John 15 - The Moody Bible Commentary

15:1-2 Israel was God’s unfaithful vine (Is 5:1-7; Ezk 17:5-10; Mt 21:33-41). But Jesus is the true and faithful vine and the Father is the vinedresser. See “Jesus’ Seven ‘I Am’ Claims” at 6:35. Two views predominate the identification of the various elements of the extended metaphor.

First, both the fruitless branch and the fruitful branch refer to true believers. This view is supported by the phrase every branch in Me, which refers to genuine believers. Elsewhere in the NT, nonbelievers are never said to be “in Me (Christ)” in any sense of the term. “In Me” in John denotes ongoing fellowship and is not identical with “in Christ” in Paul’s epistles. The verb translated takes away can just as easily be translated “lifts up,” denoting the Vinedresser’s action in stimulating growth in a fruitless branch (God helping a fruitless believer to produce fruit). In the viticulture of Israel, late fall was the season for removing dead branches (v. 6). The springtime (the time of the upper room message and Jesus’ death) was the season to “lift up” fruitless branches from the ground to encourage productivity. The fruitful branch (i.e., a fruitful believer) receives pruning (divine discipline) so that it might be even more fruitful.

A second approach understands the metaphors this way. There are two different kinds of branches here, one that is fruitless, is taken away (airo is used frequently with this sense in John’s gospel; Cf. 2:16; 11:39, 41; 17:5; 20:1, 2, 13, 15), is thrown away, dries up, and is burned (v. 6). The fruitless branch represents one who, like Judas, is associated with Jesus (in Me), but who had no true connection with Him and thus no fruit. The other category is one that bears fruit, receives pruning, abides, and bears more fruit (vv. 2, 4-5), and represents the true believer. This view is supported by the common meaning of airo, and the contrast between the two kinds of branches. Under the first view, the two branches receive the same treatment, namely nurturing so that fruitfulness might result. But Jesus seems to intend a contrast between them, punctuated by the discarding and burning of the fruitless branch. Finally, in v. 16, Jesus chose the disciples to bear fruit, suggesting that if there is no fruit, then they were not chosen (in a salvific, elective sense) by Him, and thus would face judgment (burning).

The majority of scholars favor the second view, but both views share the common concern of the need to maintain intimacy with Christ (to abide in Him) and to produce fruit in keeping with that relationship.

D. Abiding in the Vine (15:1-17)

15:3-5 “Clean” (katharos) is a related Greek word to “prune” (kathairo) in v. 2. Because of the word which Jesus had spoken to them that night, the eleven disciples were “cleansed” or “pruned” for sacrificial service (13:12-17). Abide in Me (v. 4) sets the necessary condition for fruit-bearing and the vital union in which Christ lives dynamically in the believer (cf. Eph 3:17). Just as a branch cannot bear fruit in and of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can believers bear fruit unless they abide in (remain intimate with) Christ.

15:5-6 Christ is the vine, the life source, and believers are the branches, the place where fruit is produced. Before Christ abides in the believer, the believer must abide in Christ. Followers of Jesus are not commanded to bear fruit but to abide. The believer who does not abide is thrown away as a branch and dries up (v. 6). According to the first view mentioned above under 15:1-2, the passage is parabolic, involving symbolism (cf. “as a branch”). So fire and burned are not references to hell. They symbolize (1) the uselessness of these branches (Mt 5:13); and/or (2) divine discipline now and reproof at the future evaluation of believers (1Co 3:13-15; 1Jn 2:28). According to the second view, the fruitless branches represent unbelievers who never abided in Christ, never produced fruit, and who are taken away from the vine and burned (i.e., will face God’s eternal judgment in hell). But this second view is unlikely since in the analogy, there is no such thing as a branch that has never been joined to the vine. “Branches” that have never had life in the vine are non-existent and can never be “burned.”

15:7-8 If … My words abide in you adds another qualification for abiding: the need to internalize Christ’s teachings (cf. Col 3:16). Then believers can ask whatever they wish, and their prayer is answered because they will be praying according to God’s will. Some believers lack fruit (vv. 2, 6) and are not “disciples” in the fullest sense (see comment on 8:31). When believers bear much fruit (v. 8), they prove to others that they are His disciples. Love is this proof (13:34--35;15:12-13, 17).

15:9 Just as the Father has loved Me remarkably parallels the Son’s love for the disciples with the Father’s love for the Son. “Abiding in Me” is now defined as abiding in My love (cf. Jd 21; Rv 2:4). “Abiding” is a love relationship with Jesus.

