John 15
ZerrCBCDavid Lipscomb Commentary On Luke 15REMARKS OF JESUS BETWEEN THE SUPPER AND HIS ARREST John 15: 1 to 17 : 26 PARABLE OF THE VINE AND ITS Joh_15:1-8 1 I am the true vine,—Jesus often illustrated spiritual relations and things by natural ones. As they walked it is probable that they passed a vine with its spreading branches growing out of the vine. The intimate union existing between the vine and its branches suggested to his mind the intimate relations between himself and his disciples. Jesus with the twelve apostles as the teachers of the truths of the Bible constitute the vine. and my Father is the husbandman.—His Father as the hus-bandman dresses, trims, and keeps the vine and its branches. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away:—The language was spoken directly to the apostles and in a special manner illustrated his and their relationship to each other. The disciples grew out of him, are dependent upon him for life and strength, development and growth. He is the source of life and growth to them, and if they fail to receive life and growth from him and to bear worthy fruit, the Father as the vinedresser takes away the barren branch. [There is no such thing as “ turning one out of the church” nor “ joining the church” in the New Testament. We can neither vote him in nor out of the church. He obeys the gospel and the Lord adds him to the church (Acts 2:47), and if he fails to bear spiritual fruit the Lord will pluck him out. This he will do in the end of this world. (Matthew 13:40-47.) We may withdraw fellowship from one (2 Thessalonians 3:6), but this does not put him out of the church.] and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.—The twelve apostles were the branches. Judas had ceased to bear fruit. He had him taken away. The other of the twelve were chastened and purified by the trials through which they passed at the time of the death of Jesus, and they were better fitted for the reception of the Holy Spirit, and so for bearing better and more fruit unto the Lord. [What we exist for as Christians is spiritual fruit; without it we are spiritual failures.] 3 Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.—The disciples were cleansed and prepared through the word that Jesus had spoken to them. They were brought to believe and obey this word, and through obedience they were made clean and holy. [The teaching of Jesus and their associating with him had placed them as branches. They belonged to the fruit bearers, and they had been partially pruned. But Jesus well knew that they would need much additional pruning to load them with the glorious clusters of richest fruit which they were one day to bear. We should not overlook the fact that the fruit grows on the branches, not on the vine.] 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.—There was the same mutual dependence between Jesus and his apostles that exists between the vine and the branches. The branches can live only through the life they draw from the vine, so the disciples of Christ can live only through their union with him and the life they draw from him. So, too, the vine produces its fruit through the branches. Jesus would exert his influence to do good through the apostles. He teaches the world through them.
A higher glory was to come to Jesus when he ascended to his Father and the apostles endued with the Spirit preached the gospel. [The prime necessity of the branch is to remain attached to the vine. But there can be no abiding in the spiritual vine except by a continued attention to the word of Christ. That which grafts us in continues us there. This being true of us, the abiding in him necessarily involves his abiding in us through his word. The moment a branch is cut or torn from the vine the conditions of life have ceased. There can be no more production of fruit.
For a few hours there may be a semblance of life, but it is soon gone. The theme here formulated is not that of the moral powerlessness of the natural man for any good; it is that of the unfruitfulness of the believer left to his own strength, when the question is of producing or advancing the spiritual life, the life of God, in himself or others.] 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches:—[The only “ branches” recognized in the word of God are individual Christians. “ Branch churches are denominational organiza¬tions” presents a thought utterly foreign to the New Testament. Every Christian is a branch of the vine. His life is drawn from the vine. No denominationalism is warranted here.] He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit:—[It is absolutely impossible for the Christian who is in vital union with Christ to be fruitless. The life within him will force itself out in holy words and actions. There is no such thing as a do-nothing real Christian. Not only fruit, but much fruit and good fruit.] for apart from me ye can do nothing.—The disciples apart from Jesus were as lifeless and unable to bear fruit as the branches separated from the vine. [Here is the explanation of so much of the inefficiency of the church today. Men and women are not living in vital union with Christ. They go where Christ cannot go with them. They do what Christ cannot see with allowance, and say what he ought not to hear. They drive him away from them. Therefore there are no spiritual fruits.] 6 If a man abide not in me,— This expression—“ a man”— is a statement of a general truth. It applies to any and all men. A person must be in Christ before he can be or abide in him, [A Christian neglecting the means of grace.] he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered;—If he abides not in him he loses his life, withers, and dies, is unworthy of Christ, or of any good and is fit only for destruction. [This is true whether what is called “ church action” is taken or not. We can see such branches all around us. But well may we tremble as we read the next words. They are words of doom, but they cannot be set aside.] and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.—This indicates the manner of their destruction. [“ The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and them that do iniquity, and shall cast them in the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:41-42.)] 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you,—To be in Christ, he must be in us. If he is in us, his words must abide in us. None can enter Christ save through his teachings, or receiving, believing and obeying his word. So if we abide in Christ, his word must be in and abide with us and mold our thoughts and feelings, and control our lives, and form our characters. ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall* be done unto you.—If his words abide in us, we will ask according to his will, and he will grant what we ask. [We do not understand this sentence to apply to prayer in general, as though anything we might ask for would be granted, but to pray for spiritual strength and blessing, pray with the view of bearing spiritual fruit. The next verse shows this. A prevailing prayer must be in the name of Christ (John 1:13) ; according to his will (1 John 5:14) ; in faith (James 1:6); followed by obedience to his commandments (1 John 3:22; James 4:3).] 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit;— God is glorified by his servants doing his will, keeping his words, and so bringing themselves fully under his guidance. [There are therefore the most cogent reasons why he should grant such a prayer. Temporal blessings given to us might not inure to his glory, but quite to the contrary, but spiritual strength must always promote the glory of God. Bearing much fruit is the test of true discipleship.] and so shall ye be my disciples.—In this course we bear much fruit unto him, and so become more and more the disciples of Jesus who came to do his Father’ s will. THE TO ABIDE IN THE LOVE OF CHRIST John 15:9-17 9 Even as the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you:—The love that God bestowed on Jesus, Jesus bestowed upon his disciples. abide ye in my love.—They continued in his love by con¬tinuing to do his will. [By natural transition he now passes from the manifestations of spiritual life to the cardinal principle thereof, that is, love. If we may be allowed the expression, this is the divine sap which runs from the vine through the branches, and from the branches back through the vine, keeping up the divine circulation which is essential to divine life. But how shall we abide in his love?] 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love;—God is the Ruler of the universe. Everything in the universe continues in harmony with God by complying with the laws God gives to govern the universe. Everything in harmony with God and so with the laws of the universe will receive God through the workings of the laws of the universe. Everything not in harmony with the laws of the universe must be brought to ruin by the workings of the laws God has given to control the universe. [How different is Christ’ s teaching all through this evening from the vague rhapsodies of many so-called spiritual lights of today! How intensely practical! “ Keep my commandments” is the ever-recurring refrain of this divine music. It is the product, but it is also the condition of spiritual life.] even as I have kept my Father’ s commandments, and abide in his love.—Jesus was the most highly blessed and honored of all the spirits in the universe, because he more than any other being kept the laws of God. Jesus showed his love for the Father and remained in that love by keeping his commandments, so we can show our love to Jesus by keeping his commandments. This is the rule by which God tested his Son, and all his disciples are tested by the same rule. It is vain, a mockery of God, to claim to be his disciple, or to believe in him, while we refuse to keep his commandments. [Jesus has thus reached the climax of his exhortation, and now presents the blessed result of heeding it.] 