringing forth the fruit that Israel failed to produce. Thus Jesus, the Messiah and Son of God, fulfills Israel’s destiny as the true vine of God (Ps. 80:14–17).
The illustration of a vine and its branches, even more intimate than the shepherd imagery in John 10, focuses on the organic, vital connection between the branches and the vine.[4]
Referring to Himself as the vine, Jesus illustrates His relationship with His people. He is the source of life and nutrition, while the people are the branches. His Father is what is known today as the viticulturist, the person who cultivates and takes care of the vine including removing branches that are not producing fruit and pruning back some of the producing branches to help them produce even more fruit.
Jesus identifies the branches in this discourse as being those ‘in’ Him (Greek ‘en’,[5] can be translated as in, on, or at, with the primary idea of rest, remaining in place). Referring to those that have accepted Jesus as their Savior.
15:3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
Jesus tells His disciples that they are clean because they have heard and responded to His teaching. Even though the work on the cross had not yet been completed, Jesus knew it would be. The Word of God can cleanse a person if they believe that God did the cleaning, not done through any physical cleaning or any other effort, Jesus did it all. The Word of God will always be cleansing if believed and responded to (see Ephesians 5:26). In the Old Testament the law required people to be “ceremonially clean” in order to participate in various activities. Each of these ‘cleansing’ processes provided a temporary cleaning of some sin (procedures varied based on the situation). Since Jesus fulfilled the law and provided atonement once and for all sins, He forgives believers of their sins, as illustrated in the washing done in a baptism.
15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
Jesus returns to the theme of abiding in Him.[6] This powerful illustration of dwelling together with our Lord and Savior becomes even more intimate as Jesus describes Himself as the vine and compares His people as branches (essentially being intertwined). He notes that a branch can’t bear fruit on its own, but if they abide in Him and He in them, then they will bear great quantities of fruit. Jesus then warned that apart from Him a person can do nothing, like a branch that withers and is thrown away. Later all of the useless branches are gathered together and burned in a fire. As branches being part of vine, this illustration is not about non-believers, it is about Christians that have chosen not to be disciples, followers of Jesus.[7] They risk loosing any fellowship with God and have lost their ability to serve God (compare with the fire Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 3:15). Non-believers would not be part of the vine.
15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
Jesus now adds that they need to live by His words, His disciples are to abide in the words He taught them. He again reminds them to ask! He is not expecting them to do any task or ministry using only their resources or abilities, but requires them to ask for what they need and He promises that it will be done for them. Jesus tells them that by them asking and God providing, His Father is glorified and they will bear much fruit that gives evidence that they are His disciples.
Jesus notes that as the Father has loved Him, so He loves them, they are to abide in that love. He explains, that if they keep His commandments and live by the words He taught, they will be abiding in His love. Just as He has kept the commandments given to Him from His Father and abide in His love. He is telling them these things so that His joy may be in them and that they experience joy to the fullest.
Jesus instructs His disciples, both then and today, to live by His teaching. This of course requires first knowing what He taught and then applying the teaching (doing what He said). As they live according to His teaching if they need something they are to ask God to fulfill that need. Note that Jesus said His Father is glorified when He responds to the requests of His disciples. God delights in keeping His promises, but they need to ask first. He desires that those that follow Jesus, doing as He taught, be blessed with answered prayers. That they would have joy with Him. That leaves us with an intriguing question: Can someone prevent a blessing or prevent the Father from being glorified by not asking?
15:12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Jesus repeats the new commandment He gave them earlier (see John 13:34), to love one another as He has loved them.[8] He then amplifies what He means when He says, “As I have loved you.” His love was so great that He is not only willing to die for His friends, but that He will (and did) die. Jesus acknowledges that dying for someone is the highest form of love, a total abandonment of love of oneself. The call to love is then ultimately a call for us to give as Jesus gave. It is a call for us to pursue the good of others even if that potentially means risk to ourselves.
15:14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 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. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.
Jesus tells His disciples that they are His friends if they listen and do as He has taught them. He further explains that He will no longer call them servants, as servants are to do as they are told without explanation, they have no knowledge of the master’s purpose or goal. From now on they will be called friends, as they have been instructed by Jesus and the mission that was given to Him from His Father, has been made known to them. With Jesus soon to depart, this was essentially their graduation. He had taught them for three years and now they were ready to face the world to continue the mission, or at least would soon be ready. Even though graduating from being a servant to that of being a friend, they would remain being His disciples as they would always be representing Jesus as apostles.
