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.
The parable of the Vine is found only in the book of John, although similar figures appear in the Synoptics. The essential truth being taught is that salvation and spiritual life are dependent upon the Christian abiding in Jesus Christ. To abide in Christ is to be connected to Him spiritually; it is to be in Christ (Rom 8:1; 2Cor 5:17). Jesus is the Vine, the source of spiritual life and power, and we are the branches. Just as a branch cannot live without being connected to a tree or vine, so too a believer cannot live without being connected to Christ. The figure of vine and branches complements Jesus’ statements in the previous chapter of how He and the Father would dwell in the hearts of His people (John 14:23).
I am the true Vine, implying that there are other, false vines. In the OT, a vine is a common euphemism for a nation or people group, such as Samaria or Judah. It is used in both good and bad connotations. Examples are the vine of Sodom (Deut 32:32), and the vine that God brought out of Egypt (Ps 80:8; Jer 2:21), which refers to the children of Israel. Judges 9 and Isaiah 5 use a vine in striking illustrations.
My Father is the husbandman, or the One who keeps and cares for the Vine (Mat 21:33; Luke 20:9). God expects and requires that every branch connected to Christ bears good fruit. He prunes and dresses those branches that are bearing fruit so that they might bring forth more fruit, but those branches that bring forth wild grapes (Isa 5:4), or are not bearing fruit at all (Luke 13:6-9) will be cut off and thrown into the fire (v6). Fruit-bearing is not an optional exercise; it is essential to continuing as a child of Christ, of remaining in the Vine. Even the Apostle Paul acknowledged the possibility of being cut off from the true vine and cast away (1Cor 9:27), and the parable of the hidden talent (Mat 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-26) similarly warns those who would refuse to labor in the Kingdom of the Son. One of the clearest evidences of a man’s spiritual affiliation is the fruit in his life (Mat 7:15-21).
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, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except 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.
Fruit-bearing must be preceded by salvation and sanctification, which is the process of being purged and made clean, holy and honorable, meet for the Master’s use (2Tim 2:21). The disciples were cleansed, pruned and prepared to bring forth good fruit for Christ. They had died to themselves and abandoned any thoughts of becoming their own vine (John 12:24). They wanted to gain the life and power that comes from Christ alone (Php 3:7-10). Jesus communicates this truth by using the figure of Himself as the Vine and His followers as the branches. In order to bear good and bountiful fruit for Christ, it is absolutely essential to be connected to Him for the branch cannot bear fruit of itself…without Me ye can do nothing. That is not to say any act of kindness outside of Christ is impossible, but rather that good works are without spiritual value outside of Christ. A branch that has been cut off from its vine cannot bring forth fruit; neither can a person who has been cut off from Christ bring forth fruit that accrues to his credit. In the famous chapter on Christian Love, the Apostle Paul powerfully makes the same statement, showing that all manner of good deeds and virtues amount to nothing if they do not originate in the love that comes from Christ (1Cor 13:2).
Abide in Me…continue in My Word…continue in My love…that My joy might remain in you (John 8:31; 15:9; 15:11). The verbs are translated from the same Greek word (meno) which occurs 8 times in chapter 15. It is the central theme of this chapter, Christ calling His people to persevere, continue and remain firmly connected to the One who is the Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6).
Several commentators have pointed out an interesting play on words in the Greek: “The branch that beareth not fruit is taken away (αιρει), but the branch that bears fruit is purged (καθαιρει). Now you are clean (καθαρoι).” The Greek word for clean is the adjective form of the word for purgeth, which itself is formed from the root word for taketh away. When Jesus said, Now ye are clean, there is an allusion to Judas Iscariot, for earlier, when Judas was among them, Jesus said, Ye are clean (καθαρoι), but not all (John 13:10-11).
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.
How does a man remain in Christ? By keeping His words! (John 8:51; 14:23). And that should be obvious, for the initial connection to the Vine is also effected by the Word of Christ (John 15:3). So it is no wonder that the next verse makes God’s answer to our prayers contingent upon abiding in Christ and His Word. Calvinists find ways to essentially remove this verse from the Scriptures, yet the picture is very clear and consistent throughout this parable, for in verse two He says, Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away. Therefore, let no man deceive you with vain words: every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire (Mat 7:19). See also Titus 1:16; Jer 6:30; Mark 9:43-44.