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you,—Jesus spoke these things to them before he left them, that the joy that he possessed in keeping his Father’ s commandments might remain with them. Jesus possessed a joy and a peace that no sufferings or evil surroundings, not even the sufferings of the cross could disturb. Paul, in speak¬ing of the sufferings of Jesus, says: “ Who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2.) [Thoughtfully he thinks back over the address and states why it was delivered. The exquisite joy that he feels in the consciousness of obedience to his Father, and the Father’ s approving love on account of that obedience produced that joy.] and that your joy may be made full.—Jesus wished that they might be filled with the same joy and comfort to bear them up in the distress that would come upon them in his death and the persecutions that would come upon them for his sake. [That a corresponding joy on their part may be made complete in their consciousness that they are sincerely and constantly endeavoring to do his will.] 12 This is my commandment, that ye love one another,—Jesus had so loved them that he gave up heaven for a time, took upon himself the nature and sufferings of the world, and the death of the cross for them. [Not my only commandment, but my great commandment. He had said to the lawyer in regard to the Mosaic law that its very essence was to love God and love your neighbor.] even as I have loved you.—While they would not equal him in the strength of his love, they must cultivate the same love one for another, and be willing to deny self and suffer one for another. [Not only as certainly as I have loved you, but as intensely as I have loved you.] 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.—The strongest love for one’ s friends is that he would lay down his life for them. Jesus was about to lay down his life for them. [This is the very acme of self-sacrificing love as between friends. Damon and Pythias have become immortal on its account. This was precisely what Jesus was about to do for his friends and which he did do the next day. But, more astounding still, for his enemies, though that is not introduced here. As the greater includes the less, this new exhortation of verse 12 includes all the offices that love can render and, we can readily understand, would transform the earth.] 14 Ye are my friends,—That they might know whether they came within the bounds of his love, he tells them who are his friends. if ye do the things which I command you.—Jesus loved the whole world and shed his blood for it, but only they who accepted the benefits of his death by doing his will appropriated that love and received the benefits from it. Those who obeyed were his friends and so only his friends received and appropriated the benefits of his love. While he loved his ene¬mies and provided for their happiness, they could enjoy it only by keeping his commandments. [Again he brings out the oft-repeated divinely appointed test of relationship to Christ— obedience to his command. We ought not to over¬look this constantly repeated lesson.] 15 No longer do I call you servants;—The people of God under the Jewish dispensation had been servants. Only Abraham through faith had become a friend of God. But Jesus came to lift them out of their state of servitude and make them, as later revealed, children of God. [Greek, slaves, as in chapters 12: 26; 13: 13. There is no disagreement here with verse 20, or with the apostles afterwards calling themselves servants. He does not say they are not servants under solemn obligations to serve, but he calls them friends. Just as a master having great confidence in, and intense love for, a slave, might call him friend and treat him as such without for a moment weakening his claim upon him as a slave.] for the servant—[Treated only as such.] knoweth not what his lord doeth:— The master does not make known to the servants his plans. He commands what the servant must do. but I have called you friends;—[I have treated you as friends— given you my confidence.] for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you.—To a friend he makes known his purposes, plans, and will, and advises with him. Jesus had treated them as friends in making known to them all the will and purposes of his Father. [See Matthew 13:11. Not all absolutely, for there was still a great deal to be learned by them, but all that the most intimate friendship would demand up to that time; all that was proper to be communicated; for even to our friends we do not tell everything at once.] 16 Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you,—Jesus had chosen the apostles to be his witnesses, and to this end he had made known to them the will of God and commissioned them to teach all things he had taught them, (A wholesome memento after the lofty things he had just said about their mutual indwelling, and the unreservedness of the friendship to which they had been admitted. The initiative of their present relationship was with him. They were still under the highest obligations to him. He had set them apart to the apostolate.] that ye should go and bear fruit,— [The purpose for which they were set apart. The great object of the apostleship, as of all Christian activity, is to garner fruit for heaven.] and that your fruit should abide:—His choosing them brought them into a closer relationship to him; he taught them more fully and they were enabled to bear much more fruit as his friends, and in doing his will he again assures them that the Father will hear them. that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.—[That is, in all that appertains to the accomplishment of the work given into their hands.] 17 These things I command you, that ye may love one another.—The end of these teachings was that they must love one another, be ready to suffer for the good of each other, and work for each other’ s good as brethren. REMARKS ON THE WORLD’ S HATREDJoh_15:18-27 18 If the world hateth you, ye know that it hath hated me before it hated you.—The hatred of the world for Jesus was seen in the treatment the people gave him. They rejected his words, refused to obey him, and persecuted him. If they were true followers, they might expect the same treatment. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: —To be of the world was to reject Jesus and his teaching and to cling to the ways of the world. Jesus chose them, not to take them out of the material world, but that, while in the world, they might not follow the ways of the world, but his teachings, which are out of harmony with the world. The world seeks happiness and good in the world by gratifying the desires, lusts, and ambitions of the flesh. Jesus so directs his disciples that they find good and happiness in denying self and seeking the good of others. Find good in doing good to others and find happiness in making others happy is the essence of the teaching of Jesus. but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.—This principle condemns the world and the world opposes those who practice this divine principle. The end of God’ s training of man is to make man like God— like him in thought, purpose, and char¬acter. Man needs to be assimilated to God in character that he may be fitted to live with him and find pleasure with God and in his companionship. Man cannot enjoy the presence of God and his angel host unless he is educated and trained in character to dwell with them. The wicked, transported to heaven in their wickedness, with their wicked spirit, would be out of harmony and sympathy with God, Christ, and all the associations of heaven, and would find no joy or peace in heaven. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord.—The servant need not expect better treatment than the Master received. Those who persecuted him will persecute his disciples. Those who kept the word of Jesus will keep the words of his apostles. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.—[Those who would persecute the Lord will persecute his followers also. Those who would receive the Lord’ s words will also receive and keep their words. Some will persecute; others will accept the gospel. Christians must expect both results, persecution and glad reception, and be not disappointed in the persecution. This has been true since apostolic days. (Acts 13:42-45.) ] 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’ s sake,—All the opposition of the world and the persecution of the servants will be done because of their fidelity to the teach¬ings of Jesus. because they know not him that sent me.—The rejection of Jesus arose from their not knowing God who sent him. These Jews now trying to destroy Jesus claimed to know and wor¬ship God, but Jesus says they did it because they really did not know God who sent Jesus. 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin:—[Here are three principles involved: (1) The degree of sin is determined by the measure of our opportunities. They who are in darkness cannot be blamed for not seeing unless they are responsible for being in the darkness. Those who have had no light from heaven will be lightly judged for breaking laws for which they could have no knowledge. (2) Increased opportunities bring the consciousness of sin. A ray from the noonday sun in the parlor reveals, but does not create, the cobweb. It was there before. So, too, the motions of sin in the soul are imperfectly recognized until the spiritual light shines in, but in that light sin is seen to be sin, and the conscience is alive to it. “ Apart from the law sin is dead.
