John 15 - CSB Tony Evans Study Bible

15:1 The prophet Isaiah had spoken of Israel as the Lord’s vineyard. God expected his vineyard to bear fruit, but it produced nothing but worthless grapes (see Isa 5:1-7). In contrast, the Son of God came as the authentic vine, perfectly obeying the Father and revealing his will to the people.

15:2 The Greek verb translated removes in this verse can also be rendered “takes away” or “lifts up.” The branches in a vineyard could become heavy and drag on the ground easily. So God the gardener “takes them away” from the ground by lifting them up. God will, therefore, seek to make you fruitful by lifting you up, encouraging you, and motivating you—for example, through his Word and through the people of God.

15:3 The disciples were clean through the washing of Christ’s word (see Eph 5:26). This is how we stay clean too.

15:5 The idea of remaining (or abiding) in Christ has to do with intimacy of relationship. Jesus Christ is our source, the only One who can provide the spiritual sustenance and vitality we need to be useful believers. Thus, we need to hang out with him. You can’t avoid Jesus all week and then show up on Sunday morning expecting growth.

15:6 If you disconnect from the vine for too long, don’t be surprised to find yourself experiencing divine discipline, getting burned (this is not a description of hell but of spiritual discipline), and seeing your spiritual life withering. Such a believer is useless to himself, God, and others. So, if you find such things happening to you, repent! “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (Jas 4:8).

15:7 To have Jesus’s words remain in you requires more than merely reading or listening to them. You must internalize them. Another way to describe this is meditating on God’s Word, rolling it around in your mind to grasp what it means and how to apply it to your specific circumstances. We must chew and swallow Scripture, so to speak, so that it becomes part of us. Doing so will align our wills with his.

15:8 The more useful you become to the kingdom, the more glory God will receive.

15:9-10 Obedience produces a deeper relationship with Jesus. The Son wants us to enjoy the intimate kind of loving relationship with him that he enjoys with the Father.

15:11 Joy is internal stability in spite of external circumstances because of the knowledge that God is in control. It is a settled assurance and quiet confidence in God’s sovereignty that results in the decision to praise him.

15:12-13 Biblical love is the decision to compassionately, righteously, responsibly, and sacrificially seek the well-being of another (15:12). You can love people whom you may not necessarily like because love is not dependent on your feelings. That’s why Jesus can command you to “love your enemies” (Matt 5:44). It’s true that love may include feelings of affection, and such feelings may develop over time. But it’s not driven by them. Love is driven by sacrifice for the welfare of others. And the greatest expression of love is to lay down one’s life for . . . friends (John 15:13). That’s the kind of love Jesus modeled for us.

15:15 A master doesn’t reveal things to a servant, but a friend would reveal things to his friends.

15:16 When the Bible refers to God’s choice (or election) of people, it’s a choosing for service, not salvation. Jesus chose his disciples so that they would produce fruit that would be useful to his kingdom and reflect God’s character. He didn’t simply save them for heaven only; he appointed them to a mission on earth that would involve winning people to Christ and growing them in the faith.

15:18-21 When you faithfully represent Jesus, the world (which is under the influence of Satan) will relate to you as it did to him.

15:25 Those in Jesus’s day fulfilled the Scripture spoken by David in Psalm 69:4: They hated me for no reason. As the wicked showed their disdain for King David, so they showed disdain for the Son of David.

15:26-27 Since the role of the Holy Spirit is to testify about the Son of God, the Spirit has a Christocentric ministry. He does not merely draw attention to himself; he draws attention to Jesus (15:26). Therefore, we should be wary of those who claim the Spirit’s involvement in a ministry that ignores Jesus. If the Spirit makes much of Jesus, then his disciples should too (15:27).