15:10-11 The construction of this particular conditional statement (a third class condition using ean, “if,” plus an aorist subjunctive verb, “keep”) projects the action as hypothetical, as something to consider, without actually making a statement about the reality or degree of likelihood of its fulfillment. The idea is, “When people keep my commandments, they abide in My love.” My commandments refers to the new teachings of Christ in the NT, especially the command to love sacrificially (cf. Mt 5:21-48; see comment on 13:34). Believers cannot have Christ abiding in them without having His joy abiding in them as well (v. 11). As they abide, their joy may be made full. But as abiding can be lost, so can joy.

15:12-13 The command to love requires a supernatural component to fulfill, requires faith, and is more a choice than an emotion (for a definition of “love,” see the comments on 1Co 13:1-3). The priority for believers is to love one another first, since every believer is part of the family of God. Love may involve reproof (Gl 6:1-2). No love will ever be greater than when someone lay[s] down his life for his friends. Jesus was applying this principle foremost to His own death, but secondarily to all His followers (cf. 1Jn 3:16).

15:14-15 You are My friends parallels abiding in Christ since both result in intimacy (friendship). This friendship is conditioned on obedience as is demonstrated in the words if you do what I command you. Here the conditional statement indicates that if one is obedient to Jesus’ commands, it is correct to infer that such a person is Jesus’ friend. James informed us that Abraham’s works (not merely his faith), flowing out of his righteous standing before God by faith, made him a friend of God (Jms 2:22-23). No longer marks a dispensational change from the OT where the believer was treated like a servant (cf. Gl 4:1-5). New revelation (all things that I have heard from My Father) disclosed in Christ’s farewell teachings have now been made known to His disciples. See comments on 2:23 and 14:21.

15:16-17 I chose you does refer both to election to salvation for the eleven disciples and to Jesus’ choice of them to be His apostles (Lk 6:13; Ac 1:2) and carry out the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20). They were appointed to go and bear fruit—a love (cf. v. 17) that brings others to Christ (cf. Ac 2:41-47; 4:32-35). This fruit would remain because salvation is a permanent gift. Whatever you ask may specify asking for all that is necessary to win people to Christ. For ask of the Father in my name, see the comment on 14:13.

E. Ministering in the World (15:18–16:33)

15:18-19 Since the disciples are chosen to “go and bear fruit” (v. 17) in the world, they must be warned of the opposition they will face. The world, the evil spiritual order controlled by Satan (12:31; 14:30; 16:11), hates believers because they are identified with Jesus and it has hated Him before it hated any disciple of Christ. In saying this, Jesus called all believers to persecution with Him. The Eleven (and by application, all believers) have been chosen out of the world for a mission as Christ’s apostles (v. 16; 6:70; 13:18; Lk 16:13; Ac 1:2, 24). The world’s hatred is to be expected.

15:20-21 Jesus called the apostles to remember the word He had said to them about a slave not being greater than his master (13:16). The disciple will be treated like his master. Negatively, if they persecuted the Master, they will also persecute the disciple. Positively, if they kept the master’s word, they will keep the disciple’s word also, since the disciple will teach exactly what his master taught. Rejection of Christ’s followers (v. 21) reveals that such people do not know the One who sent the Messiah.

15:22-23 If the Messiah had not come to the Jewish people and spoken to them, revealing the nature of God, they could have continued unchallenged to claim their faith in God. But with the appearance of Jesus, it became evident that they were guilty of the sin of rejecting God because they rejected Jesus. They now had no excuse for their sin of rejecting their Messiah. He who rejects and therefore hates Jesus (v. 23) unconsciously rejects and hates God the Father also.

15:24-25 If Jesus had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin. The latter phrase means the Jewish people would not have the specific sin of rejecting their Messiah. Because of Jesus’ words (v. 22) and works, the nation’s abandonment of their Messiah was inexcusable. The miracles of Jesus, which no one else did, were unmatched by even the prophets (Cf. 7:31; 9:32). For written in their Law as the whole OT, see comment on 10:34. Jesus cited Ps 69 as messianically fulfilled (Cf. 2:17). David, who is hated for no sin of his own, represents the sinless Messiah who is hated WITHOUT A CAUSE.

15:26-27 As the disciples went into the world to testify, the world would respond with hatred, not friendship (vv. 18-25). Jesus was now promising the assistance of the Spirit in their testimony. For Helper, see comment on 14:16. Jesus said that He will send the Spirit from the Father. The Spirit of truth (see comment on 14:17) is essential for witness. Jesus promised the Eleven (v. 27), you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. A condition for apostolic witness was having been with Jesus from the time when John the Baptist was still free and active in his ministry, a time that overlapped with Jesus briefly (Ac 1:21-22). In Acts, Christ continued His ministry through the presence of the Spirit’s testimony in the Church.