Jesus reminds them that He chose them as His students,[9] not the usual first-century student-picks-teacher scenario. He knew that they would be able to continue His mission and each would indeed respond and produce fruit. He extended the blessing to include that the fruit they produce, will in turn, produce more fruit and that fruit will abide in Him as well. Due to their obedience whatever they ask the Father in His name, He “may give” (Greek ‘dō’,[10] to give, in context, will give), whatever they ask of Him (their prayers will be answered, see below). Jesus then connects “these things I command you,” that of going for Him and bearing fruit, to “so that you love one another.” This is not a reference to some form of conditional love based on them producing and bearing fruit, Jesus is encouraging them that through their love for others they will indeed bear much fruit, but at the same time preparing them for the reality of their efforts will not always bear fruit. As Jesus transitions to the reality of opposition beginning with the next verse.
Considerations
There is a saying, “People either run from the smoke or run towards the smoke.” Implying there are some people that will risk their health or even their lives to help others. People that serve in the military, law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services are indeed unique, brave, and perhaps the greatest examples of humanity. It is certainly humbling to stand in a national cemetery and view the many fallen and read their stories that can only be described as being motivated by exceptional love of others. Especially since these men and women died for people they would never know. Jesus said there is no greater love.
As an example of love, Jesus “set the bar high” with His death, giving His life for His friends and for us. But some say, “so what?” They say that being God He knew ‘being dead’ was only for a weekend, that He had nothing to lose, but if a human dies, that’s it, nothing more, or is it? Here are two points to consider:
1) In order for a person to enter heaven they would need to completely fulfill God’s law. Which means they would need to be sinless for their entire life, something that humans cannot do. So God intervened. Since Jesus is indeed God, He was able to be born a human without sin (virgin birth) and continued to live, though tempted as a human, without sin. He willingly suffered and died, becoming a sacrifice whose innocent blood (without sin, instead of animals) could be given for the atonement of others, that if someone chose to repent of their sins and believe that Jesus will save them when they die, they will be saved. The apostle Paul wrote, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Believers are not made righteous through their own efforts, but are made righteous through the blood of Jesus. We may never fully understand what Paul meant when he wrote, “He made Him to be sin,” but we know Jesus paid the full price for our sins, past, present, and future. Jesus lived a sinless life, suffered, died, and returned from the dead and will never die again. The law was fulfilled by Jesus, done, nothing more is needed. Be it just for a three days, three years or three centuries, the period Jesus was dead is not relevant, the fact that He lives is relevant.
2) Man was perfectly created by God, due to their disobedience, all of creation was cursed and death introduced. Death prevents mankind from spending eternity in a “fallen state.” As previously discussed, people will actually experience two deaths if they do not accept God’s plan of salvation through Jesus.[11] If a person dies after accepting Jesus while their corrupt physical body is shed, their spirit is immediately in the presence of Jesus in heaven where they will be reunited with their glorified bodies and experience life as God originally created forever. But when a non-believer dies their spirit goes to Hades, a temporary location before final judgment which ultimately leads to Hell, being a permanent location devoid of God.[12] The point is that when humans die, it isn’t “all over.” Death transitions a person from a sinful life to either a sinless and pain-free life with Jesus or eventual Hell (the choice is ours, but a decision must be made before dying, not afterwards).
A Connection Between Evangelism and Prayer Requests?
The wording of the last half of verse 16, “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.” The Greek ‘hina’,[13] translated here as “so that,” is stating that in order for God the Father to give the person what they are asking for, they need to comply with them going and bearing fruit and that their “fruit should abide” (producing lasting fruit). This passage is believed to be a reference to what we might call today as a prayer to aid in evangelism.
The best Greek texts record that Jesus chose them and set them apart (ethēka) that they might go and bear fruit. This verb also occurs in v. 13: Jesus ‘sets apart’ or ‘sets aside’ (NIV ‘lays down’) his life for others. The verb commonly occurs, with a personal object, in contexts where people are being ‘set apart’ for particular ministry (e.g.Acts 13:47 [citing Is. 49:6]; 1 Tim. 1:12). This fact, and the emphasis on going and bearing fruit, have suggested to many commentators, probably rightly, that the fruit primarily in view in this verse is the fruit that emerges from mission, from specific ministry to which the disciples have been sent. The fruit, in short, is new converts.[14]
The premise of those prayers is to ask for something that will aid in evangelism such as meeting someone’s immediate needs (asking for miracles of physical healing, provisions, opportunities, etc.) may be given a higher priority and answered quicker than other prayers. While some may have difficulty with that, we need to remember that the purpose of this life is to bring others to Jesus.