And I was alive apart from the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.” (Romans 7:8-9.) So the knowledge of Christ, filling the soul with light, brings sin into full view and takes away all excuse for continuance therein. (3) The sin of all sins is the rejection of Christ. He who refuses him deliberately chooses sin. He not only willfully retains all past sins, but he adds to them the sin of re¬jecting Christ’ s offer of mercy as embodied in the gospel. but now they have no excuse for their sin.—[There is no excuse for it, no shelter, no covering, nothing that can exten¬uate sin. Ignorance might be an excuse, but when the offer of pardon is made and refused, ignorance cannot be pleaded. Christ’ s offer takes away every excuse and leaves the sinner at the judgment day to the sentence of condemnation. ] It is fre¬quently said that all were sinners and Jesus came to redeem them from sin. The language here must mean: If Jesus had not come as a messenger from God and spoken the words to them, they would not have been guilty of the sin of rejecting the one sent of God. But since he came ahd did these works of God, there is no cloak with which to hide themselves. 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.—Love and hate in the Bible are practical words, and mean to do good or evil. To hate means to reject or oppose. And he who rejects or opposes Jesus does the same to his Father. They are one. Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. The only way of approach to the Father is through the Son. 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other did, they had not had sin:—Jesus had done among them works of a character impossible to be done by man. These works showed that God was with him. If he had not done these works they would not have been guilty of the sin of rejecting Christ— the greatest sin of all sins. but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.—These works which showed God’ s presence having been performed before their eyes, there was no excuse for their sins. They were the greater sinners for rejecting these works. Their rejecting him while the Father was working through him manifested their hatred of both him and his Father. To reject Jesus as the Christ is the greatest hatred of sin. 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.—This is quoted from Psalms 35:19. This condition of things showed that the scripture was true which foretold that “ they hated me without a cause.” (Psalms 35:19.) 26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father,—Jesus had said, “ If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever.” (John 14:15-16.) “ Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7.) The meaning of all the teachings of the fourteenth to the sixteenth chapters is that Jesus was about to leave his disciples here in this world. It distressed their hearts and this promise of another heavenly Guest, another divine Person, another representative of the Godhead to dwell with, instruct, go with, and comfort them in their sorrow over the departure of Christ is promised them. He gives the qualities of the Spirit. He will comfort for the absence of the Son; he is a Spirit that brings truth, lives truth, and dwells in truth, never in a falsehood. even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall bear witness of me:—He comes from God. Has re¬ceived the truth from God in heaven, brings that truth to earth, makes it known to man, and will testify of the truth concerning Jesus, and his mission and his home with his Father. 27 and ye also bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.—These disciples that now were so disheartened and disconsolate over his leaving them, in the days when the Holy Spirit should come to bear witness of him, would with gladness and joy join with the Spirit in bearing witness to the world of him and his works. Here the specific work of the Holy Spirit is said to bear witness of Jesus, and this witness of the Spirit is in and through the witness of the apostles themselves.
Verse 1 This chapter is a continuation of the farewell discourses. True, the Lord gave the signal to conclude the meal and depart; but see the final paragraph in the preceding chapter. As Dodds said: He saw their reluctance to move, and the alarmed and bewildered expression that hung upon their faces; and he could not but renew his efforts to banish their forebodings and impart to them intelligent courage to face separation from him.[1]First, in this chapter, is Jesus’ metaphor of himself as the true vine and the admonition to fruit bearing; then follows a restatement of teachings and exhortations previously given, including another reference to the Holy Spirit. ENDNOTE: [1] Marcus Dodds, The Gospel of St. John (Cincinnati, Ohio: Jennings and Graham), Vol. II, p. 175. I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. (John 15:1) This is parallel to John 15:5 and the seventh of the great “I am’s” of this Gospel. For a list of these, see under John 8:12. Jesus’ choice of this metaphor has been attributed to: (1) a fruitful vine growing over the window of the upper room where the discourses were spoken, (2) to the great ornamental vine decorating the door of the temple, (3) to the vineyards through which the Lord and the disciples passed when they left the upper room, (4) to Jeremiah’s words, through which God said of Israel, “I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?” (Jeremiah 2:21), or (5) to the institution of the Lord’s Supper which occurred during the last supper just concluded. Either (4) or (5) of the above, and perhaps both of them, explain the choice of metaphor here. I am the true vine … The stress of “true” focuses attention on Jeremiah 2:21, in which passage the degeneracy of Israel was in view. Christ meant by this that he himself is the true Israel of God, the seed of Abraham through whom all the prophecies were to be fulfilled. The degenerate Israel’s hatred of him which was reaching its climax at that very time was a most impelling reason why Christ should have stressed his status as God’s true vine. The mention of “husbandman” in this context is most significant. The husbandman: God, will reject and destroy the degenerate vine, and the spiritual seed will be continued in the true vine, that is, “in Christ.” But, as Robertson observed, “It is almost certain that there was an additional reason for the use of this allegory."[2] Also, as Hendriksen noted, “During the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus had spoken dramatically of the `fruit of the vine’ (Luke 22:18), and scholars have great difficulty explaining this metaphor without reference to the Lord’s Supper just instituted."[3]The supplementary nature of John is apparent in this inclusion of the allegory of the vine which was omitted by the synoptics. [2] A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (New York and London, 1932), Vol. V, p. 257. [3] William Hendriksen, Exposition of the Gospel according to John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1961), II, p. 296.
