Chapter Introduction
The farewell discourse continues.
In the last chapter, the Lord spoke to the disciples about the trouble they were feeling. Fear was creeping in among them as the cross drew near. They didn’t understand where Jesus was going and why. Around the table were those who had walked with Him and forsaken their lives to follow Him. Now, He spoke of leaving and coming back, dying and living again. He had washed their feet while telling them they would understand later. Trouble was in the air.
Then Jesus said it was time. It was time for Him to go. His going away was like the bridegroom leaving for a while to return to His father's house to prepare a place for His bride. And while the bride didn't know when the bridegroom would come, it was a given that He would come again and take her to where He was. Jesus was going to the Father to prepare a mansion and He is coming again to get us.
Jesus repeatedly spoke of love and obedience as being present in the lives of those who trusted in Him. He said he would send the Holy Spirit to live in us. And Jesus said He would give them peace.
Then at the end of chapter fourteen, Jesus said, “That the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.” The time had come.
Some interesting speculations come from this verse. It seems that dinner had ended. It could be that Jesus and the disciples left the upper room and began to walk toward the garden. On the way, they would pass by the temple. Included in the décor of Herod’s temple was a great golden vine. It is thought that Jesus may have stopped, pointed to the great vine, and begun to speak the words that John wrote in chapter fifteen.
John 15:1
Jesus used a metaphor to teach that all the disciples would have known and heard.
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will lay it waste;
It shall not be pruned or dug,
But there shall come up briers and thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”
7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. (Isaiah 5:1-7)
You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations, and planted it. (Psalm 80:8)
Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality.
How then have you turned before Me
Into the degenerate plant of an alien vine? (Jeremiah 2:21)
Note: see also Ezekiel 15; 17:5–10; 19:10–14; Hosea 10:1; 14:8.
Israel had been portrayed as God’s choice vine on which He lavished His loving care and attention. He longed for fruit from His vine, but the vine didn't produce fruit. Israel was chosen by God to reveal Him to the nation. They were to be a kingdom of priests to the nations. They were a special treasure to the Lord (Ex 19:6). Yet, there was no fruit.
Jesus said, “I am the true vine.” This is the last of the seven “I AM” statements by Jesus. Each of these statements is a claim to deity. Jesus links himself to the voice of the burning bush that identified Himself as “I AM WHO I AM.” The 'true vine' is the original, the authentic vine. All other vines are copies and counterfeits and fail in comparison. Therefore Jesus, as “the true Vine,” fulfills what God had intended for Israel.
Instead of a kingdom of priests preaching of the coming Messiah that would be their Great High Priest, the Israelites found righteousness in their law and stood aloof and apart from the world. It’s important to note that Jesus wasn’t plan B, He was always the primary means of salvation. Israel introduced Him to the world in an unimaginable way, they nailed Him to a Roman cross.
As Jesus introduced Himself as the true vine, He also introduced God the Father as the vinedresser. The Jews were “a vine” that proved we needed “The Vine.”
That golden vine that ran through the temple was symbolic of Israel’s power and presence in the house of God. However, Jesus claimed He is the true vine, He is that golden vine running through the Temple of God. He is the power and presence in the house of God.
The Jews who didn’t recognize Jesus as their Messiah were detached from the vine.
Caution: the metaphor is to make the point that the branches of the true vine bear good fruit. To carry the metaphor backward or carry it beyond its purpose will lead to theological ditches.
John 15:2-4
There are two branches of the vine in view in this passage. The branch that bears no fruit and the one that bears fruit. Jesus considered both to be "in Me". The branch that bears no fruit would get the attention of the vinedresser. The words "takes away" in verse two could be understood as "lift up". Some see this as the vine dresser lifting the vine to the sunshine and removing it from the low place where it is stunted and not bearing fruit. However, this is cut away, severed from the vine. In verse six, these branches are cast into the fire.
