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15 I am the true grapevine, and My Father is the farmer. Every branch in Me not bearing fruit— He takes it away[a]. And every branch bearing fruit— He cleans[b] it in order that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean, because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide[c] in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch is not able to bear fruit from itself unless it is abiding in the grapevine, so neither are you able unless you are abiding in Me. I am the grapevine, you are the branches. The one abiding[d] in Me and I in him— this one bears much fruit. Because apart from Me, you can do nothing. If anyone is not abiding in Me— he was thrown[e] outside like the branch, and was dried-up. And they gather them together, and throw them into the fire. And they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified— that you be bearing much fruit, and be[f] disciples to Me. Just as the Father loved Me, I also loved you. Abide[g] in My love. 10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love— just as I have kept the commandments of My Father and am abiding in His love.

You Are My Friends. I Chose You And Appointed You To Bear Much Fruit

11 “I have spoken these things to you in order that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be made full. 12 This is My commandment: that you be loving one another just as I loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this: that one lay-down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you are doing the things which I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because the slave does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I made-known to you everything which I heard from My Father. 16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you, in order that you may go and bear fruit and your fruit may remain, in order that He may give you whatever thing you ask the Father in My name. 17 I am commanding these things to you so-that you will love one another.

The World Will Hate You As It Hated Me, Because You Will Be Testifying of Me

18 “If the world hates you, you know[h] that it has hated Me before you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would be loving its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world— for this reason the world hates you. 20 Remember[i] the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master’. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. 21 But they will do all these things to you because of My name, because they do not know the One having sent Me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be having sin. But now they do not have an excuse for their sin. 23 The one hating Me is also hating My Father. 24 If I had not done among them the works which no other one did, they would not be having sin. But now they have both seen and have hated both Me and My Father. 25 But it has taken place in order that the word having been written in their Law [in Ps 69:4] might be fulfilled— that ‘They hated Me without-a-reason’. 26 When the Helper comes Whom I will send to you from the Father— the Spirit of truth, Who proceeds from the Father— that One will testify about Me. 27 And you also are going to be testifying, because you are [the ones] with Me from the beginning.

Footnotes

  1. John 15:2 That is, He cuts it off and it eventually burns it up, v 6. Or, He lifts it up. That is, He lifts it up to the trellis in the spring, training and tending it so that it bears fruit next season.
  2. John 15:2 cleans... clean. Or, prunes... pruned. The agricultural metaphor and the human application are intertwined here, using the same root word in a play on words. The branches are pruned (the suckers are pruned off to allow the branch to bear more fruit), the apostles are clean (morally and spiritually purified).
  3. John 15:4 Or, Remain, Continue, Stay.
  4. John 15:5 abiding in Me and I in him. That is, having a living reciprocal relationship with Jesus.
  5. John 15:6 Jesus sums up the final state of the branch. He is found to be thrown out and dried up, as always with such branches.
  6. John 15:8 Or, prove-to-be.
  7. John 15:9 Abide... keep. Jesus plainly states the main point of the vine illustration: Abide in My love by doing as I command.
  8. John 15:18 Or, this may be a command: know that, recognize that.
  9. John 15:20 Remember... master. Or, Do you remember... master?

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am(A) the true vine,(B) and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,(C) while every branch that does bear fruit(D) he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.(E) Remain in me, as I also remain in you.(F) No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;(G) apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.(H) If you remain in me(I) and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.(J) This is to my Father’s glory,(K) that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.(L)

“As the Father has loved me,(M) so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands,(N) you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.(O) 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.(P) 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.(Q) 14 You are my friends(R) if you do what I command.(S) 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.(T) 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you(U) so that you might go and bear fruit(V)—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.(W) 17 This is my command: Love each other.(X)

The World Hates the Disciples

18 “If the world hates you,(Y) keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you(Z) out of the world. That is why the world hates you.(AA) 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’[b](AB) If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.(AC) If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name,(AD) for they do not know the one who sent me.(AE) 22 If I had not come and spoken to them,(AF) they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.(AG) 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did,(AH) they would not be guilty of sin.(AI) As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law:(AJ) ‘They hated me without reason.’[c](AK)

The Work of the Holy Spirit

26 “When the Advocate(AL) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father(AM)—the Spirit of truth(AN) who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.(AO) 27 And you also must testify,(AP) for you have been with me from the beginning.(AQ)

Footnotes

  1. John 15:2 The Greek for he prunes also means he cleans.
  2. John 15:20 John 13:16
  3. John 15:25 Psalms 35:19; 69:4