Verse 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.Not only will the husbandman (God) reject the degenerate vine, he will also give the strictest attention to the true vine, extended here to mean not merely Christ but all the church “in him.” Every branch in me … See under John 14:20 for elaboration of the significance of being “in Christ.” One not in Christ has the same status as a severed branch. Note that the responsibility of Christians is retained, the fruitless members being taken away. Even those who bear fruit are pruned to make them more fruitful. That very evening had revealed Judas as a branch which the Father took away and Peter as a branch that would be pruned. Of course, the primary application to the analogy here is to the apostles; but there is a sense in which, by extension, the teachings apply to all who are in the Lord. He cleanseth it … The RSV has “prunes it” here which more exactly fits the metaphor. All Christians need pruning! As Henry said: The best have something in them which is peccant, something which should be taken away; some notions, passions, or humours, that want to be purged away; which Christ has promised to do by his word, Spirit, and providence.[4]ENDNOTE: [4] Matthew Henry, Commentary (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company), p. 1123.
Verse 3 Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.Christ here intimates that the apostles do not at the moment need “pruning,” having already been pruned enough by the devastating teachings and revelations of that entire evening. Their pride, secularism, trust of themselves, and their vain ambitions had all been swept away in the knowledge of Judas’ treachery, Peter’s forthcoming denial, and the Lord’s impending death, the latter being a fact that their minds could no longer avoid. However, the idea persists that these words were spoken prophetically, the present tense being used for the future; because, actually, much pruning remained for the beloved Twelve. Because of the word … The instrument of cleansing from sin is the word of God. Some have supposed the Holy Spirit to be the cleansing agent in redemption; but this is not true, if by “agent” is meant the means of cleansing. The Spirit is sent into men’s hearts not to make them sons of God, or to cleanse them, but because they are already so (Galatians 4:6). “The sword of the Spirit … is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17); therefore, the word of God is the means and the Holy Spirit is the applicator or wielder of the means of cleansing from sin. What was true of the Twelve is true of all who are ever saved. It is “because of the word” of God.
Verse 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.Abide in me … standing at both ends of this verse is, in short, the plan of human redemption. All depends upon one’s being “in Christ,” and abiding “in him” until probation has ended. Jesus did not here elaborate the means by which one is brought into such a sacred relationship with himself; but the New Testament leaves no doubt of how this comes about. Men are baptized into Christ (Romans 6:3; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27), nor is any other means of entry into Christ disclosed in the sacred Scriptures. See under John 14:20.
Verse 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.See under John 15:1 and John 15:4, and under John 14:20. Apart from me ye can do nothing … As regards procurement of righteousness in the sight of God, no human being can ever achieve any semblance of it. Christ Jesus wrought the only righteousness (in the ultimate sense) ever known on earth. No man could ever achieve the tiniest fraction of such a righteousness as that of Christ; and therefore, no man can be saved as HIMSELF. The only way he can be saved is to be saved as CHRIST. God makes sinners righteous, not by imputing to them “a righteousness” of some kind, but by transferring the sinner himself “into Christ,” thus identifying him as Christ and thus enabling the sinner to be presented “perfect in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). The analogy in the metaphor is that the branch is in fact the vine, being in it, and part of it; but when that union is destroyed by the branch’s being cut off, it dies.
Verse 6 If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.Here is the answer to the old question of whether or not a Christian can so sin as to be lost. Both the precept and the example are here. Judas, at first a true apostle, did not abide in Christ and was cast forth as a branch. Salvation for every man ever born turns upon just two questions: (1) is he “in Christ”? and (2) does he remain “in Christ”? Given an affirmative answer to those two key questions, a man’s salvation is absolutely secure. There is no way to be lost if one, “being in Christ.” remains “in him” until probation is ended. “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” (Revelation 14:13). This verse is not a lesson in horticulture. The casting into the fire and burning are references to the final fate of the wicked who know not God and obey not the gospel of Christ. And they gather them and cast them into the fire … Men are not charged with such responsibility as this, the gatherers here being the angels of God (Matthew 13:41; Matthew 13:49). This metaphor breaks down at one point, because branches of a vine have no choice of remaining or not remaining in the vine; but individuals in Christ do have such a choice. This concept is inherent in Jesus’ command to “abide in me,” the power to do so being implied by the command itself.
Verse 7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.And my words abide in you … This is here made the equivalent of Christ abiding in his disciples and of their abiding in him. See under John 14:20. Whatsoever ye will … is not a promise that anything that might be asked of God by any person will be done, but means that a person truly “in Christ,” and asking in harmony with the Father’s will, will have his prayers answered. This is one of the great promises.
Verse 8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; and so shall ye be my disciples.That ye bear much fruit … The worldwide thrust of Christianity is in this. The great purpose of the Lord’s coming into our world was to save the entire human race if possible. “Whosoever will” is invited. The great commission was to the “whole creation.” In the very shadow of the cross, Jesus’ passionate desire was “much fruit”; and Jesus’ stressing this here emphasizes the truth that the evangelization of the whole world is the first, last, and great duty of the church. Fruit … may not be understood here as meaning exclusively the manifestation of the graces and virtues of holy living, although the fruit of the Spirit is definitely said to be such things (Galatians 5:22). A larger and more comprehensive meaning is included here, namely, that of producing more Christians. Conversions are the fruit Christ had in view here; and no Christian, and no church, can be considered truly “in Christ” unless passionately engaged in soul-winning. At this point, the farewell discourse of Jesus turned to his love and the necessity of his followers abiding in his love, thus concluding the analogy of the vine. CHRIST; THE TRUE VINEChrist is the true Israel of God, the seed of Abraham through whom all the prophecies were fulfilled; and union with Christ is the way to salvation and eternal life. Whether apostles or just Christians, all who hope for redemption must be “in Christ,” abide in him, and be found in him at last. Failure to abide in the Lord, that is, failure to abide in his teachings: or failure to remain in his spiritual body, shall ever result in forfeiture of all spiritual blessings. The great purpose of unity with Christ is the salvation of the world, to the extent it may be possible. Men shall recognize Christ’s disciples by their constant efforts to enlist others in the service of Christ. “And so shall ye be my disciples.” The writer is indebted to the father of James H. Childress for the following thoughts on Christ as the true vine. He said: On the true vine, the grapes always grow in clusters, that is, in congregations; but, on wild grapes, like the Muscadine, the grapes grow in one’s and two’s all over it. Therefore Christians must: belong to congregations, and not float around like the grapes on the wild vine. Also, every cluster of grapes has a few “no good” grapes on it; and there are no congregations which do not manifest the same characteristic. It is not affirmed here that such thoughts were in the mind of the Lord when he gave the analogy; but none can deny the truth of Brother Childress’ deductions from it.
Verse 9 Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you: abide ye in my love.Regarding the strange use of the perfect tense here, Westcott noted that: It is simpler to regard the tense as chosen with regard to a work now looked upon as completed, according to the usage which is not infrequent in these discourses. The love of Christ, as it were, is looked upon as the atmosphere in which the disciple lives.[5]Abide ye in my love … again presupposes the ability of the believer either to abide, or not abide, depending upon his own will, and not upon any capricious election from all eternity. Westcott stressed that “This enjoyment depends upon the human side upon the will of man, for it can be made the subject of a command."[6][5] B. F. Westcott, The Gospel according to St. John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971), p. 219. [6] Ibid.
Verse 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.The love of Christ by his disciples and his reciprocal love for them do not indicate a subjective emotional condition but a course of obedient action. This verse is almost the converse of Joh 14:15 (which see); and, taken together, they strongly teach that the love of Christ on the part of men means keeping Christ’s commandments. This is reinforced by the truth, also stated in this verse, that even the love of the Father by the Son meant keeping God’s commandments. Once more in John, it is revealed that the relationship between Christians and Christ is the same as that between Christ and the Father.
Verse 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.Jesus had spoken of the Holy Spirit repeatedly during that evening; and since the fruit of the Holy Spirit is “love, joy, peace … etc.” (Galatians 5:22), it is rather significant that this triad of love, joy, and peace finds such tremendous emphasis throughout this discourse. (See also John 14:27.) This rather extended discussion of the FRUITS of the Holy Spirit must therefore be viewed as preparatory to Jesus’ return to the subject of the Holy Spirit later in the discourse. These sacred references to the fruits of the Spirit throughout the farewell discourse disprove the allegations of Windisch and others who claim that the Spirit passages do not fit. Joy … Like the love mentioned in John 15:10, the joy here is not so much a subjective state of ecstasy as it is a state of spiritual serenity, much higher and more satisfying than a mere emotional state of euphoria. All such things as fun, pleasure, delight, happiness, gladness, etc., are on a lower level than the joy promised by the Lord.
Verse 12 This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you.This is identical with John 13:34, which see. Although not so designated here, it is the “new commandment.”
Verse 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.These words evidently inspired the reference of the apostle Paul to the incredible fact that Christ died for men while they were yet sinners (see my Commentary on Romans, pp. 183-185). The love of Jesus for men is here contrasted with the highest conceivable example of man’s love for men, the love of Christ far exceeding any love that men might have for one another.
Verse 14 Ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you. No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you.The utmost desire on the part of God that people should obey him and receive his blessing is seen in the teaching here. God manifested itself in the person of his Son; and, having every right to command, he nevertheless stooped to plead with men and to solicit them as friends to do his will. No longer … servants … is not an excuse for Christians to abandon the concept of themselves as bondslaves of Christ (Romans 1:1); but the teaching is that the Lord treats his followers far better than any servant deserves to be treated. My Father … Christ often used the first person possessive in speaking of the Father, a use not allowed to disciples who were instructed to pray, “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9). A clear implication of Jesus’ Godhead is in this distinction. All things that I heard from my Father … Jesus’ revelation was complete; and, in its completeness, it was delivered to the apostles, who were enabled to remember it completely by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). This means that subsequent revelations of God’s will are not. If Jesus did not teach it, his followers should not be duped into believing it, no matter what it is. In the light of this, where do such works as Science and Health, The Book of Mormon, and the encyclicals of popes appear?
Verse 16 Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.The supernatural nature of the call of the apostles to their God-appointed task is in view here. Their commission to teach all nations did not derive from some voluntary assumption of such an office on their part but was imposed upon them from above by Christ’s choice of them for that work. But I chose you … Concerning this, Westcott said: Here (and in John 6:70 and John 13:18) the eleven are regarded as representatives of the Lord in relation to his church, favoring the interpretation (that this is reference to a call of the apostleship). The power of the office of the apostles lay for them in the fact that it was not self chosen.[7]This passage strongly suggests the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20) in the mention of Jesus’ being perpetually with them to provide whatever might be asked of the Father. ENDNOTE: [7] Ibid., p. 221.
Verse 17 These things I command you, that ye may love one another.This oft-repeated commandment is here reinforced by the fact of their being co-holders of the sacred commission to all nations. Each of them had been empowered by God’s specific act of choosing them to their sacred task; and, in such a dignity, they were even further entitled and admonished to love each other.
Verse 18 If the world hateth you, ye know it hath hated me before it hated you.The bitter hatred of an unregenerated world was inevitable for the people singled out and chosen by Almighty God as his plenipotentiaries in the solemn business of extending eternal life to mankind and proclaiming the conditions under which it would be granted. There was no way the world COULD love such people, whose very lives and commission would ever be anathema to sinful man. The Lord, in this scene, was acutely conscious that the evil hatreds and maledictions which had marked the attitude of man toward himself would inevitably be directed in full fury against the holy apostles.
Verse 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.Inherent in the world’s hatred of Christ was also the undying hatred of the apostles and the divine message they delivered to men. In this lies the reason why unregenerated men have authored whole libraries of rejection and hatred against the Gospel of John. Given the two facts, (1) of what unregenerates are in themselves, and (2) of what the glorious Gospel of John is, and the hatred of this Gospel becomes absolutely inevitable. Can anyone believe for a minute that the word of Christ through the apostles is treated with any less bias and hatred than that which marked the world’s treatment of Christ and the apostles themselves? See under John 15:24.
Verse 20
Remember the word that I said unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.This is the same as John 13:16, which see. The thrust of these words is as follows: as the world treated Jesus, so will it treat the apostles, and so it will treat the word of the apostles, that is, the New Testament. From this, as a matter of sacred principle, slanders of this Gospel (as well as of any part of God’s word) may be instantly related to the hatred of Christ.