In keeping with their theology, Calvinistic commentators wave their magic wands and make this warning disappear. Barnes says, “This doubtless refers to those who are professors of religion, but who have never known anything of true and real connection with him.” But what of Heb 6:4-8? And what a silly picture this makes! Cutting off a branch that was never part of the vine? Impossible!
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.
This is a restatement of John 14:13-14 (see note), one of many verses promising that God will answer our every prayer. Several of these promises have no apparent preconditions: “Ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you.” However, it is clear that not all prayers are answered, at least not in the way that we had hoped and wished. Christians have prayed long and hard that a loved one be healed of cancer or that a friend would accept Christ, and yet they pass away unhealed and unsaved. Are Christ’s words empty? What does it mean?
Without intention to diminish Jesus’ promise, let us nevertheless remember some facts concerning petitional prayer. First, we must understand that our wish is not the only one in the Kingdom. For example, one Christian might be praying for the rain his crops need at the same time another Christian is praying for clear skies so that his remodel project does not get drenched. Second, remember that humans do not have full knowledge of anything in this life, and what we are asking might not be best for us or the Kingdom. And Jesus promised to give us what is best (Luke 11:11-13). That means we must ask that He answer our petitions according to His will and not our own. In the case of a loved one dying of cancer, we do not know the future, and we do not know if and how death might glorify God and benefit the Kingdom. Pray always in His will (1John 5:14). Then too, praying for the salvation of loved ones has its own limitations, for God never forces a person to choose to do good or to serve Him. He will, ever so kindly, bring circumstances into the life of that person to bring him to the point of having to make a decision, but He will not make the decision for him. If it were otherwise, every person would be saved, for God’s love would compel Him to decide for every sinner! The free will of man was given by God and He will not tamper with it (Rev 3:20).
Some think that it is only a lack of faith that makes prayer “fail”. If that be true, I challenge them to spend all their money on lottery tickets and pray that God will make them win big so that they can give millions of dollars to missions, churches, schools and other important Christian works. This example opens a third consideration concerning petitionary prayer: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord your God (Mat 4:7), which warning has a long history among the people of God, and which Jesus explained when He fought with the Devil in the wilderness. Satan tempted Jesus by quoting Scripture, “Throw yourself off this pinnacle, for God promised that His angels will not let you be hurt.” Jesus rebutted that Scripture with another: “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Deut 6:16). Tempting God is forcing Him to do something, such as commanding Him to heal, save or intercede. The children of Israel suffered severe consequences for those occasions when they tempted God, and we should heed that warning and avoid incurring a similar condemnation. Remember too how Moses tempted God by striking the rock instead of speaking to it; for that he was denied the privilege of leading the Israelites into the promised land. In that case, God did answer Moses’ prayer, but He was not happy at being disobeyed and essentially forced to work a miracle.
In this verse, the emphasis is upon abiding in Christ. He that is abiding in Christ will have His words within him, and with the Spirit’s help he will be able to pray both effectively and knowledgeably. He will know that God’s will is far better than his own wishes, and he will ask in humility and in faith. He will not ask for things that are not good for him or the Kingdom, and he will preface all prayer accordingly.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
God and Christ receive honor and glory when their sons and daughters bear fruit for them, and there is no greater proof of Christian love and commitment than fruit-bearing, working for Christ in deed and obeying His commandments (Php 2:12). It would be an error to restrict fruit-bearing to great evangelistic accomplishments and leadership abilities, although those surely are valid and valuable avenues in which to be fruitful. Perhaps one line of criteria by which fruit-bearing may be measured is simply by the amount of benefit the Kingdom of Christ receives by a man’s efforts and labor within it, but a second line of criteria by whch fruit-bearing may be measured is by a man’s love for Christ, and that love is proven by personal commitment to holiness and keeping the Words of Christ. These two categories are visible in James 1:27, Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, (1) To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and (2) to keep himself unspotted from the world. The first is a pro-active work of helping others, and the second is the constant action of personal holiness unto God.
God is the judge of the value of a man’s fruits, and it is therefore presumptuous to make sweeping statements of how He will do that. I will give my opinion nonetheless, that fruit-bearing will be primarily measured in quality rather than quantity. A widow or invalid will probably be presented with far fewer opportunities to bear fruit under the first line of criteria of advancing the Kingdom of Christ, but in those opportunities that will certainly appear, much value can be gained. If even a cup of cold water given in Christ’s name does not go unrewarded, then surely there are a multitude of other ways the saints can be blessed with our acts of love. Remember the poor widow, and how much value Christ gave her two mites (Luke 21:1-4).
