ST JOHN
CHAPTER 15
Jesus is the vine; his disciples are the branches—He discourses on perfect law of love—His servants have been chosen and ordained by him—World hates and fights true religion—Promise of the Comforter, the Spirit of truth.
1 I AM the true vine, [ Who is symbolized by the vine? Jesus Christ. ] and my Father is the husbandman. [ What is a husbandman? A gardner. What is the husbandmans responsibility? To over see the gardner; decide what gets planted where, to prune, to govern the garden. Who is the husbandman? Heavenly Father he is the one who planted the true vine in his vineyard. ]
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: [ He is the vine and we are the branches. He will remove those branches that do not bear his fruit in order to improve the tree, to keep the tree healthy without disease. What happens to a leaf or branch that is cut off from the rest of the plant? How is your relationship to the Savior like the relationship of a leaf or branch to the main body of the plant? In the Savior’s comparison, what does the gardener do to the branches of the vine that do not bear fruit? ] and every branch that beareth fruit, [ Your works. ] he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. [ This denotes pruning, which helps to bring forth more fruit. How does God do this? with tests and trials. Any good gardener will tell you that grafting and pruning are required for the best fruit. The process of grafting does cause stress to the tree, but it is with that stress that the best fruit comes forth. If you just let the tree run wild eventually the fruit will become bitter, and small. What does he do to the branches that do bear fruit? (Note that purgeth means purifies; see John 15:2, footnote 2c.) What application might this have for us? Who are the branches? The apostles, The Father is incharge of his vineyard and carefully prunes the productive branches and removes the unproductive branches and casts them into the fire (vs6). The Lord does not remove members from the church but he will do his work among his apostles. Common OT parables about vineyards include: Ps. 80, Isa. 5:1-7, ct. Deut. 32:32, cp. 1 Ne. 15:15, Alma 16:17. ]
3 Now ye are clean [ "kaqaroi este", Ye are pruned. Could this have refernece to the fact that Judas is no longer among them and has gone off to do his work to deliver Jesus up? ] through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. [ How do we abide in him and him in us? Is this not the definition of the Father and the son, if you have seen one you have seen them both as they will each do exactly the same thing. So is this not the mediphore for us as an example? ] As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; [ Love one another as I have loved you. ] no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [ If you do not love one another, you will be cut down. ]
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. [ "cwriv emou ou dunasqe poiein ouden" or a slightly different rendering would be "if ye are separated from me ye can do nothing".]
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, [ After the branches are pruned they are burned, This is done so that any disease that the branches may have will be burned so that they do not spread disease and fungus. ] and is withered; [ How fitting of a description of those who will not follow Christs example, they will wither. ~ wither:1) To fade; to lose its native freshness; to become sapless; to dry. 2)To waste; to pine away; as animal bodies; as a withered hand. ] and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, [ The gardener, the master of the vinetard gets his reward from those vines that produce the choicest fruit. ] that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. [ Definition of what a disciple is - those that are united with him and do his works. Effectively a definition of a Christian as well. In Acts 11:26 we are informed it is Jesus’ disciples who are called Christians. The Biblical definition of a Christian is the same as Jesus’ definition of a disciple, which is one who does Jesus’ works. Thus, all of the contentious debates over who is and who is not a Christian based upon creedal statements and doctrinal differences are ignoring the one authoritative definition. ]
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. [ What is the Savior teaching us here about showing love to God? ]
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. [At this point Jesus is addressing his disciples. Note the reference to as I have Loved you. See verse 10 it is a love that comes by keeping the commandments of God. This is a context of Loving the Lords and doing what he expects of us. As is referenced later in verse 18 & 19. We should seek after the love of the Lord - How do we Get the Love of the Lord? By obeying his commandments. This scripture is often quoted by radical groups that seek to justify their actions - for example those who seek to destroy the family, feminists, gays... Their statement is you should love me as Jesus loves me. They don't quote the whole scripture - because it also says not to be of the world to follow the teachings of the world - and that the world would have loved him (Jesus) as well if he would have taught the teachings of men. But they did not love him, and we don't love him if we disobey his commandments.]
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. [ Speaking of the atonement and his mission as the Savior of the world. ]
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. [ If he gave his life for his friends, and his friends are those that do what he has commanded - then we can say that he gave his life for those who keep his commandments, not everyone. ]
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. [ The parallelism is plain in its presentation of the necessity of the unity between the Father, son, and apostles by doing the works which the Father taught Jesus. ]
16 Ye have not chosen me, [ Who chose him? the Father. It was customary among the Jews for every person to choose his own teacher. He could choose whom he or she wanted to follow. ] but I have chosen you, and ordained you, [ One might ask ordained to what and with what authority? He Jesus is speaking to his apostles telling them that they were called by him for the work, and that are they were called the were set apart, and ordained to their respective office in the priesthood. See Mark 3:14-15 where they are ordained and given the power to cast out devils, heal the sick and preach the gospel. ] that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
19 If ye were of the world, [ if you taught the teachings of men, the things that everyone wanted to hear, the things that were easily on the ears to hear. The writings of Jesus’s early Apostles frequently use the image of "the world" to represent opposition to gospel teachings or those who love sin, those with whom the adversary rules. ] the world would love his own: [ then sure the world would love you - because you are one of them ] but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, [ Jesus has chosen them (the disciples) to do and be what? see Ephesians 4:11-14 to be the leaders to bring the saints to a unity of the gospel ] therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; [ Once I am gone the Pharisees who hated me will turn their persecution toward you my apostles, as such they will hate you as they have hated me. ] if they have kept my saying, [ If they were obedient to the doctrines of which I have taught. ] they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, [ So if things would have gone on the way that they had been, if Jesus had not stepped in and called attention to their sin. ] they had not had sin: [ Then no one would have known of their sin. This judgment theme is common to John’s account, cp. 3:19-21, 8:45, 9:39, 12:40. While Jesus is primarily come to gather the lost sheep of Israel, he is also come to separate the sheep from the goats. ] but now they have no cloke for their sin. [ Since the Savior taught them the correct ways of God they have nothing to hide behind - no cloke or cover, they will stand before him in their nakediness. ]
24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
25 But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, [ Jesus is quoting Ps. 35:19, and invoking the general theme of that psalm, which is the complaint of a righteous man who is unjustly persecuted. “in their law”, strictly speaking the Psalms are not part of the Law of Moses proper, but they were part of the Scriptural cannon at that time, and are therefore part of the more general Jewish Law. ] They hated me without a cause.
26 But when the Comforter is come, [ the Holy Spirit has not yet come as part of the new dispensation. See the comments on ch. 16 for a more complete discussion of the subject. The Greek word translated to “Comforter” is “paracletos”, and a modern translation would be “consoler” or “helper”. When the Greek root is used as a verb instead of a noun it is translated most commonly in the KJV to “comfort”, “entreat”, “exhort” and “console”. Jesus is giving the Holy Spirit a descriptive name-title which explains what the Spirit does. ] whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: