John 15 - Holman KJV Study Bible

15:1-17 This allegory is at the heart of ­Jesus' farewell discourse to the disciples. The OT used the vineyard or vine as a symbol for Israel, God's covenant people, especially in two vineyard songs (Isa. 5:1-7; 27:2-6). However, Israel's failure to produce fruit issued in divine judgment. ­Jesus, by contrast, is the true vine, and His followers are to remain in Him and produce much fruit for God.

15:1 I am the true vine is the last of ­Jesus' seven "I am" sayings in John's Gospel (see note at 6:35,48). "True" contrasts ­Jesus with OT Israel (see note at 15:1-17). Joseph was called a "fruitful bough" in Gen. 49:22. The reference to the Father as the husbandman harks back to Isaiah's first vineyard song, where God is depicted as tending His vineyard only to be rewarded with sour grapes (Isa. 5:1-7; cp. Ps. 80:8-9).

15:2 To ensure maximal fruit production, the divine vineyard keeper removes dead branches and prunes all the others (Heb. 6:7-8). Judas the betrayer is an example of the former (13:10-11). Peter, who denied ­Jesus three times, is an example of the latter (18:15-18,25-27; 21:15-19).

15:3 On ye are clean, see 13:10-11.

15:4:5,8 The in terminology harks back to OT covenant theology, including prophetic texts about a future new covenant (Exod. 25:8; 29:45; Lev. 26:11-12; Ezek. 37:27-28; 43:9; see note at John 17:26). Fruitfulness is God's primary creative () and redemptive purpose (15:8,16). The OT prophets envisioned a time when God's people would "blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit" (Isa. 27:6; cp. Hos. 14:4-8).

15:6 This verse echoes Ezek. 15:1-8, where a barren vine is said to be fit only for burning. Fire is a common symbol for divine judgment (Isa. 30:27; Matt. 3:12; 5:22; 18:8; 25:41; see note at John 15:2).

15:10-11 Obedience is not all gloom and doom; rather, it's a source of joy. The OT prophets envisioned a period of great end-time rejoicing (ZeIsa. 25:9; 35:10; 51:3; 61:10; 66:10; ch. 9:9).

15:12-17 On ­Jesus' "love commandment," see note at 13:34-35.

15:13-14 In the OT, only Abraham (2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8), and by implication Moses (Exod. 33:11), are called friends of God. ­Jesus extended this privilege to all obedient believers.

15:16 In first-century Israel, disciples typically took the initiative in attaching themselves to a particular rabbi. ­Jesus broke with this custom and called His own disciples. Ordained recalls the OT description of God's appointment of Abraham (Gen. 17:5; cp. Rom. 4:17), the ordination of Levites (Num. 8:10), and Moses' commissioning of Joshua (Num. 27:18).

15:18-16:33 This final major unit in ­Jesus' farewell discourse deals with the world's hostility toward Himself and His followers and with the future ministry of the Holy Spirit.

15:18 ­Jesus' followers are to be known by their love (13:34-35 and note there).

15:24 On ­Jesus' works as a witness to Himself, see note at 5:31-47.

15:25 ­Jesus declared that the Jews' hatred of Him fulfilled OT Scripture, specifically Ps. 69:4 (cp. Ps. 35:19). This Davidic psalm depicts a righteous sufferer who is zealous for God but is persecuted by God's enemies without a cause. Thus ­Jesus saw David's experiences as a prefiguration of the hatred and rejection He suffered.

15:26 On ­Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit, see notes at 14:16-17 and 14:26.

15:27 The call for ­Jesus' followers to serve as His witnesses recalls OT prophetic literature, where God's end-time people are called His "witnesses" to the nation (Isa. 43:10-12; 44:8). In the NT, believers are promised the Spirit's help in times of persecution (Matt. 10:20; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:12), and the Spirit played a vital part in the church's mission (Acts 1:8; cp. Luke 24:48; Acts 5:32; 6:10).