To love one another is a broad command. It could refer to loving those that you know and love you back, love a specific group, or love everyone regardless of affiliation. During His “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus taught that loving someone they knew was not much of a challenge but instead they were to love everyone unconditionally (see Matthew 5:43-48, note the use of the Greek ‘agapaō’,[15] the highest form of love). Jesus is now saying that the love for all people, known or not, will be one way to identify His disciples. To love unconditionally is impossible for humans, perhaps the closest would be a parent’s love for a child, but for all people? No way! The only way a person can love a stranger, an enemy, a harasser, a nasty, an unfriendly, an arrogant, a rude, etc. person is through God. Only God’s people can love somebody they don’t know. It is from that love of others that motivates Christians to share the gospel with others.
Hatred of the World
15:18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Earlier, while teaching in the Galilee region, Jesus told His disciples that the reason some people wanted to kill Him was that the world hates Him because He testifies that the works of the world are evil (see John 7:7) Now Jesus tells them that the world may hate them because they will continue to preach the same message. John uses the Greek ‘miseō’[16] seven times in this passage (verses 18-25), a word that not only means the opposite of agapaō (see above), it also implies an active ill, a hatred that can motivate someone to do something about the situation. In other words, Jesus is telling them that there is a target on them. If they were of the world, thinking worldly, embracing the ethics and values of the world, they would be loved by the world. But because they are not of the world, they recognize that the way of the world is not God’s way, and as representative of God, they are then hated by the world.
15:20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
Earlier that evening Jesus told them that a servant is not greater than their master (see John 13:16) and now He elaborates that includes being persecuted. If He is persecuted, they will also be persecuted. However, even though the majority of those in the world may be against them, there will always be some, a remnant, that will listen. Just as some listened to Jesus, there will be some that will listen and keep the words they preach.
15:21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’
Continuing on the subject of persecution on account of His name, Jesus explains that the reason they are motivated to persecute is that they do not know God the Father, the One who sent Him. Jesus says that if He did not speak to them they would not have been guilty of sin, but now that He did speak against them, they are guilty with no excuse. Jesus is not saying they would have been not guilty of all sin, as they, like all humans, were born in sin and continued to sin. Jesus is saying that after witnessing His miracles and hearing His message, they did not accept Him as the Messiah. As a result they hate both Him and His Father. Jesus then connects this hatred to Old Testament prophecy (see Considerations below).
15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Jesus reminds them that that they will not be alone, when the Holy Spirit comes to them,[17] He will bear witness about Him (see John 14:15-31). They too will offer testimony about Jesus as they were with them from the beginning of His ministry.
Considerations
Prophetic Text Overview No. 29
Jesus said, “But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause’” (verse 25). Using the term ‘law’ as a metonym for the entire Old Testament, there are two potential verses that can apply here. Both are from the Psalms, the first one is Psalm 35:19, “Let not those rejoice over me who are wrongfully my foes, and let not those wink the eye who hate me without cause.” And Psalm 69:4, “More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?” Both were written by David, and both speak of hatred without a cause. Plus, both refer to the hatred as being the result of misinformation that of a wrongful understanding or blatant lies. This should remind us that the Chief Misinformation Officer, Satan himself, doesn’t take time off. If the people of the world hated Jesus and His disciples, they will certainly hate us as well since we are Jesus’ representatives on earth today (see 2 Corinthians 5:20).
⇐Previous Chapter (Introduction/Index) Next Chapter⇒
[1] Strong’s Greek 1092.
[2] See Considerations under Matthew 21:45-46 "The Nation of Israel as God’s Vineyard."
[3] See Considerations under John 12:16-19 "Another Prophetic Connection?"
[4] Köstenberger, A. J. (2004). John (pp. 449–450). Baker Academic.
[5] Strong’s Greek 1722.
[6] See commentary under John 8:31-33.
[7] See Considerations under Matthew 8:18-22 "Disciples."
[8] See Considerations under Matthew 22:34-40 "Commanded to Love." See also commentary under John 13:31-35.
[9] Note: This verse should not be interpreted as a reference to being chosen for salvation. This selection pertains to the disciples being chosen to be apostles.
[10] Strong’s Greek 1325.
[11] See Considerations under John 3:19-21 "Shall Not Perish."
[12] See commentary under Matthew 12:33-37, see also Considerations under Matthew 8:5-13 regarding “Hell By Any Other Name is Still Hell or Is it?”
[13] Strong’s Greek 2443.
[14] Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel according to John (p. 523). Inter-Varsity Press; W.B. Eerdmans.
[15] Strong’s Greek 25.
[16] Strong’s Greek 3404.
[17] See Considerations under Luke 1:24-25 "Filled With the Holy Spirit."