Perhaps another example is useful to understanding the value of fruit in relation to opportunity. Statisticians and analysts have formulated mathematical ways to measure the efficiency of a product, machine, etc so that its intrinsic value might be better computed. One Christian is presented with many opportunities to bear fruit, and another with few, but what each does with those opportunities is what will be most important.
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.
Jesus asks us to continue in His love, and to do that we must keep His commandments (John 14:21; 1John 5:3; 2John 1:6). It is common in Christian circles to say that God tests our faith by allowing trials and struggles in our life. However, it may be more Biblically accurate to attribute those trials and struggles to a test of our love (John 15:12). How much do we love Christ? That will be demonstrated by how much we sacrifice ourselves for Him, how sincerely we dedicate ourselves to seeking His Truth, how highly we hold in holiness His name, and how obediently we keep His commands. If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love. This interdependence of love and faith can be seen in the story of Jesus forgiving a sinful woman in Luke 7:44-50. She loved much, Jesus said, but thy faith hath saved thee. These three continue: faith, hope and love, but the greatest of these is love (1Cor 13:13).
In the Greek, the word continue is the same as abide in the earlier verses, and also the same as remain in v11 (meno).
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
The joy that Jesus gives is like His peace (John 14:27), both can be had in full, even in the midst of physical distresses and emotional tumults of life. The Christian counts it all joy to suffer for Christ (1Thes 1:6; James 1:2; 2Cor 7:4). The inner peace and joy that can only be experienced in knowing that your sins are forgiven, that you are right with God and that heaven awaits is truly a joy unspeakable and full of glory (1Pet 1:8; Mat 13:44).
That My joy might remain in you. See John 16:22-24; John 17:13; Acts 13:52; Rom 15:13.
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.
The two great commandments upon which all the rest are based: love God, love one another (Mat 22:37-40). The Apostle John returns to this truth time and again, in both his gospel and epistles. Jesus wants His people to be known in all the world for their love one to another (John 13:34-35). It should be their reputation and one of the first thoughts in people’s mind when they think about what it is to be Christian. Sadly, in many occasions Christians are instead known for divisions and church splits due to personality differences and strict judgmentalism. Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you! (Eph 4:32).
Love one another, as I have loved you. That puts the bar very high, for sacrificial love is the greatest form of love (Eph 5:2; 1John 3:16), although loving one’s enemies cannot be far behind (Mat 5:44-46). Christ did both at one time when He died on the cross because He loved the world even while mankind did not return that love (John 3:16; Rom 5:8). This is the kind of love Jesus wishes His people to have for each other.
Those who know and do the will of Christ, He will call friends, as elsewhere He calls them brother, and sister, and mother (Mat 12:50; Luke 8:21). Henceforth I call you not servants…but friends. By this Jesus indicates that the Apostles had arrived at a new level in their relationship with Him. They were still servants, but He now also calls them His friends (Pro 18:24). They would soon be filled with the Spirit such that they would know the will and knowledge of God to a greater degree than before. Abraham was called the friend of God (James 2:23; Is 41:8; 2Chr 20:7) and God spoke to Moses as a man speaketh unto his friend (Ex 33:11). In his final epistle, John the Apostle calls the brethren, “friends” (3John 1:14).
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 you.
Jesus called His twelve disciples personally and individually, and that is the way He calls every disciple. He calls everyone in every place (John 12:32; Mat 20:16), but He will specially draw those who are truly seeking the Truth and who reciprocate His choice of them (John 6:44). The Calvinist will dispute that statement, as Barnes, who declares, “It was not that by nature (the disciples) were more inclined than others to seek God, or that they had any native goodness to recommend them to him, but it was because he graciously inclined them by his Holy Spirit to seek him.” If Barnes is right, then why does not God “graciously incline” every person to be so chosen? In other words, if salvation be only a matter of God’s choosing, why has He decided to not choose the millions who will spend eternity in hell? I reject this idea wholesale, in favor of the following theology. God wishes all men to be saved, and so He calls all men to repentance (2Pet 3:9; 1Tim 2:4; Acts 17:30), but a man must reciprocate God’s choice by choosing to believe and obey God. There was good reason for Christ to choose the twelve Apostles over men such as Herod, Nicodemus or Caiaphas. The twelve were sincere God-seekers, all humble men, all willing to give up everything in life for Christ. When Jesus called them, they responded positively and chose Him as their Master, they faithfully followed Him and believed that He spoke the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you. This doesn’t mean the disciples had no choice, but that Jesus first chose them. John says something similar in his epistle, We love Him because He first loved us (1John 4:19).
