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| Chapter 15 |
| Bible Text | Notes and Thoughts |
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1 ¶ "I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. 2 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. 3 Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you. 4 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, no more can ye, unless ye abide in Me. 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. 6 If a man abide not in Me, he is cast forth as a branch and is withered; 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, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples. 9 ¶ "As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you. Continue ye in My love. 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. 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. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. 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. 16 Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, 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 to you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. 18 ¶ "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, 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; if they have kept My saying, 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, they would not have sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin. 23 He that hateth Me hateth My Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no other man did, they would not have had sin; but now they have 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: ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ 26 ¶ "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth who proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me. 27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning. |
v1 The passage does not show where Jesus was when He gave this teaching, John 14:31 that they had left the upper room heading for the Mount of Olives. They may have been passing a vine tree and Jesus came out with another of the "I AM" statements. "I am the vine" must be linked to the Old Testament thought of Israel being the Vine of God, a vine which did not bring ‘good fruit.’ Is 5:1-7. "I am the true vine." indicates that there may be counterfeits (copies), "My Father is the husbandman (gardener)" showing who owns the vine and thus showing that He is the real ‘Vine of Israel.’ v2 The reason for a vine is to produce good fruit, to achieve this the gardener must remove the bad parts or parts which produce no fruit and encourage the good branches to grow stronger and fruit more. Judas was a ‘bad’ branch, the other disciples were each ‘prunes’ and produce ‘great fruit’ starting at Pentecost Acts 2:1ff. v3 Jesus appears to consider that the ‘pruning’ has already been complete, "Now you are clean" through the teaching of Jesus. v4 "Abide in Me, and I in you." The branch cannot exist unless it is connected to the tree and receives the food through the sap, even a small crack can reduce the flow. v5 Jesus identifies the parts of the ‘vine’ and its dependence (connection) on the ‘true vine.’ v6 explains v2, the ‘branches’(man) cut out are those not abiding in Jesus, they suffer ‘pruning’ and being destroyed. The vine is only used by man to produce fruit, it has no other use apart from being burnt. v7 Jesus now brings out the advantages of being part of the "Vine of God," answered prayer for those who obey God’s Will. v8 The production of fruit is not just the reason for all this care but that God may be glorified, proving that we are His disciples. v9 The way the Father loves Jesus is the way Jesus loves us, when He comes into us He brings His love with Him. v10 The enjoyment of this love is dependant, a requirement, a condition that we keep His commandments, just as Jesus obeyed all the commandments of the Father, right to the cross. v11 A Christians joy, a life of love will give joy. Christ first had joy as He followed the Fathers will. We can possess that joy as we commit ourselves to Him. Love one another. v12,13 A commandment to love others as Jesus loves us. A love which meant He sacrificed (gave) His life for us. 1 John 3:16. Such a level of love in us can only be possible with His love flowing in us. v14,15 Friendship and obedience must go together when it comes to us and Christ. This would at first appear to make us servants, but servants do not have the knowledge of the Masters will and thoughts. Even the thoughts of the Father have been passed onto us. However this does not mean we understand all the information available. Gal 4:1-7. v16 The disciples were special but they had an important task in front of them, to spread the message, Christ had chosen them for this task, not them chosen Him. Note that the ‘fruit would remain,’ so many had started following Jesus during His earthly ministry but then turned away. v17,18 Again the command to love each other for it will not come from the ‘world,’ those separated from God, they hated Jesus and will soon be hating the disciples and followers of Jesus. Gal 4:29. Compare Gal 4:8ff. v19 The people of the world like to be with their own type and interest. For those who have received salvation though Jesus are not of their world, they cannot understand and hate comes. |
Easy English Translation
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