Verse 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me.All these things … are the hatred, disobedience, mockery, persecution, lying trials, scourging, and death itself, etc., which marked the treatment of Christ by the world; and Jesus’ promise here is that nothing will be left out in the world’s similar treatment of the apostles. The holy Saviour was the object of Satan’s unrelenting scorn, hatred, and opposition; and the apostles who would bear his name before kings, Gentiles, and the children of Israel would incur the full measure of satanic opposition. That Satan is actually the author of all such opposition is implicit in the fact that long after that generation had descended into the grave, the same bitterness and hatred continued against the truth, only with a new set of human opponents in each succeeding generation. Only Satan could continue unabated the organization, marshaling, and deployment of his devices in one unending campaign throughout all history, with a hundred generations in turn playing out the same role of hating the Saviour of the world, telling the same lies, sneering the same sneers, sinning the same sins, repeating the same mockeries, and shutting their eyes to the same truths - just like always! In nearly two millennia NOT ONE NEW THING has been alleged by the devil and his servants against the Christ of glory. The war has already been won, but so many do not know it.
Verse 22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no excuse for their sin.This explains the implacable hatred of evil men for the truth. The wicked soul desires nothing so much as to be left alone; there is something terribly upsetting about an aroused conscience; and unregenerates will avoid disturbing a conscience with the intensity of a burglar tiptoeing past the guard dog. “Let us alone” (Mark 1:24 KJV) has been the cry of the depraved and corrupted of all ages. If Jesus had not confronted men with the fact of their wickedness, they would have had an excuse to continue in it.
Verse 23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also.Jesus said: I and the Father are one (John 10:30). He that believeth on me, believeth … on him that sent me (John 12:44). He that beholdeth me beholdeth him that sent me (John 12:45). If ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also (John 14:7). He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father (John 5:23). He that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me (John 13:20). God will send the Comforter (John 14:16); Christ will send the Comforter (John 15:26). Thus this verse is another variation upon the dominant theme of John: hating Jesus is one and the same thing as hating God.
Verse 24 If I had not done among them the works which none other did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.Beginning at John 15:18 and through John 15:25, Jesus warned the little band of the attitude of the “world” toward them and their holy mission. It would be one of unyielding hostility and animosity, for there could never be any way by which the carnal mind would love and accept the teachings of Jesus. As Hunter noted: The WORLD bears its characteristically Johannine meaning - “human society as it organizes itself apart from God.” The world’s attitude to his disciples, he forecasts, will be a continuation of its attitude to himself - hatred, not love …. True then, it is true still, and always will be.[8]ENDNOTE: [8] A. M. Hunter, The Gospel according to John (Cambridge: University Press, 1965), p. 151.
Verse 25 But this cometh to pass, that the word may be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.Their law … stresses the inordinate regard the priests had for the external features of Moses’ law; and it was “theirs” in the sense of the affectionate regard they professed for it, while actually denying it by their sinful conduct. Note that the quotation ascribed to “the law” was not from the Pentateuch, thus revealing that the term “law” was a reference to the entire Old Testament. Passages referred to are: Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause (Psalms 35:19). They trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity (Isaiah 59:4). Hated me without a cause … means “without a just cause.” That there was indeed a reason why they hated Christ is plain in John 3:19. Evil is its own sufficient reason for hating truth and righteousness. John never forgot this teaching and made it the basis of his comment on Cain: Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his works were evil, and his brother’s righteous (1 John 3:12). That the word may be fulfilled … Even in the dark hours that lay ahead, with all their sorrow, and even in the contemplation of the flood of evil that would engulf him and his followers, the Lord calmly pointed out that nothing strange was happening; all was going according to God’s plan; the Scriptures had foretold all that would happen in the dark hours ahead.
Verse 26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall bear witness of me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.This is the third of the five so-called Paraclete passages in John, so named because the Greek word [@parakletos]; translated “Comforter,” is found in the first four of these passages. See under John 14:16-17. There is no contradiction in the fact of Jesus’ sending the Comforter and the Father’s sending him (see under John 15:23). Critics who see a contradiction in these passages have simply missed the main point of this Gospel, namely, that Christ and the Father are one. Spirit of truth … is another designation of the Comforter and stresses the function of completing the apostles’ memory of all that Jesus had told them, the same being, in turn, all that God had told Jesus (John 15:15). There is an intimate connection here with John 15:15, making it impossible to think of this reference to the Comforter as an interpolation. This reference is absolutely necessary to understanding (1) how it will be possible for the apostles to deliver the total message of Christ to the world (John 15:15), and (2) how they are to realize such fruits of the Spirit as “peace” (John 14:27), “love” (John 15:10), “joy” (John 15:11), etc. This repeated mention of certain fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) in the verses leading up to this passage makes it certain that further reference to the blessed Comforter had been in Jesus’ mind throughout the chapter. Because ye have been with me from the beginning … This has reference to a primary requirement for the office of an apostle (Acts 1:21-22); and the introduction of this clause by the word “because” shows that these teachings about the Holy Spirit have reference to apostles, and not to all Christians. It is true, of course, that Christians receive an earnest of the Holy Spirit; but it is simply not true, nor do the Scriptures teach it, that the Holy Spirit will guide Christians into all truth. The proof of this is apparent in the fact that “all truth” is something that cannot be accurately associated with ANY Christian! Note also the fact that the guidance into all truth (in the apostles) by the Spirit was to be accomplished by bringing to their remembrance whatsoever Jesus had said unto them (John 14:26). How could the Holy Spirit help just any Christian to “remember what Jesus had said unto him,” when, as a matter of fact, the Christian has never heard Jesus say anything at all? Thus, this final clause becomes a key to understanding the Paraclete passages.
Questions by E.M. Zerr For John 151. Who is the vine? 2. In what relation is the father? 3. What is done with fruitless branches? 4. How does he treat the others? 5. By what means is the cleansing done? 6. In what was it given? 7. What mutual abiding is taught? 8. When can a branch not bear fruit? 9. To whom is this likened? 10. To whom is Jesus speaking? 11. What does he call them? 12. Tell what every branch is required to do. 13. Is every disciple required to do this? 14. When can they do nothing? 15. What man is cast forth as a branch? 16. Tell how he becomes then? 17. What is done with him then? 18. What must abide in the branches? 19. If so what may they expect? 20. Who is glorified by the fruit bearing? 21. What relation to Christ does this cause ? 22. In what were they to continue ? 23. Tell what example is mentioned. 24. How may this abiding be done? 25. Tell who had already done so. 26. For what purpose had Jesus spoken these thin 27. What was his commandment? 28. State the greatest proof of love- 29. Who are the friends of Jesus? 30. How were they above the servants ? 31. Who did the choosing? 32. For what were they ordained ? 33. With what assurance? 34. Repeat the command then given them. 35. Why might the world hate the disciples? 36. Tell whom the world loves. 37. From where had the disciples been chosen ? 38. Of what did Jesus remind his disciples ? 39. Who were destined to be persecuted? 40. What respect would be had for the word ? 41. For whose sake will this all be done? 42. What ignorance was responsible for this? 43. Why does this ignorance not excuse them ? 44. What hates cannot be separated? 45. State what works made them responsible. 46. Thy then saw and hated whom ? 47. From what document does Jesus quote? 48. Tell what he quoted. 49. Who was now promised to come? 50. From where does it proceed ? 51. What will he do?