That your fruit should remain. While this may be simply referring to the lasting work of the twelve Apostles in laying the foundations of Christ’s Kingdom, it does raise the question, does some fruit not remain? In light of our notes in verse 5, I would say yes, that if a person falls away from Christ and the Truth, his fruit will not remain. His good works will be counted as nothing to him. There is also the Christian who builds unwisely, and in the end his fruit is burned up (1Cor 3:11-15). Lasting fruit will be recognized on Judgment day.
That whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you. See note on verse 7. By saying in My name, I do not believe Jesus intends to give us some secret code word that we must invoke in order for the Father to move His hand. Nevertheless, that seems to be the way many take this verse. If I go to the store and buy some items for a particular person who has an account at that store, I ask for the items that person wants and buy them invoking his name. So too, asking the Father in the name of Christ is to pray the Father for those things that benefit the Kingdom of Christ, and asking the Father to put these on Jesus’ account. That puts the matter of prayer in serious light. Granted, we may not always know precisely what best benefits the Kingdom, and for that reason we should also always pray “according to His will.”
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.
The kingdom of this world and the kingdom of Christ; these two crowns have been for centuries at war. The first is a dark kingdom, with Satan for its ruler and filled will every evil, rebellious thought and work of wicked men and angels. The second is a kingdom of Light, with Jesus its commander and example of righteousness (Col 1:13). The worldly kingdom hates Christ and His followers (John 17:14; 1John 3:13) because their own deeds are evil (John 3:19-20), and so they are made to feel guilty by the holy lives of the true saints of Christ (Rev 11:7-12). The Christian should not be discouraged if/when people disparage and criticize him, because so too they hated our Master first, and also because the Kingdom he is part of has no place in this world (John 18:36). So rest in this comfort, that I have chosen you out of the world. We belong to Him.
The picture is very strong here, the world will hate and persecute the saints of the Kingdom. So beware if you feel no antagonism and all men speak well of you (Luke 6:26), for he that is a friend of the world is the enemy of God (James 4:4). The world hates Christ and His Kingdom! Expect to be criticized and sneered at. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye (1Pet 4:11-14).
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.
See this proverb quoted in John 13:16; Mat 10:24; Luke 6:40. The true servant of Christ will experience the same general vituperations that Jesus suffered in this world. Christ was tortured and killed by the religious Jews. Likewise, some of the worst persecutions the saints have endured have come from supposed fellow Christians. Of this future Jesus Himself warned (John 16:2; Mat 23:34; Luke 21:12). The last part of the verse is proof that the world and the Kingdom of Christ are not compatible, “Did they keep My sayings? Neither will they keep yours” (Mark 13:9; Mat 10:22).
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also. 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, They hated me without a cause.
The unbelieving Jews had heard the good words of Christ and seen the signs and miracles. They had no excuse for rejecting Him. Jesus said the same thing, but in veiled language, to the envious Pharisees in John 9:40-41. With greater knowledge comes greater accountability (Luke 12:47-48), and the Jews had full quantities of both. The oracles of God (Rom 3:2) had been entrusted to them and they had the prophecies and signs of Moses and the Prophets, but they rejected and killed the Prince of Life (Acts 3:15).
Jesus performed works which none other man did. While Moses and the prophets had worked many miracles too, none of them was able to forgive sin, live a perfect and sinless life, and die as the one and only sacrifice acceptable to God for the salvation of the human race.
They hated Me without cause. A quote from the very prophetic Psalm 69, which has many Messianic details (Ps 69:4). The phrase is also found in Ps 35:19.
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which 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.
In a few simple words the basic work of the Holy Spirit is described: He shall testify of Me. See John 14:16, 26; 16:7. Many churches today have made seeking gifts of the Holy Spirit to be the main goal of Christianity, or at least an essential requirement of it. They use the letters to Corinth as the true model for the church, when in fact Paul was correcting various errors in the Corinthian church, not laying out a formula of seeking spiritual gifts.
It is clear from these Scriptures and others that the purpose and message of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ and not Himself. The Spirit works in power to testify of Christ, and He uses human vessels often as He deems fit and beneficial. The Spirit of Truth testifies and teaches mankind concerning Jesus of Nazareth. While the Holy Spirit is the spiritual witness of Christ (1John 5:6), the Apostles were physical, human witnesses of His glory (Acts 4:33). In one of his first confrontations with the Jews, Peter says virtually the same (Acts 5:32).