Are the branches the vinedresser "takes away" an indication that you can lose your salvation? If you are part of the vine, it means you have been grafted in. To make fruit a requirement for salvation would damage a belief in salvation by faith. You did nothing to get your salvation; you can’t do anything to keep it. Jesus did the work. Fruit comes as a normal response to so great a salvation.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-11)
The existence of fruit confirms the attachment to the vine. Horticulturists tell us that the branches don’t pull nutrition from the vine but the vine pushes all that is needed for fruit to the branches. If some branches don’t bear fruit, there’s a problem with the branch.
Are we to see that the lack of fruit indicates there is no real attachment to the vine? The expectation is clear. Every branch is expected to bear fruit. Could a fruit inspector see the fruit of your life and glorify the Lord?
***
This brings us to the second branch of the two branches. The fruit-bearing branch also gets the attention of the vinedresser. When a branch is trimmed it comes back more fruitful than before. John uses a play on words with the word “prunes.” That word also meant “cleanses.” This leads to the statement in verse three about the disciples being already clean. Followers of Christ are born again by the Word of God and cleansed from their sins.
How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word. (Psalm 119:9)
The noble vine-branch is clean in respect of its inward vitality, but, nevertheless, it must be purged from wild outgrowths, shoots and appendicles. The purifying word of Jesus that made the disciples clean from within (see chap. 6:57), must be supplemented from without by the Father’s school of suffering; the latter, however, was not to give them the principle of purity, but to strengthen it and free it from the danger of degeneration. In this school of suffering their purification must be rendered complete through their abiding in Him.
Lange, J. P., & Schaff, P. (2008).
A commentary on the Holy Scriptures: John (p. 462).
Logos Bible Software.
Even the disciples that bear fruit will be pruned to bear more. The Vinedresser will prune us with suffering, growing our faith and reliance on the True Vine.
Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)
The word “abide” is a verb form of “dwelling place.” This idea was a common thought in the Old Testament when God had promised to always dwell with his obedient covenant people.
And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the Lord their God. (Ex 29:46)
Disciples are to dwell in Jesus and He promised He would dwell in us. In the same way, a branch is useless if it isn’t attached to the vine, so are disciples not attached to Jesus. You cannot bear fruit apart from Jesus.
John 15:5-8
Again, Jesus presents Himself as the vine. From Him, the branches could draw the resources and power to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. This mutual abiding between Jesus and a believer brings much fruit. Without Jesus, there is no relationship with God, there is no abiding and therefore no fruit.
To have life as a born-again believer, life in Jesus, is to be connected to the source of life. The disciples might have asked, Am I abiding in Christ? Am I attached to the vine? Am I bearing fruit? These are the questions a believer needs to ask while standing before God.
The one who does not abide in Him is cast out like a useless branch. Dead fruitless branches of vines were cut off. Their wood was no good for making anything. Their only value was for heat in the fire. Jewish teachers believed that God had terrible punishments in store for apostates because they had known the truth and rejected it. They were without excuse.
Those abiding in Jesus have His words abide in them. The disciple desires to bear fruit for the kingdom, to lead others to salvation, and to ultimately glorify the Lord. When our request is for this purpose, the Lord will grant that desire. It will be done for you.
When Jesus said He is the True Vine, there is clear implication that there is also a false vine. This false vine may appear like the real thing. A branch may wrap around the vine and have the appearance that it is attached. When it is time to bear fruit, this branch becomes very apparent. It is a weed that tries to feed off the real vine when it isn’t attached. It is along for the ride. The vine dresser recognizes this and will cut it away and cast it off.
It's like the wheat and the tare growing up together. One is real, the other looks like it as it grows right amid real wheat. But when it came time to bear fruit, there was nothing. Wheat bore fruit and produced more wheat; fruit that has the potential to bear more fruit. Tares produced seed for more useless counterfeits. The fruit of true disciples is more disciples.
Fruit isn't a test of salvation, it's an indication of salvation. It's proof you are attached to the vine. If you don’t abide in Christ, it’s not that you lost your salvation, it’s that you never had it to start with. A branch can’t go off on its own and do anything. The vine is the source of life.