John 15:1
1 One of the leading industries in Palestine was the production of grapes, which called for the cultivation of the vine. It was fitting that Jesus should use it as the subject of his parable at this time. Only a few minutes before he had partaken of the fruit of the vine while in the passover supper, at which time he said he would not drink of it again until he did so in the kingdom. That product having been before their eyes so recently, the apostles could appreciate a parable along the line of its production. True vine means that it is not counterfeit. The word is from ALE-THINOS which Thayer defines, “In every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name, real and true, genuine.” The nation of Israel was compared to a vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-6), but the vine turned out to be a false one, while Jesus asserted that He was the true vine. The husbandman was the’ person who planted and cared for the vine, and the Father is the one in the parable who has that part.
John 15:2
2 Purge is from , and Thayer’s definition is as follows: “To prune.” A vinedresser will observe the branches that are inclined to be productive, and will prune off all unnecessary growths that would sap the life from the vine without producing any fruit. If he discovers a branch that has not produced any fruit, he will remove it entirely from the vine as being detrimental to the growth and productivity of the whole plant. This pruning will be given fuller attention further on in the chapter.
John 15:3
3 Clean is from the same word as “purge” in the preceding verse. Jesus teaches that the pruning is done by his word, and hence that the process is a spiritual one. Even a branch ( a human being) that is alive and inclined to bear fruit, may have some useless traits developing that would finally damage the general life of the whole plant. It is the divine Hus-bandman’s purpose to cleanse (prune) away those traits, so that it can bear more and better fruit.
John 15:4
4 Everyone understands the law of nature that requires continuous connection between a vine and its branches in order to bear fruit. The spiritual law is no less established concerning the relation between Jesus and his disciples. There is no salvation apart , from Christ, as taught in too many passages to cite now.
John 15:5
5 Ye are the branches. Much speculation has been done over this statement. It is true that Jesus was talking to his apostles only at this time, but that was because no other disciples were present. It is also true that the apostles were the first branches because of their official place in the great “plant of renown” (Ezekiel 34:29), but all vines have branches besides the first ones. Most of the things Jesus said about the branches and the necessity of their connection with the vine (Himself), are true of all disciples. Without me ye can do nothing.
The first word is from CHOWS, which Thayer defines, “Separately, apart,” and he explains his definition at this passage, “without connection and fellowship with one.” It is the same truth stated in the preceding verse, of the necessity of being connected with Christ in order to bear fruit. To be connected with Christ today means to be in his body (the church), because if one is excluded from that body he is out in Satan’s territory (1 Corinthians 5:5), where he cannot bear any spiritual fruit.
John 15:6
6 Observe the phrase, if a man, which is too general to be restricted to the apostles. Everything that is said here is true of all disciples of Christ, therefore all of them are branches of one vine. Cast forth as a branch means he is rejected because of being separted from the vine and has become withered. As all such dead branches are burned by the men caring for the vineyard, so all disciples who are severed from Christ will be cast into the fire at the judgment day. (See Matthew 25:41.)
John 15:7
7 Ask what ye will seems unlimited if considered alone. The proviso is in the words about abiding in Jesus, and letting them abide in the apostles. As long as a person’s requests are according to the words of Jesus, they will be lawful and will have the assurance of being granted. The line of comparison is still drawn from the vine and its branches. A. branch obtains the sap and germinating principles from the vine. Everything that the branch is expected to produce, will be fully supplied for it by the vine.
Should the branch call upon the vine to furnish it with the materials necessary to produce apples, the vine would ignore such a request because the branch is not supposed to produce such fruit. Likewise, if a branch of this spiritual vine should ask the vine (Christ) for ability to start a wild plant, that request would be denied because the branches (disciples) are not supposed to produce any such fruit.
John 15:8
8 Disciples is a more general term than apostles, although Jesus was talking to the latter. The idea is that what Jesus was teaching was true of all disciples of Jesus. If a person should see grapes growing on a branch, he might not be able to see anything but the branch due to its being uncovered only, while the vine was hidden from view. But later he might be permitted to see a vine only of a tame variety. From this combined circumstance he would be able to conclude that the branch on which he saw the tame grapes was connected with that tame vine, because no other kind of plant could produce such fruit. Also, when people see certain kinds of spiritual fruit being produced by men and women, they will know them to be disciples of Jesus, seeing that no other ielationship can produce that kind of life. That is why Jesus said, so shall ye be my disciples in the eyes of the world.
John 15:9
9 A husbandman supplies his vine with soil and other necessary material for producing fruit so that it can pass on the material to the branches that are still connected. Likewise, the Father has bestowed infinite love on his vine (the Son), so that he can pass that love on to the branches (the disciples), that are still connected with the vine. Hence Jesus here exhorts them to continue ye in my love.
John 15:10
0 The figurative form of speech is discarded now, and Jesus expresses the same thoughts in direct language, and exhorts his disciples to keep the commandments in order to abide in His love. (See chapter 14:23).
John 15:11
1 Jesus was about to be crucified, yet he speaks of his joy; Paul refers to this joy in Hebrews 12:2. Jesus would never pretend having a joy that he could not or did not have, and the joy attributed to him was not the literal experience of the scenes at the cross, for the very anticipation of that ordeal caused his sweat to coagulate while in the garden (Luke 22:44). The joy was over what He knew would result from the great sacrifice. He wished this joy to be shared by his apostles, and that was why he had taken so much care about giving them an abundance of information.
John 15:12
2 This is virtually the same as verse 11.
John 15:13
3 True friendship and love are best manifested by what a man is willing to do on behalf of the ones whom he professes to love. He will be willing even to give up his life for their sake if the necessity arises. Jesus was soon to do that very thing, and hence he wished his disciples to be prepared in mind for the separation.
John 15:14
4 Jesus did not ask his disciples to give up their lives in the physical sense as he was required to do. Of course, if the enemy should bring bodily persecution upon them, they should be willing to die rather than betray their devotion to Him. But that would be a result of their services, and not a deliberate part of it according to their own arrangement. What Jesus meant was that the true followers of Him would devote their lives to his service. That is why he said what he did in this verse about showing their friendship for Him. They were to be regarded as his friends IF they did whatever he commanded of them. Hence if a man specializes on being a “Friend” of Jesus religiously, yet at the same time refuse to obey the commands of the Lord (one of which is to be baptized), such a man is making a false claim and is not a true friend of Jesus.
John 15:15
5 There were different kinds of servants in Bible times, and the distinction should be considered to avoid confusion. In the present passage the word is from DOULOS, and Thayer’s definition is, “A slave, bondman, man of servile condition.” Robinson comments on the word as follows: “In a family the DOULOS was one bound to serve, a slave, and was the property of his master, ‘a living possession’ as Aristotle calls him. . . . According to the same writer a complete household consisted of slaves and freemen. . . . The DOULOS therefore was never a hired servant.” It was in that view of the word that Jesus said he would not call his disciples his servants. The distinction is set forth by the confidential relation between Jesus and his religious household which was composed of his faithful disciples. A hired servant was not informed about the intimate affairs of his master, while Jesus wishes his disciples to know all about the things that pertain thereto. Of course this was especially true of the apostles, since the Master depended upon them to pass the information on to the unofficial household members.
John 15:16
6 See the comments on the preceding verse as to the special need for information to be given the apostles. The English word ordain occurs a number of times in the New Testament, and does not always have the same meaning. Much confusion has existed in the religious world over this word, and most of it is due to the erroneous principles taught by Rome, and brought over into the so-called Protestant groups by their teachers. It will be helpful to give the reader a complete view of this word as it comes from the various Greek originals. It will not be quoted in full again, hence he should make note of its location for ready reference. The following table gives all the words in the Greek New Testament that are rendered “ordain” in Authorized Version, together with the references where they are found, followed by the definitions according to Thayer. . 1 Corinthians 7:17; 1 Corinthians 9:14; Galatians 3:19. “To arrange, appoint, ordain, prescribe, give order.” KATHIS-TEMI. Titus 1:5; Hebrews 5:1; Hebrews 8:3. “To set, place, put; to appoint one to administer an office; to set down as, constitute, to declare, show to be.” . Hebrews 9:6. “To furnish, equip, prepare, make ready; to construct, erect; adorning and equipping with all things necessary.” KRINO. Acts 16:4. “To determine, resolve, decree.” HORIZO. Acts 10:42; Acts 17:31. “To ordain, determine, appoint.” POIEO. Mark 3:14. “To (make i. e.) constitute or appoint one anything.” PRO-ORIZO. 1 Corinthians 2:7. “To predetermine, decide beforehand.” TASSO, Acts 13:48; Romans 13:1. “To place in a certain order, to arrange, to assign a place, to appoint.” TITHEMI.
John 15:16; 1 Timothy 2:7. “To set, put, place.” . Acts 14:23. “To vote by stretching out the hand; to elect, appoint, create.” . Jude 1:4. “To write before.” PROETOI-MAZO. Ephesians 2:10. “To prepare before, to make ready beforehand.” GINOMAI. Acts 1:22. “To become, i. e., to come into existence.” The reader should note that most of these Greek words have been translated also by other words in the New Testament, but I have given only the places where they have been rendered “ordain.” The latter part of the verse is explained at verse 7.
John 15:17
7 This verse is a repetition of verse 12.
John 15:18
8 It should have beer regarded as an honor for a disciple of Christ to be hated by the world. Such hatred began when He attacked the wickedness of the world, and it would be logical for the followers of such a teacher to be accorded the same sentiments. The truth is that one of the evidences of a man’s relation to Christ morally is the persecution that is heaped upon him (2 Timothy 3:12).
John 15:19
9 The clannish characteristics of the people of the world will lead them to love their own. See Matthew 5:43-47.) By the same token, when they see hat a man’s manner of life is the opposite of theirs they will naturally hate him. Such a sentiment is a form of envy or a feeling of (moral) inferiority complex. It is similar to the motive of a spoiled boy who tries to puncture the balloon of his playmate, because he does not have one himself.
John 15:20
0 The thoughts of this verse are the same that have been mentioned in preceding ones under different terms of relationship. In this passage the relation of ruler and servant is considered.
John 15:21
1 Know not him is said in two senses. The people of the world did not have an understanding of the goodness and greatness of God. Also, they were unwilling to recognize Him for his greatness and hence would not respect his Son’s disciples.
John 15:22
2 The subject of responsibility is what Jesus is teaching in this verse, especially that which is dependent upon instruction. The Lord will not hold men responsible for not accepting any truth that was never offered to them. Jesus had come personally among mankind and been teaching by word of mouth. It is true that most of them stopped their ears so they would not hear, yet the opportunity for receiving the gracious truths made them fully responsible for all the teaching offered to them.
John 15:23
3 This is taught in John 14:23-24 and other places.
John 15:24
4 This verse teaches the same principle of responsibility as verse 22, but from a different standpoint. No intelligent man should fail to grasp the evidence of his own eyes. The people had seen the miraculous works of Jesus through a period of more than three years, and they should have known that no one like them could perform such deeds. The conclusion which they could not avoid was that Jesus was doing the things by the help of God. That is why Jesus accused them of both seeing and hating him and his Father.
John 15:25
5 Their law. The pronoun refers to the Jews who had rejected the teachings of John and Christ. The Sabbattarians teach that the law of Moses was intended to be perpetual and hence to be in force over all mankind. Had that been true, then the Old Testament would not have been “their” law any more than it was that, of Christ and his apostles. The writing cited is in Psalms 35:19, and according to chapter 10:34, the Psalms were a part of the law.
John 15:26
6 This verse is a link in the chain of passages about the Holy Spirit, that was suggested at chapter 14:16. Jesus was to send this Spirit as a Comforter, and it was to be obtained of the Father. Everything that. the Spirit would say would be according to what Jesus had said, and in that sense he was to testify of Him.
John 15:27
7 The apostles had been personally with Jesus from the beginning of his personal work (Mark 3:14; Acts 1:21-22). That would qualify them to speak as eye and ear witnesses, and the Spirit of truth would see that their memory was accurate.