Today’s church might cry foul because this sounds too judgmental and intolerant. Jesus seemed to be pretty adamant about not keeping worthless branches around that drag down and affect the fruit of the true branch.
Blessed is the man of God that finds his delight in the Lord.
He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper. (Psalm 1:3)
See also 1 Corinthians 3:12; Psalm 1:3; Eph 5:3; Romans 6:22;; Proverbs 31:16; 11:30; Romans 7:4.
John 15:9-11
How has God loved us? He loved us first, never-ending, patient, forever, enough to give us his only Son. We show our love for Jesus by keeping His commandments just like Jesus remained obedient to the Father. Does this mean we must be perfect? No, but to truly love the Lord we are seeking to be like Him. In doing so, we turn from our sins and live a life of repentance.
Jesus said these things so His joy would remain with them. That word "remain" in verse 11 is the same word translated to abide. It actually appears four times in these three verses (v. 9 as abide; v. 10 as abide twice, v.11 as remain). Jesus told us this so His joy would abide in us. Remember abide means to 'cling to' or 'hang around'. When the Joy of Jesus clings to us, our joy may be full.
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; (Psalm 19:8)
John 15:12-15
Jesus reiterates His commandment which he called new in chapter thirteen (13:34). Obedience is the right response to God’s love toward us. Obedience is the love of one another, loving as Jesus loves. The love of Jesus was a love that brought Him to lay down His life. How much more should we then lay down our lives in response?
We might think that sounds fine, but when faced with that choice, our flesh determines that others are not worthy of that kind of love. They simply don’t deserve the kind of commitment that might cost me my life. Yet, you and I were never worthy of Jesus laying down His life for us. We could never deserve it because of our goodness or kindness.
The love of Jesus is unconditional. Our love for one another ought to be unconditional.
Do you have friends for which you would lay down your life? Those who followed Jesus, those He called friends were far from perfect. In the garden, they would fall asleep instead of praying as Jesus was sweating blood. They would all run away from Him at his arrest. Peter would deny Him three times.
In the culture, there were many kinds of friends. Jesus defined His friends as those who were loyal. It is those who followed in obedience because they trusted in Him. Even when their flesh wanted to run away, even when their eyes saw a threat to their life, even when logic said compromise or reason saw a better way. Belief said, “I will follow You.”
The disciples that followed their rabbi did so without question, without understanding His ways or meaning. They were completely sub-servient to Him even when they were clueless. Their service wasn’t based on understanding and on their judgment of the outcome. They believed His interest was their best interest.
Now, they are His friends. He has given them all they need to know. To follow God, to find salvation in Him, is to obey His will, have trust in Him, and follow Him. There are no secrets, no formulas, or tricks. Following Jesus is trust.
Abraham was known as the friend of God and this is the only time anyone was called God's friend (James 2:22). These men knew this. To be a friend of Jesus was radical and may have shocked the disciples.
He calls me friend, not a bondslave. This privilege of being a friend of God is extended to those who seek to know the mind of God. Jesus revealed God to His disciples. The Holy Spirit does the same for us. We are still servants of God but He calls us friends.
We should be careful with this. It would be irreverent for us to call God our friend. We have many friends and acquaintances, they come and go, and they hurt and disappoint. We don't want to associate God with this. As a friend of God, we will come to know perfect friendship and offer the same to our brothers.
The “friend of the king” would be close by and know the king's secrets. They would still be subject to him and have to obey his commands. Jesus may call the disciples his friends, but they should still address him as Lord and Master.
John 15:16-17
Jesus chose His disciples, much like God chose Israel. It was God exercising His divine providence. They were chosen to bear fruit. This choice doesn’t violate their free will. They were free to reject Jesus, witnessed by the acts of Judas. We are grafted into the vine by His choosing, not our own. If there was any spiritual pride in the disciples Jesus made it clear they didn’t choose him. Jesus chose and appointed us so we could bear fruit. The fruit we bear is to abide in our life.
To be a follower of Jesus, there must be fruit born from like-mindedness. If we are like Jesus in our prayers, we pray in His name, then our request to the Father appears as a request from Jesus. That request is granted because it is a given that it will glorify the Father.
Our fruit is to “remain.” This is the same word translated to “abide.” It is to continue in Him so that the whole of our life is bound together with Jesus.
See Deut 34:5; Titus 1:1; James 1:1
John 15:18-21
The True Vine will be hated by the world. The fact that the world hates the True Vine doesn’t make Him any less true or any less of the Vine that provides spiritual sustenance, power, and life that brings forth fruit.
If the world hates you, it's not all bad. It hated Jesus also. If the world loves you, there is a problem. After all, the world loves its own. Jesus chose us out of this world, calling us out of bondage to sin and death, to forgiveness and life eternal with Him.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. (1 John 3:2-3)
Do you sometimes feel lost and at odds with the world? You should, and you should count that as a good thing. We are no longer citizens of this world. Once we are in Him, we renounce our citizenship of the world for the citizenship of Heaven. There is no dual citizenship. You either belong to one or the other.
He chose us out of this world. Jesus was warning them in advance that the world would hate Him. We see new evidence every day that the world despises Christianity. The cross is an offense to the world and those who believe will be persecuted.
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
Jesus reminded the disciples they weren’t greater than He. They wouldn’t be exempt from the hatred of the world. Similarly, some of the world kept the word of Jesus, so they disciples can know some will keep their word too.
John 15:22-25
The unbelieving world had an excuse before Jesus brought His word, it was ignorance. That excuse was removed. Jesus made the word clear and brought that word to His disciples and others who wrote the word down. The Bible is the best-selling book of all time and remains so today. However, it is rarely read, understood, obeyed, and regarded as God’s word.
God came as a man to save mankind. The Messiah had come and offered branches to be grafted in to Him. He would bring new life and fruit. But He was being rejected. Rejection of Jesus was rejection of God.
While Jesus said these words, those who claimed to love Yahweh were plotting the death of Jesus. Their claim to love of God is refuted by their actions driven by hatred. They would hate Him without cause, proving their hatred and His claim to be the Son of God.
Jesus quoted the righteous sufferer seen in several places:
They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
4 In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer.
5 Thus they have rewarded me evil for good,
And hatred for my love. (Psalm 109:3-5)
Those who hate me without a cause
Are more than the hairs of my head;
They are mighty who would destroy me,
Being my enemies wrongfully;
Though I have stolen nothing,
I still must restore it. (Psalm 69:4)
19Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies;
Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause. (Psalm 35:19)
We've all seen His miracles, and His design, and felt the moral base in our conscience that comes from God. How can anyone look to the stars, look in a microscope, or know right from wrong and not see God?
To not abide in Him is to reject His provision. It's rejecting what a perfect God would offer His children. There is no cause for this rejection. It is sinful man committing the worst of sins.
John 15:26-27
The attachment to the True Vine will continue after Jesus was crucified, raised, and ascended to the Father. When the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, comes, He will be the counselor and Spirit of Truth. The Holy Spirit will always testify of Jesus Christ and never of Himself. Note that the Holy Spirit is referred to as ‘He’ by Jesus. The Holy Spirit is a person as Jesus and the Father.
***
Jesus walked and talked with those He called friends. He was mere hours from laying down His life for them. Disciples are to be rightly related to Jesus, being attached to the source of life. This life in Christ will then be characterized by an abiding joy and will manifest itself in obedience and loving one another. When this happens, we should see a separation from the world.
The world will hate us for our relationship with Jesus, our joy and love. That makes it difficult for us because we want to be accepted and liked. But our duties are not to the world but to abide, to love each other, and to testify by the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and our King.
©2005, 2009, 2013, 2023 Doug Ford
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